Hi, I’m Martin Dames — software developer, founder, and the creative mind behind Dames Interactive. I create story-driven games with retro charm and work on creative projects with character that stay in your mind.

What I’m Currently Up To

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Since 2008, I’ve been working as a Java software developer, helping clients build reliable and maintainable software. For several years now, I’ve also been working as a Scrum Master, supporting and coaching development teams. You can find more information on my other website.

Why I Started Game Development in 2025

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It may seem late, but the real reason goes way back:

When I was around 10 years old, my older brother showed me his Amstrad (Schneider) CPC 664 with a green monitor. He taught me how to start games (I especially fell in love with Sorcery+), how to make my first BASIC steps, and he gave me the CPC 664 user manual.
At the age of 12, I “inherited” the CPC when he bought a PC, and I spent countless hours typing game listings from magazines by hand. It felt like magic to me — seeing what the CPC could do with those lines of code. I didn’t fully understand what I was doing yet — but I was absolutely hooked.

Around the age of 14, I got a 486 PC (inherited from my brother again). I discovered DOS and soon became the guy who could configure everyone’s config.sys and autoexec.bat so their games would run.

I didn’t stop there. I learned PowerBASIC on the PC and around the age of 16 I pushed things to another level: I developed my own game, Alilan. I even finished it to release quality and handed it out to my friends on 3.5" floppy disks.

During all those countless hours at the CPC and PC, I wasn’t just listening to Bad by Michael Jackson on repeat while typing listings (the cassette belonged to my older sister), I was also dreaming of studying computer science. Unfortunately, I wasn’t exactly a top student back then — I had other priorities — so it stayed a dream for the moment.

Later, during my electrician apprenticeship, my older brother told me you can get your high school diploma in evening classes. Since I was still fascinated by computers, I went for it and completed it alongside work and training.

In 2003, I started studying computer science, only to discover that media informatics really wasn’t my thing. How JPEG compression mathematically reduced image size, or which algorithms generated a 3D image from raw data — that never really clicked with me.
So later in my master’s degree, I specialized in complex software systems and afterwards worked as an IT consultant in Java software development.

When I was about 35 and my first child was still in diapers, I started thinking back to those wonderful days of my youth — and to my game Alilan. I wanted to play it again so badly. I dug through all my old floppy disks and CDs from back then — but without success. All that remained were memories.

Then, around 2022/2023, my brother visited me and mentioned that he had created disk images of all our old DOS floppies and copied them onto a USB stick. I was extremely curious, and together we browsed through it. After a handful of disks — and some nostalgic reminiscing — I stumbled upon a directory named ALILAN.
I couldn’t believe it. My game from back then. I almost cried.
I immediately installed DOSBox-X and tried it. The feeling was indescribable — a mix of happiness, nostalgia, and longing for a time without big responsibilities.

I showed it to my kids as well, who were (and still are) excited about it. But life moved on, and the folder with Alilan slowly disappeared somewhere on my current PC.

At the beginning of 2025 (now 44 years old), I remembered a quote I once heard:

Dreams remain dreams until you make them real.

I thought about it for a long time — and finally decided to bring my old childhood dream of making games back to life.
That’s how Dames Interactive was born this year, and the first thing I released was Alilan on itch.io.

Now I’m open to new game ideas and will create better and better games over time. It will take a while — I’m working solo and still have a regular job — but now I can finally live my passion, and I’m incredibly happy about it.

So stay tuned — there’s a lot to come in the next few years.

Making Games Is Just Awesome

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Creating something that brings joy — to myself and to others — and making it interactive… that’s what drives me.

I enjoy every bit of progress. It was the same back when I typed in listings, when I built Alilan, and even in all the years working as a Java software developer.
It’s simply fun.

It’s also a form of self-expression — something you leave behind in this world, even long after you’re gone.
Maybe one day my great-grandchildren will say:

Wow, look at this: My great-grandpa made this. That’s so cooool!

Future Vision

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My goal is to grow Dames Interactive into a small, steady studio over the years – a place where games with character are created, the kind that stay with players long after they’re done.

I want to grow calmly and step by step, without rushing and without trying to prove anything to anyone. What matters to me is making games that are crafted with care, have their own atmosphere, and connect to the retro roots that shaped me.

In the long run, it’s my dream to earn my living from game development and turn Dames Interactive from a solo endeavor into a professional, small studio with a recognizable identity. Maybe it stays niche, maybe it grows — either path is fine. What counts is that the games find their audience and bring people joy.

In short: grow steadily, keep improving, and create games that people remember.

Games That Shaped Me (selected)

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• Wing Commander Privateer & Armada
• Sorcery+
• Boulder Dash
• Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
• Day of the Tentacle
• Doom I & II
• Hexen
• Duke Nukem 3D
• Diablo II to IV
• Anno 1503, 1404 & 1800
• X – Beyond the Frontier & X2 – The Threat

The Story Behind the Hat

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I’ve always had a soft spot for the 1930s style in the US. Today, it may look a bit old-fashioned, but back then people were simply well dressed all the time.
And I especially fell in love with Fedora hats.

A few years ago, I treated myself to one — and it quickly became a part of me. If I leave the house without it, something feels off.
And yes: it has a practical side as well. My bald-ish head appreciates the sun protection — and I appreciate not getting sunburned or freezing in the wind.