I Gave Up Codeforces to Build an Ecosystem

Around two years ago, I wrote my first blog, “Motivated Coder.”

Back then, Codeforces was a big part of my daily routine. I loved solving problems, learning new ideas, and pushing myself further.

In that post, I also shared a small achievement from 2022:

A HEART STREAK.

That HEART STREAK is probably the best proof that I really loved coding. It was never just something I did for work. Solving problems and improving myself became part of my life.

But life is not always as smooth as it looks. A lot has changed since then.

So, What Happened?

Over the past few years, I ran into a lot of obstacles while trying to build my own things. At one point, I even lost my motivation. I wrote about some of that journey in my dev blog.

There was also a practical problem.

I couldn't always afford to spend hours on a Codeforces problem before starting my day. If I got stuck, my mind would stay on it for the rest of the day.

So I stopped using Codeforces as my daily warm-up.

Instead, I started putting that time into something of my own.

I've always wanted to make games, so I decided to finally give it a serious try.

One game became another, and eventually I started thinking beyond individual games.

Soon, I had a collection of games and ideas I wanted to bring together.

That became PromTGames — an ecosystem for everything I build.

P.S. This is the second edition of this post. I removed the longer story and development details — they can be explored on my website for anyone who is interested. I also removed the game links because this post is about my journey, not about promoting my games.

Motivated Coder

Hi, I am a Mobile Developer and Mobile Game Developer. This is my very first blog post. Today, my friend asked me why I continue to work on my projects without earning any income and how I stay motivated to code for fun. That’s why I decided to share with all of you how I find the motivation to keep coding.

First, I want to highlight some of my achievements:

• In 2022, I achieved a HEART STREAK (see image below).

• In 2023, I somehow earned an Expert title without participating in many contests (disregard my 2,500 problems solved, haha).
• In 2024, I realized I had solved more problems on this site than many others.
• In 2025, I released my first mobile game on the App Store and Google Play.

Second, I’d like to share how I use this site and motivate myself to code every day:

• There are countless problems that need solving. I enjoy practicing my problem-solving skills here.
• I have coded on many platforms and in various programming languages, including Kotlin, Swift, Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, C++, C#, and Python. Despite the differences in syntax, all programming languages share the same fundamental purpose: to make things work. If you understand how to achieve that, coding becomes much simpler.
• Just as in sports, where you need to warm up, I treat this site as a warm-up tool before I start coding. Sometimes I solve three problems in a day, sometimes just one. I typically spend around 30 minutes to 2 hours warming up. This practice is indeed helpful; I find that when working on my projects, my solutions are more impactful and effective.

Third, here are some thoughts on why I love this site:

• I can’t speak for others, but for me, I'll always remember the feeling I had when I received my first Accepted submission. It was exhilarating.
• I recall facing numerous challenges, such as compile errors, incorrect answers (WA), time limits (TLE), and memory limits (MLE), ultimately leading to runtime errors. It was incredibly frustrating to finally achieve an Accepted status, but I persevered.
• From 2018 to 2025, I have solved 2,885 problems, creating many wonderful memories along the way.

Fourth, the reality of my journey:

• Five years ago, my dream was to become a Game Developer. However, this dream was shattered during interviews when I was asked how to maximize income from games at the expense of player experience. I was shocked to learn that some prioritize profits over players. Consequently, I became a Mobile Developer, focusing on mobile applications.
• Ten months ago, after saving enough money, I decided to leave my company. I discovered that the mobile industry in my country is not thriving.
• It was time to pursue my dream again. I wanted to become a Game Developer, so I began studying and gathering ideas on how to create a successful game that people would want to play. After 2-3 months of reflection, I realized I should create something I love to play. The world is vast, and there will undoubtedly be others like me. If I enjoy playing my own games, others will likely enjoy them too.
• I also want people to gain skills while playing my games. Therefore, I decided to focus primarily on puzzle games, especially those designed for kids. I have always loved classic puzzle games that make me feel smart.
• To be honest, I dislike ads. Many puzzle games in mobile stores are overloaded with advertisements that force you to watch them. I truly hate that feeling, which is why I committed to creating games without ads from now on.
• On January 7, 2025, my very first puzzle game, inspired by childhood games, was published in the stores. One part of my dream is now complete. While it may not seem like much, I’m committed to making my dream a reality.

Finally, I want to thank you all for reading this.

• I hope you feel inspired to keep coding and pursue your dreams.
• If you would like to follow my journey, please join this group! I'll be sharing all updates there.

(Edited: I’ve removed the links to make my blog better!)