I had some goals this year of 1) joining the IF community and 2) finishing a game.
I have now accomplished those goals, and additionally 3) learned two new programming languages (Inform 6 and Adventuron), 4) engaged the subtleties of divergent functional libraries related to the language (Puny vs Standard), 5) made many new friends all around the globe and 6) somehow I have 8 twitter followers? I need to tweet something sometime.
In addition to the above, the jam has introduced me to the retro computing scene, which is very interesting. My Amiga was wiped out by a basement flood decades ago and my diskettes of BASIC code likewise consigned to landfills across the world over the years. It charms me that antique tech continues to serve as a lively medium for artistic expression worldwide.
The knowledge and supportiveness of the PunyInform gurus are remarkable. I look forward to getting to know everyone better.
It's a tad disappointing to miss the Top Spot by 0.01; it is not the first time that I have a missed a Top Spot by 0.01. Little competitions like this remind me of a hard-earned life truth: competition is real, but cruelty is a choice. In a world where not everyone can win what they want, it is enough when people are genuinely warm and kind and part of one's foundation for future growth. This jam has been a concrete example of how that can work.