The Min-Maxer's Trifecta: Building Tools for the Game You Actually Play

I have two hours free this weekend. Should I work on that side project, or play Last Epoch on Steam on Linux? The answer used to feel like a compromise - dev time versus downtime, productive versus "wasting time." Now it's both. I'm building tools that help optimize my Last Epoch builds, which means every gaming session is also research, and every dev session scratches the same optimization itch that drew me to ARPGs in the first place.

Three Favorite Things, Never Enough Time

AI Development has become the puzzle that never gets old. So much to learn - it's the same dopamine hit as solving a complex architectural problem, but faster iterations and immediate feedback.

Software Engineering remains the foundation. Building systems, designing APIs, managing state - this is still where I spend most of my professional time. The craft never stops evolving, and neither does the learning curve.

ARPG Gaming is my relaxation valve. Specifically Last Epoch - the skill tree complexity, build diversity, and satisfying loot loops. It's mindless enough to decompress, deep enough to stay engaging. I've even got my amazing wife Danielle to play it with me, but I do have to manage her loot filters!

The traditional conflict: gaming feels "unproductive." As someone who min-maxes everything (developer toolchains, learning paths, even my dotfiles), spending two hours grinding in an ARPG triggers the same guilt as fixing a CI/CD build chain. It's entertainment, sure, but is it the optimal use of that time?

The min-maxer's curse is that you can't just "casually" engage with anything. If I'm playing Last Epoch, I'm researching optimal passive tree paths from Bin Stash from Raxx https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EZclX7TpjI, comparing gear affixes, calculating damage breakpoints. If I'm going to play, I'm going to play optimally. My wife doesn't get it, but she humors me.

My Chrome Bookmarks bar has a folder with subfolders to even optimize my gaming time:

The Trifecta - When Dev Work Becomes Game Research

Enter building Last Epoch tools - starting with loot filter builders, and maybe something more later.

The concept: Build practical tools that solve real problems I encounter while playing.

The satisfaction hits different from a typical side project. This isn't building a TODO app to learn a framework. This is building a tool that directly improves something I can test again, a really complex use case that happens to be a fun at the same time.

Like SimulationCraft for World of Warcraft or Decursive back in the day. The last time I wrote a game addon was for WoW in Lua - a WoW addon called PallyPower to automate 5 min paladin buffs for our raiding team in Molten Core.

The Broader Pattern

What if more developers found ways to combine their work and play like this?

For Developers: Stop building "interesting technical challenges" and start building tools that solve your real problems. The motivation stays high, the use cases are concrete, and the feedback is instant and testable.

For Gamers: Your optimization obsession isn't a distraction - it's fuel for learning. The same analytical mindset that drives build theory-crafting drives system architecture. And that's pretty cool.

For Tool Builders: Toy examples teach syntax. Real use cases teach judgment. Building tools for something you care about forces you to grapple with the hard problems - edge cases, data validation, performance optimization, Hosting.

The meta-lesson: The best side projects don't feel like work OR play. They feel like both, simultaneously. You're productive and relaxed at the same time. You're learning and enjoying. You're solving problems and having fun.

The Best Part

When I boot up Last Epoch now, I'm not choosing between development and gaming. I'm doing both.

The insights I gain get better with every edge case I discover. My builds get better with every tool I create. And I actually relax while playing - because it's all progress. The min-maxer in me is satisfied because I'm optimizing two systems simultaneously. The developer in me is satisfied because I'm building real tools. The gamer in me is satisfied because I'm enjoying my favorite ARPG without guilt.

Three favorite things, one satisfying loop. That's the trifecta. On top of that it stops me from working on work projects risking my wife's ire for "always working." God I love her and my kids. And that's a win-win-win.