Hello! My name is Yoseph. I'm the game's producer and the person that brought everyone together.

BeanBlock will be my first video game development project I have ever worked on. 'Falling Block Jam 2025' made that happen.

I was deathly terrified of taking on a project like this. Simply because I did not know what kind of value I could bring. I think the others might tell you- we kind of just figured it out as we went. It's been an incredible learning experience so far and I am so grateful for a team that was willing to pivot and support where they could. 

I think the whole concept of BeanBlock is clever. 

I connect with the bean's journey to get from where they are to where they need to be. The challenge and strategy of using blocks to build bridges speaks to resilience. This is more than just a game about filling a hole with items meant to hinder progress. It twists the idea of a 'block' which is meant to keep things out and turns them into a catalyst for progression.

[Why Game Development?]

- Video games raised me. Where my parents were absent, the medium taught me my values and encouraged me to learn as much as I can as quickly as possible. I spent my entire career pursuing communication related roles centered around Public Relations and Marketing. I thought that would be my route to make an impact on video games. The connecting thread between all my roles ended up being an exceptional ability to bring diverse people together to overcome a seemingly impossible challenge.  That's what led me to production instead.

[What did you learn from the project?]

- So many things. From drafting a Game Design Document, to navigating perforce, and even figuring out how to UV wrap a 3D Model. My biggest takeaway is that you will never learn how to do something until you throw yourself at it. Being a producer of a team with different disciplines, time zones, personalities, and preferences wasn't difficult. The challenge was bringing them together  without any face to face to interaction. There's a certain level of trust you need to have when working with a completely remote team. I wish I had the information I have now when the sprint first started, so I could support them on a higher level. But I think where we are now and where we'll end up will be more than satisfactory.

[What was it like volunteering your time in the middle of everything else you had to do?]

- Stressful. But only at the beginning. Once I figured out the pipeline and what skills I could leverage from each individual team member, everything sort of fell into place. We started as a team of 3 and I slowly kept making additions to fill holes that we needed. Every blocker was my responsibility. That meant if I could not find a solution, I would need to find someone who could or fix it myself. I definitely did not have time to fix things by myself. I ended up losing sleep due to life events outside of the project and led me to deteriorated health. This project was a nice escape from the pressures I had. I'm so grateful to have a dedicated team willing to take care of each other.

[Will you be participating in more Game Jams in the future?]

I would like to. Having this knowledge would be a waste if I didn't use what I learned to make future projects better. 

[What's next for you?]

I'm still in the process of landing a job so I can  keep a roof over my family's heads and food on the table.  If that ends up being something within or adjacent to video games? Huzzah!