I'm Adam Gibbons — an independent iOS developer and Go player based in Exeter, UK, and a member of my local British Go Association club. Goban3D is my first app.
How I Found Go
I first encountered Go at Kingston University. My roommate and I pulled a piece of wood from a skip, drew the grid with a ruler, and played with glass stones from an arts and crafts shop that cost about three quid. I was immediately captivated — not just by the game, but by the fact that a 19×19 grid of seemingly simple rules was, at the time, beyond the reach of the world's most powerful computers.
That fascination ran deep enough that my final year project was in computer vision: I hand-coded an algorithm to read the state of a Go board from a photograph, achieving over 87% accuracy. About twenty years ago I visited Japan for two weeks specifically to experience Go culture first-hand and play against local players. I lost every match.
The Pivot
After a long period of unemployment following health difficulties — and having watched my previous career as a Java developer become increasingly irrelevant — the COVID lockdown proved to be a turning point. Stuck at home, but fortunate enough to have three Apple devices to hand, I found renewed purpose in the AlphaGo documentary and the explosion of AI development it represented. I made a decision: I would use the latest AI tools to teach myself an entirely new skill set, and I would do it by building something meaningful for the Go community.
Starting from zero knowledge of Apple's development technologies, I taught myself iOS development entirely through Apple's official documentation and free WWDC sessions — without formal training, bootcamps, or developer events. Two years later, the result is Goban3D.
Why Accessibility
I received dyslexia support from primary school all the way through college. I know what it's like when tools aren't built with you in mind. Goban3D has 100% accessibility coverage across VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, Voice Control, Reduce Motion, Reduce Transparency, Sufficient Contrast, and Differentiate Without Color — every feature built and tested to Apple's own standards. No other Go app on the App Store declares any accessibility features.
How It Was Built
Goban3D is built with Swift 6.2 and SwiftUI, targeting iOS 26, with 3D rendering powered by RealityKit. The architecture uses an Entity Component System for smooth 60 fps stone animations, a type-safe state machine for game flow, and a full design system for consistent visuals and accessibility across every device from a 3.5" iPhone to a 13" iPad.
Keeping It Free
Goban3D is free to download and always will be. To keep development sustainable as a one-person indie project, the app shows a brief interstitial ad after each game. A yearly subscription removes ads for those who'd prefer an uninterrupted experience. In-app purchases for additional board and stone texture packs are also available — these are entirely optional extras on top of the four board textures and eight stone textures included for free.
Content Creators
You're welcome to record, review, or feature Goban3D in any way you like — no permission needed. I'd love to see it. If you need screenshots, a fact sheet, or a bio, visit the press page.
Contact
I read every message. If you have a question, a bug report, or just want to talk Go, please visit the Support page.