Fuck it, make it anyway

Making software can remain worthwhile when the process itself is part of the reward. In a personal essay, software developer and indie game maker Joel Auterson describes a week of discouragement as generative AI made it easy for anyone to produce tools like those Auterson had taken pride in building. The essay says Auterson does not enjoy programming with a code assistant, since the output does not feel personal.

The reason to continue comes from Auterson's own choices: the game engine under construction is being built because the work is enjoyable and teaches something, not because it is the fastest way to make a game. For personally motivated projects, the essay argues, enjoyment and learning remain valid goals even when speed becomes easy to buy.