I believe that the niche of the lone game developer is in the bleeding edge. The two examples given show this: a mode of computing was created, individuals made games, then were pushed out. The individual proves the viability for the larger groups who do not want to commit the time or treasure to a venture that will not survive.
The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer
11–20 of 184 posts
Re: The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer
#12I had a long stint with game development. Started contributing to MUD codebases as a teenager, later invested a lot of time in XNA and web games, although none of that work was particularly successful. As satisfying as that work was, I get as much satisfaction from writing Enterprise/B2B apps. The thing about game development is that, when you're years into it, it's just another app. Video game lovers especially star…
>It's only boring if you don't like making software
I think that's at least somewhat dependent on personality, and at least as much dependent on what sort of enterprise apps you're writing.
Personally, there's only so much enjoyment I can extract from writing CRUD code at work, especially when I'm literally handed a multi-page document detailing exactly how the program is going to work, right down to pseudocode.
I think a better comparison would be programming as a hobby versus job. I'm sure many game developers working at development houses like EA get burned out just like the guy working in the salt mines grinding out CRUD code. In both scenarios they lack a vested interest because creativity, in various amounts, is not allowed. Compare that to somebody writing 'boring' apps as a hobby where they have complete creative control.
For me, programming is an art. It's a creative exercise. I'm much more vested when I'm allowed to flex that creative muscle. The kind of application doesn't matter as much as the amount of creativity I'm allowed. Your mileage my indeed vary though.
Re: The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer
#13Re: The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer
#14I had a long stint with game development. Started contributing to MUD codebases as a teenager, later invested a lot of time in XNA and web games, although none of that work was particularly successful. As satisfying as that work was, I get as much satisfaction from writing Enterprise/B2B apps. The thing about game development is that, when you're years into it, it's just another app. Video game lovers especially star…
>It's only boring if you don't like making software I think that's at least somewhat dependent on personality, and at least as much dependent on what sort of enterprise apps you're writing. Personally, there's only so much enjoyment I can extract from writing CRUD code at work, especially when I'm literally handed a multi-page document detailing exactly how the program is going to work, right down to pseudocode. I th…
Fair points, I'm used to having some flexibility in my day to day. If you're being handed strict requirements that include implementation details, that could be a grind.
My greater point would be that there's a lot of creativity that goes into developing good UIs, even for non-entertainment applications.
Re: The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer
#15Personally, I'd like to think that the good games will still rise to the top. Monument Valley wasn't a fluke; it's a game based entirely about the art and the content, rather than stale one-off game mechanics that could be cloned in an afternoon. It got noticed because it was deep and unique. (Did they even do any marketing?) I've rarely found a game with that same level of quality that got no attention[1]. Most of t…
Deep and unique?
It’s like a mashup of Naya’s Quest [1] and Fez [2] (or Crush or Super Paper Mario).
[1]: http://terrycavanaghgames.com/nayasquest/ [2]: http://fezgame.com
Re: The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer
#16It is odd to read this just after checking for updates on http://blog.thimbleweedpark.com/.
Otherwise, this is no different than any other medium, is it? Content curation is hard. Pretty much period.
Re: The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer
#17We're rising again. We're just building VR software instead of mobile games.
Re: The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer
#18Personally, I'd like to think that the good games will still rise to the top. Monument Valley wasn't a fluke; it's a game based entirely about the art and the content, rather than stale one-off game mechanics that could be cloned in an afternoon. It got noticed because it was deep and unique. (Did they even do any marketing?) I've rarely found a game with that same level of quality that got no attention[1]. Most of t…
Deep and unique? It’s like a mashup of Naya’s Quest [1] and Fez [2] (or Crush or Super Paper Mario). [1]: http://terrycavanaghgames.com/nayasquest/ [2]: http://fezgame.com
Have you played it? It's like watching an animated movie. There is negligible repeated content, at least as far as the art and levels are concerned. Unlike 99% of iOS games, I felt as satisfied in level 1 as I did in 10. (And in fact, some of the best content is in the last few levels.) Everything feels alive and dynamic, from the crows to your friendly neighborhood totem. I even felt feelings. In an iOS game. Can you believe that?!
Re: The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer
#19Personally, I'd like to think that the good games will still rise to the top. Monument Valley wasn't a fluke; it's a game based entirely about the art and the content, rather than stale one-off game mechanics that could be cloned in an afternoon. It got noticed because it was deep and unique. (Did they even do any marketing?) I've rarely found a game with that same level of quality that got no attention[1]. Most of t…
One note about Monument Valley though: When they added new levels and charged for it, there was a big backlash at first. Luckily there was a counter backlash but it still shows the expectations of most gamers in the apps store. Especially on Android.
Re: The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer
#20Retro is where it's at for lone developers. Systems are small, expectations low, challenges firm. I very seriously enjoy the retro scene today. It's possible for ordinary people to participate, even make games others will play and pay for. Homebrew. Completing that experience was one of those life checklist things. I had a great time and have learned a lot and was able to explore games on a technical level in an achi…
Are there good sites for discovering these sorts of games? In the category of retro-style games for mobile platforms, it's an enormous chore to find anything good by just paging through the app stores.
You can find a lot of retro-style PC indie games on http://itch.io/, regarding mobile it's probably best to check out the forums or categories on mobile game review sites like http://toucharcade.com/ .