Well, the GMTK Game Jam 2023 is over, and this year, I was actually able to make a complete game before the deadline. In fact, Splatter is the first game I have ever completed. As simple as this game is, I am still very proud of it. This is something I have wanted to achieve for years, and I finally had the coding skills and determination to see it through. I have watched GMTK for years, and originally downloaded Unity years ago just so I could join the GMTK Game Jam. I was inexperienced, and failed my first attempts at completing a game in time. I never completed the projects at all. But this year, I finally did it. So after about 30 hours of solo development and very little sleep, I uploaded Splatter and took a well deserved nap. I got up and the deadline passed while I ate lunch. When I checked on the game, I had a comment saying it doesn't work... at all. I had uploaded the .exe file instead of the folder that included all of the files that you needed to launch the game. Genuinely, thanks BeanMaster0790; without your feedback I would probably have never noticed that Splatter was completely unplayable. Naively, I had assumed the .exe was all you needed. Now I know better, but by the time I found out, I could not modify what I had uploaded for the jam. It was heartbreaking. I had dedicated myself entirely to this project during the jam, poured everything I had into it, made a final product I was happy with, and tripped at the finish line without even realizing it until the race was over. I am not an emotional person, but I almost cried. In the week and a half since then, I have accepted my mistake. I am still very proud of what I made, regardless of the jam outcome. I am very tempted to tweak Splatter or totally rebuild it to be exactly what I envision, but I am more than satisfied with its current state. In truth, more tweaks would add minimal value to this simple arcade game. The thing I came to realize in the days since the jam is this: I love making games. I don't often have the time or the motivation to, but I enjoy sharing my ideas through games. I like providing fun experiences for people. I want to make things that make others happy. Splatter will not be the final I game I make. As for the GMTK game jam... there's always next year.