About me
I'm Jóhan Gaardbo, and I like building small things that feel complete.
I'm a 31-year-old developer based in Denmark, also known online as GaardboDev. Most of my spare-time projects are games, but I also make smaller software projects when something catches my interest.
This site is mainly a place to collect those projects, share a little context, and keep track of what I've been learning along the way.
Based in
Denmark
Working in
Software development
Spare time
Games and experiments
Timeline
A quick background
2022 to present
IT Developer
Working across frontend, backend, infrastructure, and automation in a professional setting.
2018 to 2021
Datamatiker (Computer Science AP Graduate)
Studied software development, programming, and system design.
How I work
I like projects that let me learn by making
I usually start with a simple idea and build until it feels playable or useful.
In games, that often means testing mechanics, progression, and presentation.
In software, it usually means exploring a tool, framework, or interface idea.
Game development
The area I spend most of my free time on
I enjoy making small games because they let me work across code, design, visuals, sound, and feel in one place. It's a good way for me to experiment and finish projects that would otherwise stay as ideas.
From mods to original games
A lot of my earlier game-related work was in custom mods and add-ons, especially for Minecraft using commands and datapacks. Over time, that gradually turned into making original games and prototypes from scratch.
Hands-on across the whole process
When I make games, I usually touch a bit of everything: idea work, design, programming, art, sound, music, UI, polish, release prep, and the practical parts around sharing the game.
Small scope, complete results
A lot of projects stay intentionally small, whether they become short experiments or full releases. I like using game development as a way to test ideas, learn fast, and occasionally turn something rough into a finished game.
What I usually end up doing
Build gameplay systems, progression, controls, UI, and the surrounding player experience until the idea feels playable.
Handle the creative side too, including pixel art, animation, sound effects, music, presentation, and the overall feel of the project.
Work through release tasks around publishing, small-scale marketing, social media posts, and the occasional player feedback or support message.
Main tools
Professional work
Broad in-house development across platforms and systems
Professionally, I work as a generalist in-house developer across internal tools, integrations, databases, automation, and custom web solutions. A big part of the job is not just building the software, but helping shape the solution, choosing the right approach, and carrying projects through from idea to long-term maintenance.
Business apps and Power Platform
Started out building internal apps, flows, dashboards, and integrations across Power Apps, Power Automate, Dataverse, CRM, and Power BI.
Integrations and data workflows
Worked with Altova, Azure Data Factory, SQL databases, and automation pipelines to connect systems and move data reliably.
Custom Azure and .NET solutions
More recently, I have been building web apps, APIs, storage integrations, and supporting infrastructure across Azure services and C#.
What that usually means in practice
Own projects from stakeholder dialogue and solution design to development, deployment, hosting, and maintenance.
Design larger internal solutions across web apps, Power Platform, SQL, integrations, and ERP-connected workflows.
Build and maintain APIs, Blob Storage integrations, SQL tables, views, procedures, and triggers for business-critical processes.
Support delivery with Git repositories, Azure DevOps pipelines, and technical estimation for tasks and longer-running projects.
Main tools and platforms