Building NextGame: From Over-Engineering to Simplicity
An honest developer journey sharing real mistakes, lessons learned, and the path from feature bloat to focused product development.
Thread: Building NextGame for Hackaroo - From over-engineering to simplicity (with screenshots of my mistakes)
Started building NextGame when my friend launched his indie game on Steam and was struggling with discovery. He asked if there was a better way for indie devs to get visibility. That simple question kicked off this entire journey.
The Initial Idea
Initial idea: "Product Hunt but for games." Seemed straightforward enough. Help indie games get discovered, give players a place to find hidden gems. What could go wrong?
But digging deeper, I realized the real problem isn't just showcasing games - it's that gaming discovery is fundamentally broken. Most platforms optimize for engagement over actual quality discovery. The root cause: adoption and discovery are interconnected problems.
Lesson #1: Over-Ambitious Planning
First screenshot: My initial platform design. I wanted to serve developers, creators, AND users all at once. Three different dashboards, three different experiences, trying to be everything to everyone.
This was overly ambitious. Instead of focusing on one core feature that everyone would use, I was creating 3 different areas simultaneously. Classic over-engineering - diluting the experience instead of improving it.
The Feature Creep Begins
Second screenshot: After building the dashboard, I got excited about the AI-powered angle. "We help bring people together through intelligent discovery!" Started importing games, building out the discover page. Thought it was looking great.
The platform was taking shape, but something felt off. The interface was getting complex, and I was adding features because I could, not because users needed them.
The Reality Check
September reality check: Screenshot #3 shows my hero section reshape. I realized gamers don't give a fuck about the context or our mission statement. They want one thing: to easily find games they'll actually enjoy.
Fake It Till You Make It
Tried adding "AI search" (which was actually just improved querying with no API calls, but appeared AI-powered). It was a fun test, but mostly smoke and mirrors. Sometimes you need to fake it till you make it to validate concepts.
The Feature Bloat Monster
October: Screenshot #4 - the feature bloat monster. Look at this mess. So many features, so overwhelming. At the time I thought "look at all this functionality!" In reality, it was a UX nightmare.
Classic developer mistake: confusing features with value. More buttons ≠ better experience. I was building for myself (someone who understands every feature) instead of for actual users.
The Breakthrough: Subtraction
The breakthrough: stripped everything away. Current version: Discover, Launch, Favorites. With actual AI Search. That's it. Sometimes the best feature is the one you don't build.
Now focusing on what matters: improving AI search/recommendations, cleaning up UI/UX, and actually marketing the thing instead of endlessly adding features nobody asked for.
Key Lessons Learned
- **Iteration isn't just about adding** - it's about subtracting. The hardest part wasn't building features, it was killing the ones that didn't serve the core purpose.
- **Simple > Complex. Always.** If you're building something and it feels overwhelming to explain in one sentence, you're probably over-engineering it.
- **Build for users, not for yourself.** Understanding every feature doesn't mean users will.
- **Validate before you build.** Sometimes smoke and mirrors help you test concepts before investing in real implementation.
Building for Hackaroo taught me that iteration isn't just about adding - it's about subtracting. The hardest part wasn't building features, it was killing the ones that didn't serve the core purpose.
Next step: Actually shipping this simplified version and seeing if it solves the real problem. Simple > Complex. Always.