Project LUMEN is an in-development indie game based on the Minecraft YouTube Life Series SMP, originally created by Grian. This post contains essential knowledge for improved access and navigation across our page.
Here you'll find our current status, an overview of our tags, as well as our other socials and a frequently asked questions section.
All further information is under the cut. If you’re still curious or have any questions not answered by this post, don’t hesitate to reach out via asks!
》Status《
Date Format: [DD/MM/YY]
Current Mission of the Month // Last updated on 03/30/26
Working on Round 2 of Editing (60% done)
Working on more backgrounds!
Writing more barks
Finishing quests
Working on tile maps and pixel art
Current Recruitment campaign [Open until April 20th]
Writers
Programmers
UI design and pixel art!
(see the post here)
》Tags!《
#projectlumenupdates: Important announcements and updates about the project.
#projectlumen: All our original posts, all in one place!
#projectlumenasks: For every question we have answered so far!
#byte sized mondays: Dev diaries from our main coders.
#writer wednesday: What our writers have been up to!
#sketchy saturday!: Sneak peeks at our talented artists’ latest works.
#scar sundays!: DISCONTINUED Weekly Scar art done by our very own Charly.
#projectlumenlore: W̵̭̣̠̣͈̏̂͗̎̍̔̓̃͐̿̕ḁ̸̢̨̢͉͂͑̀̚̚͘ţ̸̨̪̳̺̞͈̐͒̕c̴̢̥̤̿̀̇̕h̸͈̘͒̇̆̋́͛́̕̕ this space…
#LUMEN newsletter!: A formatted monthly recap.
》Other Socials《
Bluesky
YouTube Channel
Our public Discord! (NEW AS OF 30/01/26)
》F.A.Q.《
What is Project LUMEN?
Project LUMEN is a fan indie game currently in the developmental stage. Its goal is to bring the Life Series to life in a different medium, for fans to experience it in a brand new way. Our game will be a RPG of sorts with a world to explore, battle mechanics, interaction with NPCs, different choices to make and our own unique spin on Watcher Lore. It will have changing art styles and multiple endings.
Our goal is to adapt the series from Third Life to Wild Life, with a couple of specials on the way, and our homebrew story linking all of those seasons together. This might be more than we can chew, so we are focusing on Third Life for now. We will first be releasing a beta version and then the finished game for desktop download on itch.io.
Cool, how can I contribute?
LUMEN is a game by the community for the community; it’s both a tribute to all the wonderful creatives as well as the original players within the series. All ideas, all likes, all reblogs, all comments, all art, is always genuinely appreciated. We are completely non-profit. This is a passion project that we are willing to pour our heart into, and we want to be as transparent as possible with it.
Who is working on this?
There are over 40 people contributing to this project as of now, coming from all walks of life. We are divided into teams for different sections: writers, background artists, character artists, UI artists, musicians, coders…
Our current bosses:
Pie, our Boss of Coding and Carry.
Goner, our Boss of Character Art.
Charly, our Assistant Boss of Character Art.
Tay, our Boss of PR and Co-boss of Writing.
Nor, our Co-boss of Writing and Management.
Foam, our Co-boss of Writing and Management.
Kaeya, our Boss of UI Artists.
North, our Boss of Background Artists.
Will it be playable on mobile?
In one word: no. We know we said differently before, but that was an unachievable dream. The game will be way too big for that. It will be made for desktop only.
Is there a release date?
There is no official date. We are actively developing the Third Life section right now. We hope to have a playable demo by mid-2026, but this may be subject to change. Don’t hesitate to ask for updates!
Disclaimer: Project LUMEN is a game by fans, for fans. We are not affiliated with any of the original creators from the series, nor are we monetising the end result. This is a game of love.
Thank you to everyone who applied for a position this application round. All response emails have been sent out, and our new members are already hard at work!
You can expect their introduction cards to be posted soon, likely in the next month.
Did you just stumble on this post and have no idea what Project LUMEN is about? Fear not, there is more information under the cut!
Project LUMEN is a fan indie game currently in the developmental stage. Its goal is to bring the Life Series to life in a different medium, for fans to experience it in a brand new way. Our game will be a RPG of sorts with a world to explore, battle mechanics, interaction with NPCs, different choices to make and our own unique spin on Watcher Lore. It will have changing art styles and multiple endings.
If you'd like to learn more, give our blog a look, and if you’re still curious or have a question, feel free to reach out via our ask box :D
Thank you to everyone who completed the application form! It has been absolutely wonderful seeing all of them come in. We will be taking a week to look through all of your portfolios, after which all of the applicants will be contacted through the provided email addresses :)
Hello everyone, the time for applications has finally come around! The forms will be open for two weeks, from March 30th to April 13th!
You can find:
Writer applications here
Programmer applications here
UI design and pixel artist applications here
Want to know more about what each position entails? You can find the writer information here, the programmer information here, and the UI design information here!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read through all of this! If you have any additional questions, feel free to send us an ask! We can’t wait to see all of your applications coming through :D
@mcytblrsource
Did you just stumble on this post and have no idea what Project LUMEN is about? Fear not, there is more information under the cut!
Project LUMEN is a fan indie game currently in the developmental stage. Its goal is to bring the Life Series to life in a different medium, for fans to experience it in a brand new way. Our game will be a RPG of sorts with a world to explore, battle mechanics, interaction with NPCs, different choices to make and our own unique spin on Watcher Lore. It will have changing art styles and multiple endings.
If you'd like to learn more, give our blog a look, and if you’re still curious or have a question, feel free to reach out via our ask box :D
Hello everyone, the time for applications has finally come around! The forms will be open for two weeks, from March 30th to April 13th!
You can find:
Writer applications here
Programmer applications here
UI design and pixel artist applications here
Want to know more about what each position entails? You can find the writer information here, the programmer information here, and the UI design information here!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read through all of this! If you have any additional questions, feel free to send us an ask! We can’t wait to see all of your applications coming through :D
@mcytblrsource
Did you just stumble on this post and have no idea what Project LUMEN is about? Fear not, there is more information under the cut!
Project LUMEN is a fan indie game currently in the developmental stage. Its goal is to bring the Life Series to life in a different medium, for fans to experience it in a brand new way. Our game will be a RPG of sorts with a world to explore, battle mechanics, interaction with NPCs, different choices to make and our own unique spin on Watcher Lore. It will have changing art styles and multiple endings.
If you'd like to learn more, give our blog a look, and if you’re still curious or have a question, feel free to reach out via our ask box :D
Hello everyone, the time for applications has finally come around! The forms will be open for two weeks, from March 30th to April 13th!
You can find:
Writer applications here
Programmer applications here
UI design and pixel artist applications here
Want to know more about what each position entails? You can find the writer information here, the programmer information here, and the UI design information here!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read through all of this! If you have any additional questions, feel free to send us an ask! We can’t wait to see all of your applications coming through :D
@mcytblrsource
Did you just stumble on this post and have no idea what Project LUMEN is about? Fear not, there is more information under the cut!
Project LUMEN is a fan indie game currently in the developmental stage. Its goal is to bring the Life Series to life in a different medium, for fans to experience it in a brand new way. Our game will be a RPG of sorts with a world to explore, battle mechanics, interaction with NPCs, different choices to make and our own unique spin on Watcher Lore. It will have changing art styles and multiple endings.
If you'd like to learn more, give our blog a look, and if you’re still curious or have a question, feel free to reach out via our ask box :D
Thought I'd share what I've been working on so far. Note: a lot of the assets aren't completely finalised yet- but here's the first few moments of gameplay sketched out! (Not including the prologue)
If you don't know what this is all about, let me tell you! We're making a video game that lets you play the Life series from the winners' POV, starting with our in-progress demo, Third Life!
But! You know what's up? We're needing more UI artists to help us make those quest menus and inventory screens look beautiful in their pixelated glory! Or, you could help with pixel art in general and make buildings, tileart, npc/animal art + animations, and item art!!!
We need some sick-as people to help us write hundreds of these things called barks- small lines of dialogue that people like Etho, Scar, and Cleo would say to you if you tried to talk to them randomly outside of a quest!
We also need- gasp! More coders to help with making minigames? And other cool things like expanding on the overworld and fighting mechanics? If you have any experience in the godot game engine or a strong love of programming and a will to learn, come join our coding team!!!
If any of these things sounds fun to you- maybe apply here? The forms close on the 20th of April!
Hello everyone, the time for applications has finally come around! The forms will be open for two weeks, from March 30th to April 13th!
You can find:
Writer applications here
Programmer applications here
UI design and pixel artist applications here
Want to know more about what each position entails? You can find the writer information here, the programmer information here, and the UI design information here!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read through all of this! If you have any additional questions, feel free to send us an ask! We can’t wait to see all of your applications coming through :D
@mcytblrsource
Did you just stumble on this post and have no idea what Project LUMEN is about? Fear not, there is more information under the cut!
Project LUMEN is a fan indie game currently in the developmental stage. Its goal is to bring the Life Series to life in a different medium, for fans to experience it in a brand new way. Our game will be a RPG of sorts with a world to explore, battle mechanics, interaction with NPCs, different choices to make and our own unique spin on Watcher Lore. It will have changing art styles and multiple endings.
If you'd like to learn more, give our blog a look, and if you’re still curious or have a question, feel free to reach out via our ask box :D
Hello everyone, the time for applications has finally come around! The forms will be open for two weeks, from March 30th to April 13th!
You can find:
Writer applications here
Programmer applications here
UI design and pixel artist applications here
Want to know more about what each position entails? You can find the writer information here, the programmer information here, and the UI design information here!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read through all of this! If you have any additional questions, feel free to send us an ask! We can’t wait to see all of your applications coming through :D
@mcytblrsource
Did you just stumble on this post and have no idea what Project LUMEN is about? Fear not, there is more information under the cut!
Project LUMEN is a fan indie game currently in the developmental stage. Its goal is to bring the Life Series to life in a different medium, for fans to experience it in a brand new way. Our game will be a RPG of sorts with a world to explore, battle mechanics, interaction with NPCs, different choices to make and our own unique spin on Watcher Lore. It will have changing art styles and multiple endings.
If you'd like to learn more, give our blog a look, and if you’re still curious or have a question, feel free to reach out via our ask box :D
Hello everyone, the time for applications has finally come around! The forms will be open for two weeks, from March 30th to April 13th!
You can find:
Writer applications here
Programmer applications here
UI design and pixel artist applications here
Want to know more about what each position entails? You can find the writer information here, the programmer information here, and the UI design information here!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read through all of this! If you have any additional questions, feel free to send us an ask! We can’t wait to see all of your applications coming through :D
@mcytblrsource
Did you just stumble on this post and have no idea what Project LUMEN is about? Fear not, there is more information under the cut!
Project LUMEN is a fan indie game currently in the developmental stage. Its goal is to bring the Life Series to life in a different medium, for fans to experience it in a brand new way. Our game will be a RPG of sorts with a world to explore, battle mechanics, interaction with NPCs, different choices to make and our own unique spin on Watcher Lore. It will have changing art styles and multiple endings.
If you'd like to learn more, give our blog a look, and if you’re still curious or have a question, feel free to reach out via our ask box :D
If I'm applying for the writer position could I send in a sample with 1.5k words, but only one instead of the 3?
Hiya, thank you so much for the question!
Short answer: you can send in anywhere between 1-3 samples of your work. Try to keep your combined word count below 3k.
Long answer: with more than one sample provided we can get a better idea for your overall writing style, which can give you an edge if it comes down between you and another candidate.
In any case, we're looking forward to seeing your work come in :D
Hello everyone, the time for applications has finally come around! The forms will be open for two weeks, from March 30th to April 13th!
You can find:
Writer applications here
Programmer applications here
UI design and pixel artist applications here
Want to know more about what each position entails? You can find the writer information here, the programmer information here, and the UI design information here!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read through all of this! If you have any additional questions, feel free to send us an ask! We can’t wait to see all of your applications coming through :D
@mcytblrsource
Did you just stumble on this post and have no idea what Project LUMEN is about? Fear not, there is more information under the cut!
Project LUMEN is a fan indie game currently in the developmental stage. Its goal is to bring the Life Series to life in a different medium, for fans to experience it in a brand new way. Our game will be a RPG of sorts with a world to explore, battle mechanics, interaction with NPCs, different choices to make and our own unique spin on Watcher Lore. It will have changing art styles and multiple endings.
If you'd like to learn more, give our blog a look, and if you’re still curious or have a question, feel free to reach out via our ask box :D
Hello, wonderful people, the time has come again: we’re looking to expand our team here at Project Lumen!
What even is Project Lumen?
Project LUMEN is a fan indie game here to bring the Life Series to life in a different medium, for fans to experience it in a brand new way. We’re currently focusing on the Third Life demo, where the players get to lead Grian through the series, with minigames, battle mechanics and the choices they make all impacting the events of the story. With an added touch of our own spin on the watcher lore, we’re hoping to craft together a compelling narrative :D
What positions are open?
We’re looking for:
Writers, who will help out with writing barks (short lines of dialogue)
Programmers, who will work alongside our wonderful Pie to help create the building blocks for the game
UI artists, who will be focusing on pixel art and menu creation
Over the coming hour, we will be posting more detailed descriptions of what each of these positions entails, including the requirements and the expected workload.
When is the application period?
The application form will be open from March 30th to April 13th
We’re looking forward to seeing all of your applications, and if you’ve got any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to send us an ask :D
And at last, I'm here to tell you a little bit more about what a job as a programmer on Project Lumen entails! This time around, we're looking for a small team of 2-5 people to help out our wonderful Pie.
What will coders do?
The base of the game is coming along, but we need someone to help with certain mechanics and expand upon what's already been done! You might not always be coding, though- sometimes work will include needing to research or plan out certain mechanics before programming can be done.
Some examples of what you might help with :
Setting up quests for the player
Creating smaller minigames like fishing, crafting, petting Jellie, etc.
Expanding upon the walkable game world to make it more interactive and fun
Polish up existing systems
In all cases, you will be working alongside our current programming, Pie, as a team! Because of this, you will also need a GitHub account (or need to make one), so we can have version control and easily share code.
What are the requirements for applying?
You must be at least 13 years old
You must have some experience in programming. Preferably in the Godot game engine, but experience in python is also good as that's the closest programming language to the script Godot uses. Having worked on game projects is also recommended.
You must have access to Discord, as this is where team communication takes place
You must be communicative and able to commit to the workload
You must be able to use the Godot game engine on your desktop/device. (The game engine is free, and doesn't take much disk room at all)
You must be able to use GitHub for version control. (If you have little experience with it, we can help you set it up!)
What's the expected workload?
Depending on what you're working on, we hope you would put some time in every week or two to code. We currently have a goal to get our demo out sometime during the middle to late part of the year, so actively working towards a playable demo will be prioritised in your work.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read through all of this! The applications will open on March 30th!!! Got any questions? Feel free to send us an ask :D
As the new application period approaches, I'm here to tell you a little bit more about what a job as a UI artist on Project Lumen entails! This time around, we're looking for a small team of 5-7 people to help us out.
There are two sides of the UI job: pixel art and UI design.
General Info
Pixel artists will be making tiles, character sprites for the overworld, buildings, and item icons, while UI designers will be focusing on menus, buttons, and boxes for the player to interact with in dialogue. You will be working closely with the coding team, so multiple revisions may be in order.
Requirements for sign-up
You must be at least 13 years old
You must have access to Discord, as this is where team communication takes place
You must have access to Google Docs and Google Sheets
You must have access to an art program (UI) or pixel art program (Pixel)
You must be willing to take critique and constructive criticism
Barring emergencies, you should be able to commit to regular work
Expected Workload
Pixel art: You should be able to get a minimum of 1-2 of your claimed projects per week done and submitted. You ultimately control how much you commit to, but your progress on what you claim should be consistent, as we need everyone pitching in.
UI design: The exact minimum workload will depend on the projects you take on. Buttons and other interactables should ideally be 1 per 1-2 weeks; menus might take longer. No matter what you take on, you will be expected to give consistent progress updates.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read through all of this! The applications will open on March 30th!!! Got any questions? Feel free to send us an ask :D
