How to SUCCEED as a self-taught Indie Game Developer
TLDRThe video discusses common mistakes indie game developers make due to passion blinding them, like overscoping projects or failing to properly plan. It advises breaking a dream project into pieces, focusing on learning tools instead of rushing development. It warns against relying solely on motivation, which can lead to burnout; instead set work time limits. By splitting projects, setting goals and stopping comparisons, indie devs can avoid unfinished work. The video shares lessons learned from mistakes to help other aspiring game developers successfully reach their goals.
Takeaways
- 😀 Blindly following passion can lead to unfinished projects
- 😢 Unsufficient planning causes wasted time and unnecessary features
- 📝 Structure your project with goals and deadlines
- 📈 Learn tools instead of just watching tutorials
- 📊 Plan out the full game before starting development
- ❌ Avoid comparison and frustration with other developers
- ⏰ Set a consistent and sustainable work schedule
- 🧠 Learn from others' success rather than envy it
- 😊 Improper motivation causes burnout or laziness
- 🚀 Break big projects into pieces and combine later
Q & A
What is one of the main reasons indie games fail to be completed?
-Indie developers often get overly excited about their dream project idea and attempt to create something too big or complex without having the necessary experience or skills yet. This leads to the project becoming overwhelming and ending up abandoned.
How can you use your passion for game development productively?
-Break your dream project idea down into smaller, achievable games that allow you to learn the necessary tools and skills. Then eventually combine them into the larger project once you have more experience.
Why are tutorials alone insufficient for learning game development?
-You can't rely on tutorials to do all the work for you. You need to use them to actively understand and practice what you are learning, not passively watch.
What is one of the biggest threats to completing an indie game?
-Insufficient planning and preparation. Without properly scoping your project, setting goals and deadlines, you risk feature creep or wasting time on unimportant tasks.
How can motivation negatively impact your progress?
-Working too hard when motivated can lead to burnout. Not working when unmotivated can lead to lost time. Having discipline is more effective than relying on motivation.
Why is taking breaks important?
-Breaks help refuel your energy and prevent burnout from overwork. They let you come back refreshed.
How can you have a healthy mindset when seeing others' success?
-Don't compare yourself in a negative way. Compare to learn from others and realize your own progress, even if slower.
What was the first step the narrator took to improve their process?
-Breaking their overly complex dream project into smaller, achievable pieces they could learn from.
What is the benefit of this improved approach?
-It allows for learning the necessary skills and finishing smaller games first, which ultimately builds up to the big dream project.
Why is the narrator confident about their progress now?
-They are following solid strategies like planning, breaking things into steps, learning actively, and not relying solely on motivation. This has already shown improvement.
Outlines
😟 How my passion for game dev led to failure
The paragraph discusses how the author's blind passion for game development, without proper planning and scoping, led to starting overambitious dream projects and ultimately failing at them. This happened across multiple attempts. The author advises breaking down dream projects into smaller, achievable games first before attempting the bigger vision.
😊 Finally learning to focus efforts correctly
This paragraph talks about how the author has started applying the learnings - focusing on understanding tools instead of rushing dream projects, using tutorials effectively, planning properly before starting projects. The author shares facing feature creep earlier but now combating it via structured planning. The author also advises relying on discipline over motivation to avoid burnout.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Passion
💡Planning
💡Feature creep
💡Motivation
💡Tutorials
💡Comparing yourself
💡Splitting projects
💡Consistency
💡Learning process
💡Finishing games
Highlights
The study found a significant increase in life satisfaction for participants after the mindfulness training program.
MRI scans showed changes in brain structure and activity in regions related to awareness, empathy, stress and memory.
Participants reported lower levels of anxiety, depression and physical pain after 8 weeks of mindfulness meditation.
Mindfulness helped reduce mind-wandering and improved cognitive skills like working memory and sustained attention.
Mindfulness meditation increased activity in the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in executive function and self-regulation.
The study provides evidence that mindfulness can change brain networks related to focus, self-awareness and emotion regulation.
Mindfulness training improved performance on cognitive tasks and reduced physiological markers of stress.
Participants showed increased empathy, compassion and ability to take the perspective of others after mindfulness training.
Mindfulness practice led to greater activation of the insula, involved in body awareness and processing emotional experiences.
The authors suggest mindfulness could be an effective low-cost intervention to improve mental health and well-being.
Limitations include the self-selecting nature of participants and reliance on self-reports for some measures.
More research is needed on the long-term effects of mindfulness across diverse populations.
Mindfulness meditation could be a promising complementary approach for conditions like depression, anxiety and chronic pain.
The study provides evidence for the cognitive, emotional and physiological changes associated with mindfulness practice.
The authors call for more rigorous, large-scale RCTs on mindfulness-based interventions.
Transcripts
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