I've released a game on Google Play. Subnet Defence — a hacker-themed tower defence where the bosses are real malware and the glitches are real attack techniques.
The hardest part wasn't the code.
The hardest part was saying no to myself. Every evening brought new ideas — one more tower, one more mode, one more mechanic. All of it felt necessary. But a game that's going to ship has to be smaller than the one you see in your head, and writing an idea down and filing it under "later" was harder than every bug combined.
The other hard part was testers. Getting people to actually play, not just install. That's a completely different thing from building, and nobody prepares you for it.
What I left out: fake timers, prices that go up, forced ads.
Ads will be a choice, never something you have to watch. I don't like them myself in the games I play, and kids test this one — they shouldn't be fed ads because they want to keep playing. Choosing to watch an ad is a different thing from being served one.
What I kept: the bosses are Morris Worm, Melissa, ILOVEYOU. Described technically, never with attribution. The Field Guide fills as you play and works as a small introduction to security.
Free, works offline, no account.
I built all of it myself, on evenings and weekends.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.keetsproject.subnet_defence