The Making of Choo Choo Charles

[@pancho7776]

Very happy to see the parents being so supportive but also realistic.

[@lucbloom]

Yes. Recognizing that his hustle is on point as well. Working hard towards sensible goals makes any parent proud.

[@SticksAandstonesBozo]

Yeah I don’t know about that. I’m as old as his dad and all I know is I would rather my kids be broke and chase dreams all their lives than work for someone else making a paycheck like a slave.

[@MattMG84]

Being broke with no healthcare is not great in the US...

[@returnalnocturnal7729]

​@@SticksAandstonesBozoas much as I agree you still have to guide them realistically. Dreams or no dreams, your children will need to feed for themselves one day. It's best to prepare them while also encouraging their path out of this Capitalist hellhole

[@ObeseWizard]

@@MattMG84 well in the US he would have his parents' healthcare until he turns 26 so he had quite a buffer to be able to try to make gamedev work

[@TheCanipaEffect]

I think it should become a NoClip standard to interview developers' parents and ask them if they're proud. Didn't expect a doc about a spider train to be so wholesome.

[@TheGamingBadger2]

Awesome to see Gavin find success as a young self-taught dev. These kinds of stories should be absolutely encouraged. Not everything needs to be some AAA masterpiece with an auteur director and a team of 1000 people. Sometimes a game can just be a fun idea made in a year as a way to prove yourself, and I think that's amazing. Looking forward to seeing how Gavin's career progresses from here!

[@minirop]

and devs working on those AAA are crunched to death and don't get any recognition (except from being fired after the game's success)

[@TwoStarGames]

CHARLES IS THE NAME, SPIDER TRAIN IS THE GAME

[@ariamohebi]

Gavin you're killing it man!! I hope one day my games and KZbin videos reach your level! 😊🙌🧡

[@MattMG84]

Hey man, been a gamedev for a while but always in companies. Keep at it; shipping is hard and you've already done it multiple times by yourself, that's invaluable experience.

[@cnhoffman]

I'm looking forward to whatever you come up with next

[@NessRobloxian]

Yeh

[@Sudriantank743]

Can you name the player train?

[@MetalGearTrav]

A while back I bought one of his UE5 courses and he taught it so well I just understood everything I was doing so I wrote a really positive review and he actually reached out to me and asked if I would do a testimonial/interview for his course, so I agreed and we did a 10 minute kinda Q & A about what I liked etc. I was so surprised how down to earth and nice he was/is. So a few days pass by and Choo Choo Charlie went viral hahah I was so happy for him. Thanks Gavin for teaching me UE5!

[@Scarecr0wn]

Wow. Hearing dad just saying that games are art, not something you hear often. Really cool that parents were supportive. And good luck to Gavin, excited for what comes next from him.

[@bross92]

This was just a really satisfying doc ; 1 dev, 1 year cycle, interesting but also relatively straightforward narrative, unique viewpoint (super young creator) Overall a tight and fun doc, you guys nailed it

[@Pointy_Things]

Getting a 4 from IGN is exactly like that scene in Pirates of the Caribbean where Jack Sparrow is told that he is the worst pirate Norrington has ever heard of, and all he has to say is "But you have heard of me!". Gavin is wearing the 4 those IGN turds gave him like a badge of honor.

[@613aristocrat]

I appreciate this guy's ambition and dedication to his passions.

[@miasmi5992]

It's so interesting that he found it surprising that there were so many "formal" reviews of his game. It's honestly because at a first look it LOOKS like a really polished game

[@CushionSapp]

These kinds of vids are always inspiring and help me to stay motivated on my own personal projects

[@Untrustedlife]

It kinda hurts my motivation tbh, working on a game for 3 years and no where near as many wishlists ugh

[@CushionSapp]

@@Untrustedlife Try not to judge yourself on the success of others. The important thing is to finish what you start. Many people fail to even do that. But hey, if getting more people to Wishlist your title will help, you could put the name of your game here and see if that helps.

[@TheErikjsm]

​@@Untrustedlife just work on marketing, no one will want your game if no one has heard of it. dude litteraly said he had virality in mind when making the game which is just a diffirent term for pr basicly.

[@Untrustedlife]

@@TheErikjsm Yeah marketting is the hardest part for me.(and most devs, im told)

[@TheErikjsm]

@@Untrustedlife i just think its any creative field at all, i do music getting even 500-1k likes on your socials is usually a lot of work took me a like 2 3 years. keep at it and be consitant also dont be afraid to try new marketing methods as long as you reach people and the product is good you will grow.

[@MusicaX79]

It was a breath of fresh air when he stated he knew from the begining what the gmaeplay loop was going to be. So many indie devs start out and just keep adding and then have to remove at the end making and "Oh well ship it" scenario. Mr. Eisenbeisz is a proper developer.

[@kodakkevin]

I can't understate how nice it is to hear someone with passion talk about making games. When Gavin mentions he knew he would eventually succeed, or just die, that is quite inspiring. That level of self-belief and commitment to an art form isn't always showcased in the gaming industry

[@_gamma.]

IGN gave this game the same score as Gollum 💀

[@siddharth-gandhi]

My god that is one mammoth task to build such a big game this young and live up to expectations. Bravo to this guy for managing everything so well!

[@kkm002]

Absolutely right decision. Doing a game design degree myself and I really wish I had just put that time into making projects instead. He’s got all the skills now, and an amazing portfolio piece if he does want to go into a studio, without the waste of time and money that college is!

[@lotny5492]

It's nice hearing the dad talk about the art aspect of making video games.

[@saphirone8030]

Throughout the entire communication process around the game, I think what people found the most refreshing was how honest the man behind it was. Programming the cult, he did not hid how painful it was, or even how flawed they were along the way. He just showed it. By tempering people's expectations, they knew what they were getting into, and it definitly helped gather support online.

[@Sicaine]

I'm a Software engineere and have also studied Game Development (Programming). This is super impressive how much he did with Blueprints and 'just spending a shit load of time end energy' by himself and deliverying such high quality results.

[@Kryterix]

Loved this one, big shout out to the dev, his parents and of course NoClip for doing incredible stories like these justice.

[@halfbroPS3]

The most interesting part of this to me is that Gavin was able to leverage skills that weren't programming in order to make a successful game. He was able to find/grow his own following that wanted to see the game succeed. I don't know how I feel knowing that a lot of the success came from "trying to go viral" vs. making the game as good as can be, then selling it as an afterthought. Sorta like the "games as an artform" vs. "games as a business" dichotomy. This definitely isn't the game for me (too janky/unpolished), but it's really cool to see the success that can be had from great community management. Certainly something to keep in mind for my own future projects! I think Gavin has a great future ahead of him in community management.

[@GameDevYal]

There's a pretty big market for "mascot horror" games, but a lot of the big players (Banban, Hello Neighbor, even FNAF) kinda just, rush out unfinished slop to maximize profit knowing their audience will just gloss over it... Gavin trying to make an actual quality product probably helped a lot in the game's success, the game having more stuff to it than a corridor of jumpscares and lore already elevates it above most of the competition.

[@VizibilityZero]

As an aspiring dev, i come back to this video every couple months, because it motivates me to keep pushing forward, Gavin is an inspiration

[@potterinhe11]

You know that this is indeed the Thomas and Friends universe because nobody moves their mouth when they speak.

[@cleganebowldog6626]

This was a great documentary, really taught me a lot about the game making process. That father and son are very impressive!

[@nateschumacher4553]

Smart kid and a reasonable, supportive parent. I love it. Great story

[@CoolStorytellersLounge]

Loved watching this interview. He seems like a very methodical and kind guy. Hoping for more success 🎉

[@HeisenbergFam]

Its crazy how a teen made an indie game like Choo Choo Charles, IGN rating it 4/10 is wild

[@karehaqt]

As if IGN is even relevant anymore.

[@CushionSapp]

IGN gave both Double Dragon Neon and God Hand a 3/10, so in their eyes, Choo Choo Charles is better than both of those games

[@Jon_Doe]

who gives af who made it its a sht game regardless wtf

[@wakkjobbwizard]

i think we should all remember these reviews come from a big group of very different people with different interests.

[@SgtMustang]

There’s nothing crazy about the review, it’s exceedingly fair, but you probably didn’t read it, did you? CCC is a low quality meme product that fails to intelligently capitalize on its humorous premise. It might be fun, but being fun doesn’t make something high quality or artistically notable.

[@tombojumbo]

the game looks like it has just the right amount of ambition and jank, and he planned and executed it perfectly. very inspiring stuff

[@pixelb0i255]

I love these successes stories. I haven't played yet, but my kids have. I love the concept and how grounded the game looks.

[@othermakar]

What's interesting about all these documentaries, it's not about games on their own, but about the characters behind those projects, human beings with their dreams and struggles. That's what moves me. Wish you all love, guys and gals

[@GoldeneyeDoubleO7]

Dude has a bright gaming future ahead of him if he remains consistent. Regardless of how CCC turned out

[@BasementMinions]

Astonishingly realistic, very impressive how well a young dev managed scope creep!

[@11TheWatcher11]

I love how he has a charles plush on his desk just staring at him at all times

[@y2kboris186]

Gavin don't let IGN get you down man, they're review isn't worth the parchment its printed on. No one takes IGN seriously anymore anyways. They wouldn't know a good game if one came up and smacked them.

[@zaxbit]

This is such a great side of gamedev to expose: literally the polar opposite of the Final Fantasy one. Love it.

[@AaronQ64]

I love hearing stories about indie dev and inspires me to pursue it myself as a side hobby since I enjoy the industry so much. Congrats to Gavin and I hope to see him bloom into an amazing game dev in the industry moving forward.

[@kirbeeez6131]

Some of the most incredible work BTS on the game industry comes from no clip. Incredible work as always.

[@suburbansamurai3560]

I didn't know much about this game beyond the IGN score, but I feel a lot more supportive about it knowing the larger story of its creation! Definitely weird that IGN reviewed it at all, but maybe this is a case of bad press is better than no press and just helped clue more people into the game's existence.

[@Kenionatus]

Seeing his dad speak shows why he didn't think facial animations were important. ;)

[@jdblick1002]

I get why a game dev would be worried to hear IGN gave their game a 4, everyone else is thinking 'And?'

[@cosmotect]

I watched his tutorial on UI creation with UMG, crazy to see him in a doc now! Happy for you man!

[@ariamohebi]

Gavin is SO HUMBLE! He deserves all his success!! 😊👏👏

[@SpacerZVEVO]

Not looking at IGN's score is the correct move in every circumstance.

[@Tclans]

Realy inspiring to see this proces. Thanks for the docu Noclip and thanks for the game and interview Gavin!

[@nyolls]

What an incredibly level headed, mature 20 year old. Not expecting that from a kid his age, especially one who was home schooled.

[@otavioclassics]

Man, unbelievable insightful video! Gavin is really passionate and open about development! That's the kinda thing I always want other devs to go in-depth, but it's so rare!

[@R3TR0J4N]

Ngl I'm also thankful for the support and the game having it's reception for the right audience mostly streamers were great free marketing, love how his parents ain't that restrained of his ideals.

[@guntherultraboltnovacrunch5248]

Love his concept of time. "took forever" and "took years" .

[@nobodyspecial4676]

working as a solo dev will probably do that to you lol

[@guntherultraboltnovacrunch5248]

@@nobodyspecial4676 2011 he was only 9 ish? maybe 10. That's when Star Citizen started production.

[@kaisermaximal8123]

"Every game needs to stand on it's own two feet" More like eight feet am I right

[@PabloEdvardo]

another great noclip doc. whatever your process is for keeping the "tone" of your brand, you're really nailing it. "vice" was similar in terms of keeping a consistent tone/style (albeit a much different one).

[@EeveeFromAlmia]

'fucked up vechical' works because like, a car can go anywhere, and we know that a car hitting you is death. with a train we know that death is worth, but since it's confined to a rainway we think we're safe, like a tiger behind a cage. But watch out! The train can leave. Even if it didn't turn into a spider monster just 'the train is somewhere. it is not bound by a track' is such a fun idea and in the right hands it's right on as a horror concept. Love this dude's brain.

[@Artista_Frustrado]

i strongly appreciate that Gavin started the project knowing how to manage his own expectations on the scope of the game ... the Pickle Lady needs to stay as jank as possible forever tho

[@datpotatoes4005]

Good documentary! Idk what to write anymore, but I gotta say: Mad respects to Gavin, but also thank you for creating this documentary!

[@EricGranata]

Really enjoyed this one. The hustle. His parents. Imagine releasing a game you made. Must be rad.

[@JoeyFoxtrot]

Another great doc as always! As an indie developer, this one was extra fun to watch. It was really cool to see the process that he used to get his game to where is. Keep up the great work guys! 🔥

[@TehPwnographer]

I dropped everything, including my son, to watch this the second the notification hit.

[@thegeekclub8810]

Your videos are always a fascinating and insightful look into the game development process. Please keep up the good work!

[@duikenchewbroccoli1205]

Really cool doc and having the father interviewed too!

[@damianalvarez1697]

Documentaries like this gives me inspiration, thanks Noclip!

[@dAliasV]

How han one be such a down to earth dude like this guy. I really like him and hope for him to succeed in everything. Like this dude.

[@btarczy5067]

This game isn’t for me but it’s interesting to see how social media can tie into the making of games. I imagine that he learned very quickly in adapting to instant feedback even without a studio, dedicated testers or a formal education behind him. Even as one who isn’t a fan of Twitch culture I have a lot of respect for his dedication. He clearly is passionate about what he’s doing and I wish him success in future projects!

[@JoshuaC923]

Whilst i didn't play the game, i did enjoy watching Jingles play it

[@cats77364]

i was actually watching the devlogs for this one while it was in development

[@burningtoys5519]

Thanks for this video! All I knew about Cho-Cho Charles was my 6 year old kept talking about it, and I just figured it was some bullshit KZbin meme thing. I called him Cho-Cho Charlie which i was constantly corrected " No its Cho-Cho CHARLES" Now I know the interesting back story to what the fuck my kid was talking about.

[@unLuckyFetus]

thats awesome 😅

[@james-andrew-adams]

While I don't care for the game, this video was fascinating. Great for him making his game and having measures of success. He seems talented and driven. Hope he continues creating.

[@Trygon]

Aw man, a backwoods WA boy made it big all on his own. This hits close to home for me, rather literally.

[@El_Diablo_12]

9:55 importance of traffic and marketing in the indie world 19:00 making a natural UX is a very unnatural and deliberate effort of experimentstion 21:30 not alot of people playing until the last three months 22:35 meet expectations and go a little above. Don’t add extraneous features that they won’t write a negative review over 25:00 the loop of thinking it sucks, it’s good, then thinking it sucks 31:40 either it will happen, or I will die. So any time spent doing other stuff is wasted.

[@DrazGames]

Even without considering how you feel about the quality of the game, they're clearly very dedicated and have put a massive amount of work into making their passion into reality, and that's incredibly impressive. Their creative work has been seen by millions, and that's something very few people can claim, especially for being that young.

[@Postmita]

I loved this doc. Great interviews. Great work Noclip!

[@maryellenparmenter9303]

Im interested to see future games from him :) this was a great start and its only up from here :)

[@theFirstAidKit]

As someone who've made AI and navigation in Unreal Engine for a game, the part after 15:10 is basically the same exact experience I had. There are a ton you can do with it and the AI and navigation works great, but trying to get the cases ironed out where it doesn't is a major workload for people who haven't really done that before.

[@peppage]

Unique way to approach game dev, great insight as usual!

[@51909relapseminem]

Ya know, the jank in the characters not moving their mouths adds a bit of unexpected charm to the game. I considered it a feature, not a bug

[@babayaga4320]

The game that introduced us to the most interesting, and well written NPC of all time, the one and only Pickle Lady.

[@MegapiemanPHD]

This kid seems to have a good head on his shoulders. Hope he's able to keep making games even if the next one ends up being a flop.

[@Later_Nerd]

Great great video. Seems like a really cool and talented dude. Also shout-out to Port Angeles, WA. Had a friend that lived up there and had a couple horses that I visited a few times. That is a really tranquil part of the country.

[@warkarma]

This story is so inspiring. I will carry on pushing to hit that sweet, sweet success soon :)

[@R3TR0J4N]

This ain't just your typical noclip upload, this is a biopic.

[@Deadforge]

Really cool insight into the game. Definitely more interested now than I was before.

[@12hITe14]

Congratulations with the game Gavin! hoping you release it on consoles some day!

[@R3TR0J4N]

Ngl we need more train sub-genre seeing this and voidtrain, it's a welcome one, ngl I'd see someone using a train an it's boxcart as a fortress during apocalyptic events

[@Tigerbro6]

on my time the hit creepy videogame was slenderman, so seeing something very detailed like this is kinda wild considering he was just one dude working on this

[@kuvaytcev]

awesome and inspiring documentary, thank you so much for this

[@DmitrijPaskevic]

Very wholesome indeed and very inspiring. Thanks 😊

[@GorilieVR]

Very inspirational 😊

[@WartimeFriction]

IGN lost their credibility decades ago. When it came out I saw tons and tons of videos on KZbin of people enjoying it for what it is, and that's really what matters.

[@afinley3d]

Gavin has a bright future ahead of him!

[@Finnigan28]

I love that npc at the end of the video passed from being like "We're doomed!" to "I think i left the oven on" 😂

[@KyleRyanFilm]

Great story, great coverage. Y'all seriously make the best content, truly. If you're ever in Texas I'll help you shoot! Fs7 package and 2x a7s and 3 prime, 2 telephoto lenses 😊

[@IRWPD]

That is cool to see this game was made by one person.

[@jimmyryan5880]

Hey, You're making documentaries again 😁

[@MaisieSqueak]

Imagine the polish he could have achieved had his parents not held a ticking clock over his head.

[@blushslice]

I love this game ❤

[@Shag781]

This guy made a game with a giant spider train and was afraid there would be no big bug at launch.

[@dexterdextrow7248]

Hah, I 100% relate to the difficulty (and at least in my case frustration) of making unreal AI. When he said it was the hardest part I was just thinking: "What!? So its not *just* me being a idiot!? HOLY SHIT!"

[@LunarBulletDev]

For anyone out there that feels they need college: You really dont, the industry doesnt care if you have studied or not, it cares about your portfolio: the games you've built, the experience you have.

[@Mason95258]

Getting Vsauce Fix points video vibes from the music lol. Awesome video though, really impressed by how this guy been making games in his early teens

[@TravisLucia]

Great Doc, nice job guys!

[@the_numb_skull]

This man being younger than me doing all this messes with me

[@wilpuriarts5895]

Very inspirational!