Hi! I’m Matt — a 34-year-old lifelong nerd with a passion for web development and video games. Strain Zero is my personal project that brings together over a decade of professional experience as a fullstack web developer and a lifelong obsession with gaming.
My journey into tech started way back when I was 10. I picked up a C++ book thinking I was about to become a game dev prodigy. Unfortunately, I didn't have internet access at the time — and not knowing what a “compiler” was didn't help either. Spoiler: double-clicking .cpp files doesn't work.
Fast forward to 2004, when I fell in love with GTA: Vice City. I had this genius idea to print out stacks of vehicle config files to learn modding by osmosis (didn't work). But when San Andreas came out, I finally pulled off some simple texture modding. That spark never really left.
In 2006, Crytek showed off CryEngine 2 at GDC, and it absolutely blew my mind. I launched a fan site dedicated to Crysis, started customizing forums, and accidentally built a modding community that grew past 1,000 users. That site hosted tutorials and tools, and helped me get hands-on with both community-building and backend programming. Honestly, that era — forums like FPSBanana and beyond — was internet gold.
By 2011, I'd left college and landed my first dev job thanks to everything I'd learned running that fan site. Since then, I've worked across the full web stack, from backend systems to real-time frontend apps. But one thing I never quite pulled off — despite trying a bunch of times — was building a complete game.
Then in 2022, life threw a curveball: I was diagnosed with cancer and went through three cycles of chemo. That experience put a lot into perspective. Since then, I've been diving deep into game development, not just as a hobby — but as a serious goal.
Strain Zero is my attempt to finally make that dream real.
More than just a game, it's also a community project. I want to recreate some of that old-school internet magic — a forum, a website, a space that connects directly with the game. Not everything hidden away behind a Discord link. Something you can actually be part of.
Now, full transparency: I'm much more of a coder than an artist. Creating 3D models, game assets, and environments is all pretty new to me — but I'm giving it my all. It's been a challenge, but it's also something I've always wanted to do.
Strain Zero will be completely free to play. I am planning to add monetization options early on (subscriptions and such), but only as a way to hopefully spend more time on development. I do have a full-time job and I'm not dependent on this for income — so please don't feel obligated to contribute. But if you do want to support the project, I'd appreciate it more than you know.
Thanks for stopping by — and I hope to see you in the world of Strain Zero soon!