Show HN: Homegames. An open-source game platform I've been making for 8 years

What is Homegames, and why is it on Hacker News?

Homegames is an open-source game platform built by one developer over eight years, starting from rendering experiments back in 2018. It reached the front page of Hacker News in July 2026 as a "Show HN" post, the community's way of saying: here's something real, built alone, over a long time.

It's not aimed at small business owners directly. But the story behind it is one every UK founder running a shop, salon or trade business should pay attention to.

Why should a UK small business owner care about a solo indie game project?

Because it's proof that owning your own infrastructure, rather than renting someone else's, is what lets you build something that lasts. The developer didn't build on a game engine's hosted platform. They built their own, over years, and now control every part of it.

That's the same choice small businesses face every day, just with smaller stakes and faster consequences. Do you build your booking system, your website, your customer data on your own infrastructure? Or do you rent it from Fresha, Booksy, Linktree or a Facebook page, and hope the terms don't change?

Is open-source software actually a safe choice for a small business?

Yes, and it already is the default. Around 97% of UK businesses use some form of open-source software, operating system or programming language, according to recent industry data. It's mainstream infrastructure, not a niche hobbyist choice.

The catch: small companies rarely have formal governance around it. Only 16% of small firms have an Open Source Program Office, compared with 39% of large enterprises. That means if you adopt an open or free tool, checking who maintains it, how often it's updated, and what happens if the maintainer stops, is on you. Homegames is a strong example of long-term commitment, but not every open-source project has one developer sticking with it for eight years.

Should my business rent its online presence or own it?

Own it wherever you can. Rented platforms are a liability disguised as convenience: you don't own the customer relationship, the data, or the terms, and any of it can change or vanish overnight.

We've seen the cost of renting directly. One nail salon we worked with was paying Fresha roughly £1,800 a month in commission. Moving to its own booking system, at around £35 a month, saved approximately £21,000 a year, with no loss of functionality the client actually used. That's not a one-off. The Linux Foundation's 2025 State of Open Source report found cost reduction is now the top reason organisations adopt open tools, cited by 53%, up from 37% the year before.

What's the practical takeaway for a small business owner this week?

• Audit what you rent: booking platforms, link-in-bio tools, directory listings. List the monthly cost and what you'd lose if the platform disappeared tomorrow.
• Check your Google Business Profile is verified and fully filled in. It's free, and it's where most local searches convert first.
• If you're paying commission per booking (Fresha, Booksy and similar), work out the annual cost and compare it against a fixed-price alternative you own.
• Don't adopt open-source tools blindly. Check who maintains them and how often they're updated before you depend on one for bookings, payments or customer data.

What does Braynex Services think about this?

Homegames is a niche story, but it confirms something we tell every client: the businesses that win long term are the ones that own their infrastructure, not the ones renting the most convenient version of it. 86% of UK businesses now have a website, but adoption is still lower among sole traders, the exact group most exposed when a rented platform changes its pricing or its rules.

There's a bigger shift coming too. Being recommended by AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews is becoming the new local SEO. That only works if there's a real website with real content for those systems to read, not a Linktree page or a PDF menu. The UK Government's own SME Digital Adoption Taskforce flagged a skills gap as the main barrier for over 60% of UK businesses in its July 2025 report. That gap is exactly where independent, no-nonsense support makes the difference between a business that's found and one that isn't.

If you're not sure whether you're renting or owning your online presence, or where you're losing enquiries without realising it, book a free audit at braynexservices.com and we'll show you exactly what's happening.