I liked how this program encouraged clean, scalable coding rather than just making something that “works.” It pushed me to think about data structures, memory management, and long-term maintainability, which are critical in real-world game and software development. The focus on improving code quality step by step made the experience both practical and industry-relevant.

It being self-paced meant I could balance it with other obligations I have, and wasn't forced to complete it within a strict deadline. The simulation didn't just have me do programming, it also explored coming up with and describing requests for changes to the game. The work was a balance between being simple and also challenging enough that it required some time and thought.

I liked that the simulation gave a realistic experience of working in a game development environment. It helped me understand how developers fix bugs, optimize code, and work with existing systems. I also enjoyed learning how to improve code by replacing C-style arrays with vectors and making the inventory system more efficient.