I’m not afraid of hard work — specifically hard work that keeps my mind occupied from other matters of life. And hard work that is fun is worth its while. And I would like to describe game development as hard work.

I guess, when I started game development, I didn’t quite realize just how hard that work would be in reality. I had wrapped my head around the idea of making a game, gotten myself hooked, then watched the avalanche of tasks fall on top of my head.

I’m fine. Really …

But I do wish that the workload wasn’t quite as big. And because I am going solo for the most part, I can’t just toss tasks over to other people. One, I am too broke to be able to do so, otherwise I would’ve gladly hired more people to do some work, and two, I do feel considerably alone.

Life as an Indie Developer

No one I know in my current circle is undertaking game development. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of people online who are walking the same path as me. But people in my immediate circles all have pursued other careers — probably more practical careers anyhow.

And because I am not getting any funding, I have to split my attention between my work and my games. Now fortunately, my paid job keeps me at home, so I have the benefits of working online. That, however, doesn’t detract from the fact that my time remains limited.

That, and when I encounter a problem, it is up to me alone to solve it. And I confess this is a bit of a struggle for me. I’m used to having people to go to for advice, and even with writing, it’s easy to look things up.

But with game development, it is a vastly complex world, and your problem is more or less unique depending on your situation. So finding answers to the problems is considerably more challenging. As I am also still learning game development while making games, I am still very new to this circle. So often I do feel like I am walking through this process blindfolded and with my hand tied behind my back.

The Workload

Game development is a whole bunch of skills tied together in one neat little package. And unless you actually start to make a game yourself, you don’t quite realize the work that needs to get put in.

To start off, you need an idea. A vision you are willing to spend extensive hours and hours on to have it come to life.

Secondly, you need coding skills, you need to understand how the game engine works, and you need to be prepared that most progress is usually slowed down by constant bug testing. And bug tests can take hours to fix. Hours which you didn’t really plan for.

Which is exactly why game releases tend to get postponed. It is truly quite the developer’s curse.

The skills a person needs to have, or buy, are:

• 3D Modelling (I am purchasing the assets)
• Writing/storytelling (if that is featured in your game — I can at least do this)
• Coding (still learning this)
• Music (have an amazing friend who is doing this for me, as well as Pixabay)
• Design (this is where you have to build the stage, and there is a lot of pressure to make things look right)
• Sanity (is that really a thing?)

Now, you don’t have to have all of these skills to make a game. You can obviously train yourself, or you can hire someone who can. And honestly, I am partially doing this for the skills that will just take too long for me to even consider. But hiring comes with its own challenges, as you need to then adapt what other people have made to fit with your vision. And even that can be a challenge.

Motivation

I have found that my motivation fluctuates, and it usually also depends on what is going on in my personal life. If there are things going on, then I am not so motivated to work on the game. Even though I do have an impending deadline. So finding motivation can be an extensive struggle. However, I do have a passion for game development, so that certainly has made motivation so much easier for me.

Marketing

This is the gremlin I am still struggling with.

How the heck do I tell people I am making a game? How do I convince them to try it out? And how can I do this in the most time-effective way?

Marketing is a skill that is mastered by few, and I really wish I had started learning this skill at a much younger age. Because that would’ve saved me a lot of pain and suffering that I am going through now. Marketing isn’t easy, and there’s no quick-fix, step-by-step path to succeeding in marketing — not unless you hire someone.

And even so, it isn’t a guarantee, and it is costly.

Again, money isn’t something that I have, so the marketing is in my hands. And I really have to focus on organic growth. Which again, is much, much harder to do.

Is It Worth It?

I remember my first boss that I worked for. Now, she and I don’t get along well, but there was something that she said that stuck with me. If you really love something, you will work above and beyond for it.

And truthfully, I really love game development. So the answer for me is yes.

But not every person’s answer is the same. It will really be different from person to person. So this is a question that you will have to find the answer for yourself.