Help me build a future from home—and a game that makes people smile.

My name is Daniel Hudson, but most people call me Danny. I’m a full-time caregiver for my father, and I’m building a video game called Skunk County .

My background is in construction, cooking, computer hardware, and driving for a living. When my father suffered a stroke and needed full-time care, my life changed. I had to find a different way forward—one that would let me be there for him while working toward a more stable future for my family.

Game development became that possibility.

What started as a small idea has grown into a colorful, ridiculous, animal-filled world—and an ambition to build my own game studio. Apparently, my imagination did not receive the memo about starting small.

I’m raising money for a dedicated AI development computer: a purpose-built workstation or compact AI system that works alongside the computer I already own. This campaign is about obtaining the equipment to keep building, learning, and turning that vision into something people can play.

What is Skunk County?

Skunk County is the game world I’m creating: a place full of animal characters, farms, small businesses, driving, deliveries, and unexpected trouble.

The vision brings together growing food, cooking with what comes from the farm, exploring the county, and meeting characters with entirely too much personality. Poppy’s Culinary is the farm-to-table cooking experience I’m developing within that world. Other plans reach underground, into mines, caverns, and encounters that are considerably less peaceful than watering the vegetables.

At its heart, I want this game to make people smile. I want the humor to live in the little details: a character’s reaction, an absurd business name, or a delivery that becomes much more eventful than anyone requested.

This is more than an idea on a fundraising page. I’ve already developed early playable builds, worked on characters and original buildings, and documented the progress. There have been exciting breakthroughs, stubborn bugs, and plenty of moments when fixing one thing revealed three more things that needed attention.

The game is unfinished. But the work is real, and I’m committed to continuing it.

A different kind of game studio

The defining vision for my studio is to use AI throughout production and the business behind it —from coding and artwork to animation, sound, and development workflows.

I provide the creative direction, test the results, decide what belongs in the game, and keep working on what does not.

That is the studio I’m building toward, not a claim that every existing piece of the project was made exclusively with AI. It is also not a claim that making a good game is as simple as pressing a button. The testing, decisions, consistency, and attention to detail still matter enormously.

For me, these tools have opened a path into something I once would not have known how to begin.

What your support will pay for

The main goal is a dedicated computer for running compatible AI models and development tools locally , while my existing PC remains available for building and testing the game.

That could be a purpose-built AI workstation or a compact, separate AI computer connected to my current setup. The equipment will be selected around the work it can actually perform—not simply the biggest advertising numbers.

The first priorities are local coding assistance and suitable creative-generation workflows. The equipment budget will also account for necessary connections, storage or backup equipment, power protection, purchase taxes, delivery, and fundraising or payment-processing fees.

The aim is to own useful production equipment for the long term and reduce dependence on paid cloud processing where local tools can do the job well. One computer will not replace every online service, eliminate every expense, or finish the game by itself. It would give this small studio a stronger foundation.

This is a separate campaign specifically for AI development equipment and its supporting costs—not my e-bike fundraiser or a general subscription fund.

What I’ll share along the way

I’ll document the chosen equipment, what it costs, the setup process, and the game work it helps produce. I’ll also share development progress and setbacks, and clearly distinguish actual gameplay from concept art or promotional videos.

My longer-term ambition is a paid Windows and Xbox game, with a larger shared online world further down the road. This equipment campaign supports the work toward that vision; it does not promise a finished MMO or a guaranteed release date.

There is more than one way to help

A financial contribution would help, but a suitable donated computer, a hardware sponsorship, or an introduction to a company that might support the project could make an enormous difference too.

Sharing the campaign matters. So does thoughtful feedback, encouragement, or following along and taking an interest in what I’m building.

I’m not expecting everyone to understand this vision. I’m hoping to find the people who do—people who enjoy imaginative games, believe in learning something new, or understand what it means to rebuild your working life around caring for someone you love.

I want to be there for my father and build a future for my family. This project is my effort to do both.

Thank you for helping me keep building.

—Danny

Contributions support the stated equipment goal. They are not investments or game preorders and do not provide ownership, financial returns, or a guaranteed release. This is a personal creative-project fundraiser, not a tax-deductible charitable campaign.