I feel that. I got into programming because of video games. At some point I wanted to know how they are made and wanted to create something on my own. Through a friend I got known to BlitzBasic3D and shortly after BlitzMax. I learned to program while making games, just for me, most things never got released. I spent hours deep into the mornings at time and loved it. It's quite some years since I felt like that and had the energy and motivation to go on and on without hesitation.

I studied computer science and became a paid software engineer, all the experiences with BlitzMax laid out a good foundation for me (RIP Mark Sibly and thank you for your work), and while I like what I do, I don't love it like I did this game programming back then. These days I tend to look out for opportunities to create something that pays my bills or ultimately frees me of having to be employed but often enough I don't get myself to work on it because it's work after my paid work without knowing if that pays out and then the thought "Is it worth my time?" comes up even though the project itself might be even really interesting to pull off.

From time to time I looked back into game programming and every time I felt that little flame light up again. It's been a while now and I even have 2 ideas that I'd like to see implemented. After reading this I realize how much I crave this kind of programming currently. Should probably spend some time doing that :)