There's been a lot of discourse related to indie gamedev the past few days and it's aggravating seeing what I do distilled down into tropes which don't apply to me because I took the solo, do-it-for-fun, long-term path. :| So here's some words of wisdom to fight through the mass of hot takes: - - ThreadSky

pixelmusement.com • 97 days ago

There's been a lot of discourse related to indie gamedev the past few days and it's aggravating seeing what I do distilled down into tropes which don't apply to me because I took the solo, do-it-for-fun, long-term path. :|

So here's some words of wisdom to fight through the mass of hot takes: -

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pixelmusement.com•97 days ago

1. NEVER go into indie gamedev strictly for profit. It's a long and hard road and only the tiniest fraction of those who get into it make back what they invested, let alone profit even higher. Go into it because you LIKE making games!

pixelmusement.com•97 days ago

2. DO NOT quit your day job, even if you've got a budget to work with. The vast majority of software projects go over budget and if you don't have a fallback you are totally screwed. Indie gamedev should be approached as a HOBBY unless and until you succeed at it.

pixelmusement.com•97 days ago

3. ABSOLUTELY make what YOU want to make. Don't make a game you have no interest in playing yourself otherwise you will never be satisfied with the end result. This way, even if your game doesn't succeed financially you have added something you wanted to exist into the world!

pixelmusement.com•97 days ago

4. IGNORE the haters. Anyone who says every game's been done or that there's no originality is ignoring the fact that, not only is that wrong, but even if it was right derivative games are still fun if they're done right. Again, make what you want to make; It's that simple.

pixelmusement.com•97 days ago

5. If you can avoid it, DO NOT work solo. Yes, I know, I work solo. It's because I have no budget, do gamedev work in my spare time, and don't have the experience necessary to ensure kickstarting would succeed. This is the safe route to take, but it means my projects take 4x~10x longer. :P

pixelmusement.com•97 days ago

And lastly...

6. If you have an idea for a game, you try to make it, and you can't stand gamedev work, remember there are OTHER AVENUES of creative output: Writing stories, comics, board games, card games; Video games is the HARDEST route to take, other routes may work better for you.

fletcherstudios.bsky.social•97 days ago

📌

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