Spooky Hollow: Still playing, taking a break from building

Spooky Hollow is going on pause for now. Hannah still plays it, but I’m holding off on further iterations.

I’m starting a new job, and the kids have school, sports, and other activities filling their days. Building and testing another version needs time and attention from us, and right now we’re putting that elsewhere.

When I started Spooky Hollow, the question was whether I could turn addition practice into a game Hannah would choose to play. Seeing her continue to play is something I’m happy with. It doesn’t tell me everything about what she’s learning, but it does mean the game has a life beyond the sessions where I’m asking her to test a change.

For now, I’m comfortable letting it be something she enjoys without turning every play session into feedback for the next build.

We may come back to it later. If we do, I’d rather start with what Hannah needs and what she’s interested in then than commit to a list of improvements today.

The project is paused. The game still gets played.