Welcome to www.onegameamonth.com - December edition. We did it. We made over 5000 games this year. I'm amazed. So awesome.

Whether you made a couple or a dozen games this year, you should feel proud of yourself for getting to the finish line at all. Remember, over half of game projects NEVER get finished.

By taking part in #1GAM	you've already gone to the next level and I've literally seen several people go from dreamers to people with actual careers in the games industry, who have sent me thank you emails over the last year, you have no idea how many. It's incredible. This makes me so happy on a personal level. Thanks guys.

Now this year, we leveled up our gamedev skills. We're faster. We're better at design, coding, art, and most importantly, we all got better at time-management.

I think #1GAM is a great gamedev bootcamp, so to speak, and if you've been doing it for 6 months or more, I think it's time to take a step back.

Write about what the year meant to you and your plans for the future.

I think it's time for a lot us to consider creating a second, long-term, year-long gamedev project.

Keep up with the monthly game jams just like continuing to exercise so you stay in shape. To take a break. To experiment with game mechanics and do some rapid prototypes. Keep submitting games to #1GAM, but I warmly encourage you to plan to make a COMMERCIAL game that people actually spend money on, in 2014.

You can be a pro gamedev.

Next year, you will be able to submit UPGRADES to one game project that count as #1GAM submissions. Make sequels to your games, port them to new platforms, or iterate one fantastic game over twelve months.

All these things should be considered a legitimate way to earn experience points on this website.

They're just experience points! So feel free to post IncrediGame1,2,3,4 and 5 on successive months. Get sequelitis, and make one game get better and better and more polished or publish it on more platforms over time.

That's my plan for 2014, to focus on one larger game project and do lots of game jams just for practise or to try out new languages and tools. Each time I port the game to a new device, I will submit that game as a brand new entry on the #1GAM website.

I hope you'll join me next year and continue toward gamedev glory and riches. However you decide to try to do it! You can do it!

This holiday season, I think we should all focus on spending time with our friends and family. On going outside and building a snowfort above making a simulation of one for a game we're making.

So this month, please, try to make your smallest, simplest game yet, so you have time to chill.

I'd like to present you all with a holiday bonus! =) A special selection of three chocolate covered theme words for you to choose from. In honour of our past, present and future gamedev dreams.

The words are:

FROZEN

SECRET

KITTEN

Make a game that features one or more of these themes and rack up some bonus experience points.

Thanks again, everyone. I'm really grateful to be on this epic quest with you.

Kind regards,

Christer Kaitila aka McFunkypants