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It's okay to make something nobody wants

zhangluyao.com

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Re: It's okay to make something nobody wants

#91

Post by barrysteve »

anonzzzies wrote: post #89
barrysteve wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd like to point out the opposite. I made a game with a group of well educated friends back in the mid 2000s. It was released (against agreements) when the core gameplay was roughly-in place, but all the art assets were 'programmer art'. It made the top ten worst Steam Greenlight games (on some dead blog) and attracted huge quantities of negative criticism. Even though it was never linked to my public reputation and…

> It did make me very hesistant and perfectionist in future projects and took out a certain amount of faith that 'it will work out'. But that's because you still cared about others. And maybe didn't read enough startup/entrepreneur books or know enough people who did that. Once you know what crap companies willingly release which go on to be successful, it will make you far less perfectionist. I had the luck of havin…

Thanks, you're spot on. I appreciate it.

Re: It's okay to make something nobody wants

#92

Post by anonzzzies »

osigurdson wrote: post #90
anonzzzies wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>This community especially Most communities have that though; they don't like others having success, they don't like talent/genius in others, they laugh at failure (both by large and small companies) etc. Really one of the best lessons in life (often learned at a higher age) is to give two shits about what anyone thinks about whatever you do. Just building stuff (fail/success doesn't matter so much) is more than by f…

Once someone does become an established leader however people seem to be ok with it.

Until they fail again, then everyone points and laughs. It's a shame as we are losing a LOT of cycles on this kind of toxic nonsense.

Re: It's okay to make something nobody wants

#94

Post by Quentincestino »

Gigachad wrote: post #63
fourthark wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems like his point is the inverse: if you don't want it, how will anyone else?

I don't think any software I have been paid to work on has been something I personally want, but there sure are a lot of companies that want it.

I think the point is more about innovation and "creating" the need by solving problems people didn't even know they had

Re: It's okay to make something nobody wants

#95

Post by sirodoht »

I relate. "Make something you will enjoy making" — I tried to instill the essence of this in a coding event I organised recently, but I don't think I was successful. Maybe I should have sent this blog post to people instead — "It's okay to make something nobody wants" — a new mantra.

Re: It's okay to make something nobody wants

#96

Post by SyberShock »

hermannj314 wrote: post #81

I wasted a lot of my life being too scared to make something out of fear. This community especially can be very toxic to people that are starting out, that aren't geniuses, that didnt make every perfect decision for their product. Life is more enjoyable in a create-fail-learn loop than a consume-criticize-gloat loop. I wish I'd learned that sooner.

> This community especially can be very toxic to people that are starting out, that aren't geniuses

The toxic ones are especially cruel to people that have special genius.

And the toxic ones usually consider themselves the deep well of genius. Anything that threatens that perception incurs ire.

You can find this in places where there is a, "pecking order" and someone who comes along with a new inspiration gets beat down viciously.

Re: It's okay to make something nobody wants

#98

Post by xwdv »

What’s with the sappy, weepy tone here?

If someone made a household cleaning detergent or some vitamin powder that nobody wanted, would we still be saying these products aren’t really for users, but rather are just another medium of self expression?

Is it okay for them to still exist? Sure, it’s also okay to be a loser. Seen through a capitalist lens, the point of a product is to serve a useful purpose. If nobody wants or needs it, it doesn’t suddenly become a work of art representing an extension of its creator – it’s just a shitty product.

The market is a conversation, and if you’re not making something people want, you’re not connecting with others, you’re just babbling to yourself. Software always seems to be held to some different standard, but it really shouldn’t. Code is cattle, not pets.

Re: It's okay to make something nobody wants

#99

Post by roody15 »

wzyoi wrote: post #93

It's hard to imagine how many people are doing something nobody wants in a busy corporate environment.

I find it fascinating. I cannot tell you how many complain about corporate structure, meaningless paperwork, and working on projects that are just money traps for consumers. When asked why do you work here ? Get the same blank stare.

Somehow people appear to be easily influenced to end up working at corporations and on projects devoid of real meaning, passion or soul. Almost a depressed defeatist attitude like .. yeah I live in this overpopulated city that I don’t like .. working at a corporation that treats people as cogs .. making a product that is designed to exploit others … and ohh by the way I am kind of depressed.

Hmmm

Re: It's okay to make something nobody wants

#100

Post by greffer »

nullcipher wrote: post #57
fourthark wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems like his point is the inverse: if you don't want it, how will anyone else?

there's plenty of people who cook for others when they don't like it themselves? like meat, eggs, seafood etc.

Often (not always), you can clealy taste the difference.
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