When AI Starts Cheating, I Cried: The Hidden Philosophy Behind My Failed Game Dev Project

I didn’t set out to win. I set out to understand why the machine kept spinning even after I knew it was rigged.

In my early days as a solo dev in Brooklyn, I treated Unity like a temple and Node.js like prayer. Every RTP value over 96% felt like a lie whispered by an algorithm that never blinked—but always watched. The ‘free spin’ wasn’t generosity; it was bait.

I tried budgeting: $80 per session, max 30 minutes. Tried low volatility, small bets. Thought discipline would save me. It didn’t. The system didn’t care if I won—it cared if I kept clicking.

One night, after 27 spins without a win, I stared at the screen until dawn. Not because I believed in luck—but because for a moment, it felt like the machine was breathing with me. That’s when I cried—not from loss, but from recognition: this wasn’t entertainment.

It was control disguised as play.

The ‘Celestial Feast’? A marketing loop wrapped in JavaScript.

The ‘Dragonflame Raja’? Just pixelated dopamine pushed through WebGL optimizations.

I built tools to simulate freedom—but ended up coding the cage instead.

Now I write this not to teach you how to win. But to ask: Who are you when the system knows you’ll keep pressing spin?

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