(20 mins read – I know it’s long but it’s worth it)
Hey there everyone, it’s (finally) me again. Following last hooks list that worked pretty well on bluesky (compared to my other posts) I wanted to get back to an old habit of mine that I was missing somehow: interviewing folks. And since I spoke MANY times about soon to be hit game Building relationships, I figured I would interview the man behind the game, Tanat Boozayaangol, alias Tan ant games.
TL;DR : Building relationships is a dating simulation where buildings date other buildings. Try out the demo, it’s lots of fun!
In this thorough interview, you’ll find out how he came out with this crazy idea, how he struggled with perception of his piece of art and how he just didn’t care anymore somehow. And plenty of gamedev-to-gamedev tips to make it in the industry. It’s a long read, but it’s definitely worth reading! 100% guaranteed, if not satisfied I will pay you back.
Wait, you didn’t pay for this article. Well, if you didn’t like it, I will write you an excuse poem.
Ok? Ok. Have a good read!
Valentin
My first question is very simple : how did you come up with this quite crazy idea of a building dating sim ?
Tanat Boozayaangol
It kind of started as a game jam. The theme was construction, destruction. This was like 2015, 10 years ago now. It seems kind of crazy. But yeah, I was thinking I can make a game about buildings, so maybe I’m making one about relationships.
And I was like, wait a minute, it kind of goes together. And at the time, it was inspired by absurd dating sims at the time of 2015. Back then it was really a thing on youtube.
So yeah, it kind of started with that, like, absurd visual novel type route. But I didn’t really play visual novels or dating sims, so I couldn’t make something in that style. And feel like it is authentic in a way that makes sense to me, right?
Because I didn’t consume enough of that genre. So I kept the idea aside for a while. In 2020, lockdown happened and I suddenly had more free time. I just played a short hike. And I really wanted to play around with exploration as a mechanic, so I revisited the idea for a different game jam called unexpected jam.
So I was like, okay, let’s bring back building relationships in 3d with movement as the first thing I’ll tackle. The game had lots like, delightful surprises. I didn’t know if it had any weight to it.
But I made the jam, right? I put it on itch and random people would play the game. And turned out they would like it.
And so I was like, Okay, I guess there’s something here. So it was in 2020, and 2023 or so. That’s when I picked work back up again. I learned a little bit more about writing then. So yeah, that’s kind of the stepping stones of how we got to the game as it is now.
Valentin
Okay, it makes more sense now! So it’s your first game as Tan Ant, a name which I believe is something some guy called you?
Tanat
Haha, yes, my name is pronounced « Tanat », if you say that really wrong, it’s like « Tan ant ». But I have to go by Tan, because now everyone thinks I go by that name. And yes, it’s my first commercial game.
I’ve made games before, like during my undergrad bachelor in game design development. And I’ve done lots of jam projects, but building relationships is the first game that has moved from game jam or smaller projects to a commercial release on Steam.
Valentin
Can you tell me more on your studies?
Tanat
I studied game design development. So it was programming and a lot of game projects. That was in like 2015, to 2018. And I worked as a software engineer for five years.
Valentin
Okay. And so about your job, how do you switch to from Google engineer to GDC speaker? [he didn’t mention Google but I checked his linkedin profile beforehand. No, this is not stalking, I’m just doing my job, ok?]
Tanat Boozayaangol
Yeah… I’ll be very honest, I don’t think Google helped at all [laughing]
So yeah, I worked for five years as a software engineer. Early parts of it was on first two years on Stadia, which is not the longer thing anymore. At the time, I just graduated. So I was still figuring things out for myself.
And then I worked on Android GPU profilers, so the overlap between that and indie games is nonexistant. And yeah, in my free time outside of work I would try to spend my time doing part time game dev, to meet more people in the industry going to meetups, organizing events and all that. And thanks to that, I ended up having a place to talk at GDC. The talk was about structuring comedy.
There’s a book I read called Writing for games. And it was a very logical breakdown of a step by step process that fits different types of writers and whatnot. But there was one page in that book that talked about comedy writing.
The author Hannah Nicklin could not tackle it within that book, because the book was already really big and it’s kind of a tangent. But one thing she asserted was that if you want to write comedy, you should study the fundamentals, specifically setups and payoffs.
And so that was the basis of « How do I, as an engineering brain, approach comedy in a way that is structural ? »
So there are a lot of things I cannot talk about, because humor is something that you understand intuitively, we can’t explain it. But there are certain things that help in terms of structuring a project like when you write a part of something. Like in other forms of writing where there’s rising action to help set up a climax. So it’s something similar for comedy and I think it’s just like an interesting way to look at things.
And I feel like no one has given a talk like that at GDC before, though. I believe it’s intuitive to a lot of people. But I think it’s just kind of here’s how programmer brain approaches comedy. Ironically, I think if you engineer a comedy too much, it’s not funny.
Point is, I don’t think that’s something I could have achieved if I stayed at Google.
Valentin
You told me you were afraid people would think your game is total nonsense. Can you tell me more about that? Like how you got rid of this impression.
Tanat
I was still at Google when I started working on the game. As I was working on the game part-time, the game got announced at summer games fest.
And so that was pretty early, I had never gone through the entire process of doing the introspection, figuring out what my instincts are, how do I know for myself that something is good, something is not good. And how do I build those instincts without having done any playtest beforehand.
I had limited time to spend on this game. I’ve also never written before. This is my first time writing a game.
I guess I’m a fun person. I didn’t think I was like a comedian funny person though. I just watched a lot of improv comedy. So I was kinda stressed about how my work is being received because I’ve never been perceived before. So yeah, in terms of overcoming that, a lot of it is time and space. And at that time, I ended up quitting from Google, not necessarily because I wanted to go full time into game dev, but because I couldn’t handle the work environment at that place. It was getting to me a lot. So I ended up quitting.
And then having more free time, I kinda said to myself « I can’t just like live in that anxiety anymore. » I have to address it, right? Because if this is my full time job, I can’t be anxious 24/7. So I released a demo almost immediately after announcements, just because I didn’t have a trust in myself. My questions were « Is this too random? » « Is this too crazy? » A lot of it in terms of overcoming this is looking at what people say.
Getting that feedback, I started working with Gina, who’s my composer. So Gina composed all the music in the game. And so between the two of us, there’s a little bit more of like, okay, are the references clear between between each of us? Is this making sense?
And over time, after a while, I just stopped worrying. I can’t pinpoint exactly where it started.
But at some point, I think I made this realization that it’s my first time writing for a game anyway, so it might not be the most amazing, perfect piece of writing, because I don’t have that experience. At the end of the day, I can’t be sure if it’s gonna be good, but I can be sure that it will be authentic.
And I realized when I did localization for another game, Urban Jungle, that I don’t need top notch writing to make it in the industry. English was not their strong suit, I mean the writing was good even though not exceptional, and it didn’t matter much. I could still understand the feelings conveyed, so that’s what really is important.
Another thing I didn’t mention fully, but for the talk that I gave at GDC, a lot of time I had to ask myself, like, okay, how do I condense my process in a way that is useful for other people. Because I don’t want to be the person who’s just blabbing nonsense. That’s what a lot of people did at my job. There’s an art to saying stuff nonsense, but you look smart. I did not want to be one of those people. So I tried my best.
It forced me to really introspect: what is my process? And how do I know if something feels right? And a lot of that coming comes out like, do I have the references? Does it feel like it’s clear?
For example for furniture building, there’s the IKEA reference. And I think it’s clear. And I think the first person building a furniture thing, is making sense to me, and to many people.
[Note from me : there’s a moment in Building relationships where you have to “cook dinner” by building IKEA-like furniture. Because in this crazy world, buildings eat tables and such. Doesn’t it make sense as much as it seems out of this world ?]
Valentin
So what’s next in the game, after furniture building?
Tanat
The next part of that is furniture moving. And so I was like, okay, how do we spin this concept in a way? And talking about what that feels like for buildings, you know, not humans moving furniture but buildings moving furniture.
Valentin
What does that mean for your characters? Is it a banquet or something like that?
Tanat
Yeah, it’s a dinner. They move furniture for dinner.
The next part is feeding the sandwich to your partner. It kind of plays on these dating sims that have this scene where you feed your partner. The ones that I’ve seen feel very weird.
So there’s just some weird energy going on. But I think it’s entirely different in my game. It feels authentic to me.
Valentin
Okay. So are you planning on keeping posting crazy posts on Reddit or other places, or are you going to be more « classic » now? What’s your take on your future posts?
Tanat
Posting has taken a long time for me because I started posting maybe in November 2023. When you don’t have any type of audience, I just posted things on back in the time Twitter and it would not get a lot of traction because when you don’t have a game already, you don’t have an audience and it would barely reach new people.
My philosophy with marketing or social media posts is it has to be kind of low effort for my end, especially at the time, because I was part time and I could not spend too much time doing everything at once. So I observed what was going on on platforms and the thing that worked best for me is I recorded some kind of gameplay clip and just narrated something over it in a way. What I try to hit is like, « Hey, I did X in this game » in a way where people would comment for Reddit, for example. It’s basically, if you say something so absurd, but still make sense, like « I added rock climbing to my dating sim where you play buildings ». It kind of makes sense and it’s absurd at the same time you know, I guess it just worked for me on Reddit.
On TikTok, I’ve tried to focus on content with a clearer angle. I think I have some strength in teaching when I prepare properly, so I don’t ramble. I did a shader breakdown, for example. With short-form content, it’s easy to waste time, but people tend to appreciate it more when they learn something.
That’s the angle I want to hit: here’s how the water shader works, how the 2D pixelation filter works, their pros and cons, and whatnot. This kind of content takes more time to make, but the water shader breakdown did pretty well. People love water in VFX—there’s something visually appealing and “learnable” about it, so it has more sharing potential.
I also add a bit of humor when it fits—maybe some funny emojis—but I don’t force it if it’s not naturally funny. So I sort of have two tones: something absurd, or something more straightforward, like “I added this house, and now it can jump”, things like that.
This type of content tends to do well on Reddit and performs decently on TikTok too, even though it takes a lot of time to make.
Valentin
Yeah, even though when I hope they wouldn’t, some posts still flop. As a marketer, I know how tough it is. Sometimes you spend 10 hours on a post and it goes nowhere, and sometimes you spend five minutes on a meme and it explodes.
Tanat
That feeling has been hard for me to deal with. In everything else I do—programming, design, art, writing—there’s a skill component. It’s not always luck; you just need to keep learning and improving. But with marketing, it feels harder when you put a lot of effort into something and nothing works.
When I moved back to Thailand from the UK, my reach on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts became very local. Compared to my peers in the US or UK, my reach is just smaller, and I can’t do much about it. That’s why I focus more on Reddit, because it doesn’t limit reach by location.
Valentin
I’ve seen major press outlets write about your game. Did you contact them, or did they reach out themselves?
Tanat
A lot of this is new to me. I submitted the game to Day of the Devs and got in. During Summer Game Fest, Day of the Devs showcases get press attention—they reach out to a lot of press outlets.
It felt like everything aligned for me. They feature a variety of games and are willing to include newer devs with unusual titles. For example, this year there was a game where you play as a child inside a tire (what looked to me like a student project) and they still showcased it. Day of the Devs is one of the few events with real visibility that supports new developers.
Some press reached out on their own. In other cases, the Day of the Devs press team listed the people who would be playing the game, so I emailed them. It’s been a learning process. I’m grateful for the visibility Day of the Devs gave me. For launch and beyond, it’ll be more on me to initiate contact, but early on a lot of things just went right.
Valentin
Fair enough. Many devs struggle to get coverage. I always tell developers that the hook of a game is crucial, and that marketing starts in pre-production, not after release. So aside from what we already talked about, what have you done marketing wise?
Tanat
My marketing strategy is fairly lean. I’m not targeting large expos like PAX very much. There’s some value in them, but since I’m mostly working alone, the amount of effort required isn’t always worth it. My composer is in the UK on a contracting basis, so it doesn’t make sense to ask her to fly somewhere.
Summer Game Fest gave me a huge wishlist spike because it showcases a manageable number of games and appears on the Steam front page. I was also in Wholesome Games Direct, and one of the few games that had a demo available immediately, which helped.
I also participated in LudoNarraCon this year, another event with strong Steam visibility and limited slots. Those were the main drivers for wishlists.
Posting consistently is hard for me because focusing on numbers makes me spiral. Like when I’m stressed, seeing other people’s successful posts doesn’t make me happy for them, it just makes everything feel worse. So I try to post, but I haven’t been consistent. As I approach release, I’m finally setting up a social media calendar to maintain some rhythm.
I haven’t spent money on ads. My main focus is streamers. It feels crazy to me but people often say the game looks like a “streamer game” (a difficult platformer or climbing game) but it’s not exactly that. Still, viewers enjoy the puns, twists, and unexpected moments that create good reactions. I try to hang out in the chats of people who streamed the demo, not just thank them and disappear.
So overall: online showcases with Steam visibility, some expos, and selective social posting. Social media helps, but if it affects my mental health too much, I shift my focus.
Valentin
Okay, last question: are you willing to share your wishlist count, or is it private?
Tanat
It’s around 33,000. The biggest spikes were from Summer Game Fest and LudoNarraCon. I keep a spreadsheet of spikes from various events and showcases.
Reddit has been the strongest platform for wishlists—people are already on their computers and more likely to click through to Steam. YouTube is the one platform I haven’t tried yet. When I quit Google, I didn’t want to deal with anything related to it, but I’ll probably have to eventually.
TikTok doesn’t work well in my region. Instagram is difficult to grow, and I mostly use it to let friends know what I’m doing without having to explain everything in detail. Growing a platform there feels tough, but I’m trying.
Valentin
Okay, that’s all for my questions. Thanks!
Tanat
Great. Have a good rest of your day!
So here goes, satisfied? Come on, I’m sure you learned a thing or two. If not, here are a few key takeways:
- Sometimes games take refining to become good. Tanat switched from visual novel to adventure game and it worked well for him. And he knew that after making people testing the game. When you feel there’s something going on, you might have to tweak some stuff (or starting over altogether) but keep it going!
- Going to meetups and events can help. If real life events are not your jam, talk about your projects to people online. And submit it to showcases, you never know what might happen.
- If you’re worried about your game reception, make people play your demo. You might have to face harsh comments, but you’ll know where to start to improve. And you’ll have nice ones too!
- Wacky games don’t always perform, but a fun hook can seriously help your marketing. ie it made Tanat have a spot in Day of the devs (also, make a great game but I know that’s harder to do than to say)
- Make posting on social media handy for you. Heck, you’re a gamedev full of creativity, you’ll find a way to post something cool with limited time! Also: humor helps.
- Start with 1 or 2 social media platforms, then expand to others. Reddit is my all time favourite, but find one that suits your vibe.
- Finally, some social platforms have local reach depending on where you live. Reddit doesn’t (I swear they don’t sponsor me. Yet.).
Stay tuned for Valentin’s kickass hooks n°3, and after that the interview will be in French! (sorry I’m froggy, need to feed my French blog).
Good luck have fun (with marketing),
Valentin
PS: If you’ve got an unusual or funny hook and want to be featured here, please reach out to me!
