"Some people have told me that it has encouraged them to keep doing what they're doing, which I think is always a positive thing. We lose so many because all that they get in return for their hard work is little feedback or complete silence."

After taking the time to speak to Steve Cook about the 1000 Game Makers Thread - a collection of gifs and links to unique, personal, and interesting games from around the world that Cook wanted to see supported, we sought out the developers who had been touched by his work. Collecting responses from all manner of developers, we got to see the widespread positive effect Cook's efforts have had on the people whose games he curated, and how, with one person's efforts, many artists and creators got to feel a little bit more appreciated, and a lot less alone, in their works.
Hacksaw Unit (Ugly Turtle) - It was a pleasant surprise! I didn't really see any changes in traffic, but it made me happy that someone enjoyed my work enough to feature it in a list. It reminds me that the hours I spend making games are worth something to someone. It keeps me from quitting!

Dennis Ramirez (The Z-Files) - I've heard lots of people say they "love" video games, but I've found that few people love them as much as Steve. It's easy to be awestruck by the latest AAA titles; it's much harder to sit down and give a small freeware game that same type of attention. It's too bad, too, because there are so many cool and unexplored i...