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What it takes to make a game by yourself

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Re: What it takes to make a game by yourself

#31

Post by mattnewton »

mritchie712 wrote: post #5
mmcconnell1618 wrote: post #3

I think video game success is probably distributed like startups. Maybe 1 in 10 will have real success, a few might break even or make a little and most will end up never making enough to cover the costs to create. The work is massive and the pay off is not guaranteed. Creating a video game by yourself is not for the money, it's because you're driven to create the idea you see in your mind.

I'd think it's closer to 1 in 100 then 1 in 10 that break even.

If “break even” is “I made back costs” and not “I made back opportunity costs” - most game devs could have made many multiples contracting, or even working those hours at Starbucks.

Re: What it takes to make a game by yourself

#33

Post by fitnessrunner »

pengaru wrote: post #22

Perseverance and conditioning yourself to be comfortable with (or even excited/inspired by) long periods of unfinished-ness are core competencies in practically every demanding project I've embarked upon - not just software, literally anything that can't be started and finished over a weekend. A WIP is often largely indistinguishable from a complete and utter broken disaster. When the project necessarily takes a long…

These are very wise words that I needed to hear today; thank you.

Re: What it takes to make a game by yourself

#34

Post by dieselgate »

pengaru wrote: post #22

Perseverance and conditioning yourself to be comfortable with (or even excited/inspired by) long periods of unfinished-ness are core competencies in practically every demanding project I've embarked upon - not just software, literally anything that can't be started and finished over a weekend. A WIP is often largely indistinguishable from a complete and utter broken disaster. When the project necessarily takes a long…

The most difficult part about software engineering and IRL engineering is the feeling of “everything’s broken always” and just constantly needing to fix or tweak things. I understand that’s the job description basically but nice to hear it articulated by someone else

Re: What it takes to make a game by yourself

#36

Post by crtasm »

yakubin wrote: post #21
danielvaughn wrote: post #2

The irony of video games is that they’re often associated (at least in America) with childishness. And yet, by any conceivable standard, they’re by far the most complex creative endeavor. Creating a video game requires knowledge of the following: programming, graphics, 3D or 2D art tools, artistic ability, UI and UX design, game design, music production, cinematography, storytelling, copywriting, etc etc. It’s just a…

That's a broader theme. Watching TV is considered more childish than reading a book, even though TV content requires a lot more kinds of creative work in order to exist. The reason is that usually when the medium is richer, it demands less of its audience. Instead of imagining a scene, you're given its picture ready-made. Instead of actively following the lines of a story, you passively assimilate what appears before…

There are games that are entirely text-based. I play less than I used to but always try to check out the yearly winners on https://ifcomp.org/

Also see https://ifdb.org/

Re: What it takes to make a game by yourself

#37

Post by Aperocky »

dieselgate wrote: post #34
pengaru wrote: post #22

Perseverance and conditioning yourself to be comfortable with (or even excited/inspired by) long periods of unfinished-ness are core competencies in practically every demanding project I've embarked upon - not just software, literally anything that can't be started and finished over a weekend. A WIP is often largely indistinguishable from a complete and utter broken disaster. When the project necessarily takes a long…

The most difficult part about software engineering and IRL engineering is the feeling of “everything’s broken always” and just constantly needing to fix or tweak things. I understand that’s the job description basically but nice to hear it articulated by someone else

This is why TDD exist, it doesn't necessarily improve the product or delivery speed, but it keeps you sane while the project is half baked.

I've found incorporating tests on my personal projects allow me to pick it up after even a year or two, but if I don't have tests, they inevitably become so jumbled that they cannot be salvaged once the initial effort is over.

Re: What it takes to make a game by yourself

#38

Post by michaelsalim »

Whenever I get to know a developer that dabbles with game development, most of the time I can be confident that they know their stuff.

It's such a demanding field that if you're passionate about it, you're bound to learn a lot of things. I don't do game dev anymore but the time I did taught me a lot about what I know now.

Re: What it takes to make a game by yourself

#39

Post by msmenardi »

CobrastanJorji wrote: post #19
paulryanrogers wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IME the US has a unhealthy culture of work. Religion too carries a "put childish things behind you" influence. Things do appear to be changing, yet with older generations there's still a lot of judgement.

I think if I ever got asked to write up a religion, there'd need to be a positive commandment ordering you to enjoy yourself in moderation on a daily basis. Something that says "if you're making yourself miserable all day every day, you are sinning." Not sure how to word it in a way that discourages hedonism and also doesn't make people trapped in lousy situations feel even worse, but that'd be the goal.

balance, in all things

keep your mind on your self and it's surroundings, and let your self be one with both pleasure and struggle.

let not the words of others compel you to eat too many frogs [1]

[1]: https://experimentalhistory.substack.com/p/excuse-me-but-why...

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