About Devournal

Devournal is one developer writing down the parts of building games that are genuinely hard, in enough detail that you could rebuild the solution yourself.

Why it exists

Most game-dev writing sits at one of two extremes. Either it's a high-level overview that leaves you no closer to writing the code, or it's a firehose of engine internals with no path in for a mortal. I kept wishing for the middle: an experienced developer explaining a specific problem, showing the real code, and admitting where it got messy. Devournal is my attempt to be that resource for someone a few steps behind where I am.

What every post promises

Three rules hold across the notebook. First, it's specific — a post solves one real problem, not "an introduction to" a whole field. Second, the code runs; article snippets are trimmed from working samples, and members download files that compile. Third, the wrong turns stay in. If I chased a dead end before finding the fix, that's usually the most useful part, so I leave it on the page.

Who it's for

Indie developers and programmers who want depth: people building a game or an engine who are comfortable reading code and tired of surface-level tutorials. You don't need to be an expert — the deep-dives build up from first principles — but you should want to understand the machine, not just call an API and hope.

How it's made

Written and edited online, in C++ and Rust for the most part. The site itself is hand-built static pages — no tracking beyond an optional reading count, no newsletter machine, no growth funnel. Typeset in Newsreader and Inter Tight, with IBM Plex Mono for anything that looks like code. The faint waves you see everywhere are a nod to the quiet, unhurried pace I try to write at.

The membership

The public posts are free and will stay free. Devournal Pro exists so the writing can keep happening: it funds the time, and in return members get the full archive, the runnable source and project files, a private thread where I answer questions about your own code, and early access to drafts. If that sounds useful, the membership page lays out both plans, and [email protected] reaches me directly.