Is this newsletter for you?
Probably, if any of these describe you:
You are a programmer who wants to understand how games work below the engine layer
You are a developer tired of cargo-cult engines and towering abstractions
You want to build systems from first principles, not glue APIs
What I Write About
How real-time input, simulation, and rendering actually fit together
Why certain industry “best practices” are lies (and what replaces them)
Building game systems without engines
Low-level thinking applied to practical games
Who I Am
I’m Dylan, and I’ve spent the last 6 years immersed in low-level game programming, after a 10 year career as a web developer.
I build games and teach engine-free programming through Program Video Games.
I’m currently developing LANE-4, an open-ended puzzle game written in Odin + raylib.
What I Believe
Engines are designed to produce results efficiently, not to teach deep understanding.
Abstractions trade understanding for leverage. Sometimes the trade is worth it, and often it is either invisible or left unconsidered.
Much programming education reduces friction without explaining consequences or methods of reasoning.
Incentives determine which bugs are tolerated, ignored, or allowed to accumulate.
Fewer tools, understood deeply, lead to clearer thinking and more reliable systems.
Start Here
If you want practical fundamentals:
If you are sceptical about modern dev culture:
Go Deeper
Visit Program Video Games for a fully structured course on building 4 different game engines from scratch.
