WHY most indie developers fail
- November 30, 2023
- Posted by: MainInstructor
- Category: BASIC C C# Game Design Game Development Go
Video Title: WHY most indie developers fail
Let me ask you a question why are you making games think about it for a second and I’ll go first a little less than a year ago I worked a very boring corporate job in you know one of those drab offices where there was flu resent lighting that your head hurts from if
You sit in it for too long it was like cubicle based and all my colleagues were about 10 to 20 or even 30 years older than me so I didn’t really have anything in common with them or anything to talk with them about my job was also getting
Less flexible it used to be that I could just you know go to Dubai for 2 weeks and work from there with without an issue now suddenly I had to go to the office two or three times a week which was a horrible commute because it took
About 2 hours if I didn’t leave at 5 a.m. in the morning or if I didn’t go home after like 700 p.m. so I would often go at like 5:30 a.m. to the office and then stay there until 7:00 p.m. wouldn’t see the sun basically the
Entire day just come home sleep and then repeat the next time I had to go to the office one thing I was doing back then but not really that like deeply yet was I was making these YouTube videos like very basic one upload a week and we had
Like 200 subscribers so not really that much and I was working on our own game Forge industry back then which was just a dream compared to the fact that we’ve actually released it a few months ago but what I learned there is that I wanted to get out of there I wanted to
Have a community or I wanted to have colleagues where they were much younger than me where I could actually talk about something other than like their kids and I also just wanted to know I have more flexibility again and find new passion in my job because technically
Like all of the technical stuff of my job I loved but it was the people and the kind of work that I suddenly had to do which was sales calls with like you know very old men as well usually like very high level it people I wasn’t
Enjoying that so in February of this year I decided I was going to quit my job I gave him my notice and then I became a game developer I’ve been fueled ever since then by the fact that i’ had that job I had those experiences and I
Don’t want to do them again don’t get me wrong I was earning €100,000 a year almost which is crazy money for someone who hadn’t even been working 3 years at that point but it just wasn’t worth it I had different wies instead of just make a bunch of money and that’s what drove
Me to do game development something that I miss a lot when I talk to you people and you ask me for advice is that’s why so in this video I want to talk a bit more about the importance of why you’re a game developer I feel like this is
Something that is completely overlooked and because it’s a bit like what do you mean the why of I’m a game developer cuz I want to make games of course but it’s so much more than that and how strong your why is directly correlates to how much work you’ll actually be doing on
Your games how much progress you’ll be making and how successful you’re going to be as a game developer so I really want to stress this as much as possible watch this video if there’s any video you’re watching watch this one and follow along and like figure out what is
Your why if I’m taking a guess your why is probably because you know you grew up playing a lot of games you were maybe an only child and your parents weren’t always home so you were glued to a screen and your childhood has been very very defined by games you’re getting a
Bit older now you maybe have already like an IT job and you’re like hey let me see how hard it is to actually make some games and that’s a reason that’s a why to start making games or maybe you just wanted to do this as a hobby or
You’re a stay at home mom or dad who just needs something to fill in the time those are all good reasons but they’re not strong reasons they’re not what gets you up in the morning and I think it’s really hard with these soft wise to actually make a lot of progress because
You know there’s not that much at stake if you miss a day of development it’s like hey whatever but I also see a lot of developers who have this soft why and we like hey you know I’m going to go full-time now all of a sudden just
Because they wanted to make games and you know it’s time for a change I think this is a recipe for disaster because if your only reason of making games is because you like maybe playing games and you want to make games you’re not going to be able to finish a game and you’re
Not going to be able to go and keep working during game development there will be ups and downs in how much passion you have and how good things are going and your why is your Lighthouse your why is the thing that gets you up in the morning it’s not about discipline
It’s not about you know motivation it’s not about having a good planning all of these things you can do but if you don’t have a solid why as to why are you a game developer really why then you’re not going to get as much success I can
Guarantee you that right now my wies are really strong if I say so myself so my primary wise are I wanted to be surrounded by more younger people in a younger industry okay that’s fine that’s nothing too crazy I could have gone to a AAA company then as well or like figured
Out something else second why is I wanted that remote work flexibility this is a bit harder to do if you go to a traditional company so it’s also more of a you know game the specific one I’ve already used it before for example I’ve gone to Japan for 2 months earlier this
Year and I just worked as a game there from there and it was amazing I want to do that one as much as possible and that’s already a stronger why but then what I also have that is probably the strongest why and that may seem a bit
Extreme even if you’re like hearing this now is I want to prove everyone wrong because we originally went to some game death related events and we were almost laughed at because you know oh you’re just someone who doesn’t really have any experience you didn’t go to our game
Death School there’s like one gamee school here in Belgium Dae if you don’t go there nobody takes you serious we just had like an IT background and I was like you know Screw all of you I’m going to prove you wrong I’m going to outperform you I’m going to beat you so
Hard in terms of Revenue in terms of making games that you’re going to suddenly have to respect me even though you may think less of me because I didn’t get a Game Dev related degree and maybe even the strongest one which I developed later on as this YouTube
Channel grew is I got this sense of purpose and responsibility of this audience I wanted to show to 10,000 people at this point even more that the Game Dev dream is still alive that if I can do it with barely any background with just you know hard work and
Actually putting in the work and giving it my all you can still become a successful Indie that’s what gets me up in the morning if you compare those two wise you know I want to make games for fun versus I want to influence tens of thousands of people and like show them
That the Indie dream is still alive well which why do you think is going to get you out of bed in the morning when you know you didn’t sleep as well or maybe you’re getting a little bit sick or just in general study topics that you don’t
Really like like 3D modeling or coding things like that there’s a very big difference there so this why is so important if I feel like I’m slacking which on this channel I have documented multiple times that there were periods in time where I didn’t really want to
Work I wanted to give up on our game and I just wanted to I don’t know go back to the easy life of you know my old job I just had to look and like imagine the look of like you know all of the my haters so to say telling me that I’m
Never going to make it in game death and I’ll get motivated again I just have to imagine all of you guys being heavily disappointed because I suddenly disappeared without like any trace of me like the dream is dead these things get me up and these things make sure that I
Can work hard probably a bit too hard at some points but honestly I don’t care I am working and I am fulfilling my why I’ve already booked my trip to Japan next year because now I know I have that freedom I have that availability so I’m just going to do it I’m actually
Accomplishing my why and that just adds fuel to the fire and honestly this applies to everyone whether you are just doing this for fun okay or you’re maybe considering you know you’re stuck like me in a dead end job and you’re like I kind of want to do game development or
Maybe you already quit your job and you’re like I am becoming a full-time game developer but things aren’t going as good as I was hoping for the big problem you have is that your why isn’t strong enough so what I really encourage you is to be brutally honest and write
Out your why just be like this is the actual reason no matter who you are or like what you want to do with game def the number one trick to actually working more isn’t a schedule or isn’t motivation or isn’t creating like systems not goals it’s having a really
Strong why it’s knowing why are you developing games and the more raw you have it the easier it will be to go through those harder times the easier it will be to be disciplined so what I really ask you now is to be honest and to write down either on piece of paper
Or if you really feel like it in the comments what is your why why are you a game developer and is this really a strong why if it’s just I want to make games for fun or I want to learn a new engine that’s fine but know that it’s
Not going to be enough to become an accomplished Indie developer a weaker y won’t make you suddenly research like different marketing strategies for your game because you just wanted to make the game not like advertise the game whereas if your why is I want to have Commercial
Success with my game so I can do all of these things you will look into the more boring stuff like marketing or accounting because you understand the value of these things so I’m just going to say it one more time focus on that why and make it as strong as possible
Probably you didn’t even think about this why so I really urge you to really consider it that’s pretty much what I want to say a bit of a different video I feel a bit more direct I’m not sure I’m trying out new stuff as well but this is
Something that I’ve encountered with a lot of developers that reach out to me and I figured I would just make a video about it because I can make 10 videos as well about you know making the perfect schedule or using a can ban board and I probably will at some point but there’s
No value in making those videos now if I don’t address the root problem which is a strong why if you’re new around here we’re game developers we’ve made our own game we’re making more games and I am as I said trying to inspire as many game developers as possible that the Indie
Dream is still possible so if you’re interested in that be sure to head down below and subscribe as you get these videos twice a week in exchange I get your support and I know that I am accomplishing my why and that I am on the right way to teach you as much as
Possible that’s all I really have to say thanks for watching and I’ll see you guys in the next one bye
Video Keywords: Game Development, gamedev,indie,indie developer,game development,unity,c#,blender,game design,game studio,devlog,development,startup,forge industry,flega,steam
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My "why" is that I've been obsessed with game design from the moment I formed my first memories. The only problem is that I only care about the design part so programming my game is a huge slog, but I'm slowly making progress. I'm hopeful that one day I'll get people showing interest in what I'm making to give me that extra boost.
I see Forge Industry don't have a good sales number. What do you think the reason 🙁
For me my reason is passion I love writing stories, creating worlds and characters
Been making games progrssionally for 20 years. Still watches this video.
You totally do not need a degree. In fact, most gamedev degrees are poor value for what you learn.
Very thoughtful video. Currently working in software dev and doing gamedev as a hobby and watching this video made me think a lot about the "why" I got into game development, and I think the fundamental answer is: I want to be able to make universes where people can experience the experiences I create, and my creations can positively impact people in some way, shape or form.
What got me into programming in general was, ironically, Warcraft 3's custom maps and map editor. As a kid I really enjoyed making cinematics or scripted events in custom maps in the editor. Of course no one outside of family saw them, and they were terrible, but that side really sparked my interest and is why I became a programmer in the first place.
Now, although I can work remotely, and although I'm enjoying my software job, I feel that passion slowly draining away from me. When I'm learning gamedev or working on projects in the evenings or weekends, or pushing for a gamejam, that's the few times I'm feeling that passion coming back.
I guess that's my why: I enjoy making things and creating experiences that hopefully one day other people will get to experience too.
All your content is truly awesome we can feel the passion and dedication put into all you are doing, i really wish you nothing but success in everything that comes ahead. Keep up the good work!
There are two things that bring me back to my senses every time I lose motivation:
1.The feeling of successfully writing a very complex and thought-provoking mechanic or system in my games fills me with joy every single time. I love writing code from scratch and searching through forums for hours on end until I find the right solution. I love creating mechanics.
2.The second one is the feedback I received from my single, fully finished game for a game jam. I got to see people engage with my game and leave positive feedback. This experience made me feel like I had a purpose in life, and that game development isn't a waste of time by any means. The feeling of creating a product that others can enjoy and say to themselves, "This is fun," is the best thing I have ever felt in my life.
So, these are my reasons. And here I am writing them. I hope that I never stop pursuing my dream and that someday, I can return here and have a little laugh while reading this.
6:54 I definitely feel a little sad whenever a project I'm following suddenly stops posting and the dev has given up their dreams.
So far my "why" has been because life is stressful and video games have a way of relieving that stress of life. So being a game developer is my way of helping others de-stress.
You guys are doing an excellent work with this YT channel, found about you a few days ago and I am binging all of your videos! Interesting topics and takes, keep this amazing job up and I am sure it will pay off!
I agree that you need something to drive you in game development. Perhaps multiple something's that each push and pull on the other "why's"? My own (core) why hasn't really changed, but I have incorporated other drivers into what is essentially my passion and career. A passion for making and playing games.
great vids thanks
Wow actually very insightful, even though it's kinda obvious. My >why< is so much stronger and complete now, compared to the times before when I failed over and over. Now after some years, some new and important reasons popped up one after another. At this point I'm going to create the results I want to see.
add "how to avoid this" then i able to click this vid
Man I'm way older than you but don't hold it against me, if I were in the cubicle next to you at work I'd be like "MARNIX LETS DO A TIER LIST" at least twice a day 😁
The fact that we want to prove everyone wrong is so true. I don't know if it's actually a "good" reason, but that's really motivating, as well as thinking about how disappointed the people you admire would be if you quit.
Thanks for this video!
I enjoy bringing things from my mind into existence.
I want prove to people that i can be a game dev and tell stories of India
I am just trying to make one because I've been waiting for that kind of game for decades and have been left disappointed. So i am doing it myself, but definitely have no plans to do dev work full time.
Well I think i have a family reason for getting an indie. I want to earn enough money to have a good or maybe great life for me, my wife and our future kids. And I want to spend my time with them. If possible all day long. If I'm an successfull indie, I can work from home and see my then born kids rising and grow up. Right next to me. And I can always support my wife with all kinds of work, problems or what ever 😀 So that we can be a very happy and healthy family :).. so .. yeah.. that's why I wanna be an indie gameDev 👨👩👧👦
I'm tired of driving 2 hours to work too… I want to be my own boss so I can have creative freedom.
you know those old people just want somebody to talk to.
The reason why I am a hobbyist game dev… is because the simple space game I want to play, I can't find it on the android play store.
I'm basically a game developer because I needed something productive to do in between long long sessions of masturbation.
The concept in this video is truly the secret to success.
It is the endless burning fire inside you that will get you through all the obstacles you face in life.
My "Why" is that I want to be in a position where me, my family and close ones are living a decent life, and where I can help strangers get by and support them, and where I can decide when I can work or not, while making games for the rest of my life, and even if I'm too old for coding/programing, I want to have my own team/studio to create games I enjoy and hopefully sell well. I know its a lot to ask but I'm quite prepared for what it takes.