When Mom and Pop Want to Make a Game: A Wholesome Saga of Passion, Webhosts, and the Elusive Good Dev
Picture this: It’s just another day, you’re minding your own business, when your phone rings. The voice on the other end is an older woman, polite and a bit flustered, asking for help with her “database” on something called Hostinger. You offer your best support voice, thinking you’re about to guide someone through a routine password reset. But as the conversation unfolds, you’re pulled into a tale that’s equal parts heartwarming, bewildering, and a little bit tragicomic: a mom-and-pop team chasing their game-making dream, tangled in web hosting woes, and searching for a developer who won’t ghost them—or, uh, get deported.
This is no ordinary tech support call. This is the story of Mom and Pop’s Game Development Adventure.
The Call from the Past: When Flyers Come Back to Haunt (or Help) You
Our tale begins twenty years ago, with a hopeful student handing out flyers offering tech wizardry for hire. Fast forward to today, and somehow, one of those ancient flyers (or the memory of it) has survived the relentless march of time. Enter “Mom,” the graphics designer with a vision, and “Pop,” her project-managing other half. Together, they’ve designed a web-based game—at least, in theory.
Like many passion projects, they needed technical help. Their last developer—a man caught in the web of international asylum policies—charged $200 for “Phase 1 of 10” (which, according to the Reddit author, included such vague tasks as “hooking up graphics,” “hosting on a WAMP server,” and “adding webhooks”). But just as things were getting started, their dev’s UK asylum was denied, and he vanished from their lives as quickly as he entered.
A Web of Woes: When Hosting Fees and Database Mysteries Collide
So here’s Mom, calling our Reddit hero, frantic because she can’t access her database. As any good tech support veteran knows, the first challenge is often unraveling what the real problem is. As the layers peel away, it becomes clear: the database isn’t the real issue. The setup is a patchwork of half-baked hosting (with ongoing fees for resources barely used), a fraction of the game’s graphics “hooked up,” and a smattering of PHP and MySQL that sounds more like a recipe for disaster than a working product.
It’s a classic case of a non-technical client being “taken for a ride” by someone who did the bare minimum and disappeared—except, in this case, the dev’s circumstances were more tragic than malicious. Still, our narrator’s advice is clear: cancel the unnecessary hosting, cut your losses, and don’t let anyone charge you recurring fees for something you’re not using.
But here’s where things get both touching and a bit exasperating: Mom simply won’t let go. This isn’t just a project. It’s her project—a dream she’s not ready to see die just because of a few tech hurdles (and a few less-than-stellar developers).
Passion Projects, Perils, and Persistence
If you’ve ever worked in tech support or freelance development, you’ve met a Mom or Pop like this. Their project may not make the next indie games hit list, but it means the world to them. And while their technical understanding may be… let’s say, “developing,” their enthusiasm is boundless.
But this story also highlights a real challenge: the vast gap between creative dreams and technical reality. The indie game development scene, especially for non-technical founders, is a minefield of confusing jargon, questionable service providers, and platforms with recurring charges that add up faster than you can say “WAMP stack.”
It’s easy to laugh—or groan—at the tangled web of tech misadventures, but there’s also something genuinely inspiring about Mom’s refusal to give up. And, let’s be honest, it’s a reminder that behind every “awkward client call” or “bizarre support ticket” is a real person chasing something they care about.
The Takeaway: Goodwill and Good Advice Go a Long Way
Our Reddit hero does what any decent person would: offers honest advice, gently steers Mom away from wasted spending, and even turns down the job offer with kindness (because, you know, actual day jobs and all). It’s a small gesture, but for someone like Mom, it means a lot.
The comments on the original post are filled with empathy—and a few knowing laughs from fellow techies who’ve been there. Because in the end, we all root for the underdog, especially when the underdog is an unstoppable Mom with a dream and a Pop who’s all-in.
Have You Helped a Dreamer?
Got your own story of quirky clients, passion projects, or tech support adventures? Drop a comment below! And if you’re out there chasing your own creative dream—no matter how wild or web-hosted—don’t give up. Just… maybe read the fine print on those hosting fees.
What do you think: Would you have taken the job? Ever met a Mom or Pop with a project that just wouldn’t quit? Let’s hear your tales from the trenches!
Original Reddit Post: Mom and Pop wants to make a game