What Happens After The Big Game Dev Success?
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- Опубліковано 21 лис 2024
- This is my life the past couple years. I also have some big announcements at the end. Thank you for caring everyone!
If you would like to support my fledgling studio, please check out Game Dev Unlocked: courses.gamede...
David! I hope you read this, I do.
1: You do NOT owe us anything.
2: You are NOT a savior.
3: 80% of the internet is cool and the 20% are awful.
4: You are NOT a fraud. You make video games.
And also YES to making smaller games. This is the third time I've heard this very recently.
Additional related mindset:
1. Share with us what you enjoyed in games without the need to please everybody (we all like AND dislike stuff);
2. Give you the right tool for the job. If you want to accomplish more, create or join a team of qualified people;
3. Like @foldupgames said, it's easier these days for people to express their rage on internet. CHOOSE to read and focus on the good comments, they are THE audience of your game, it's around that people that you want to be;
4. You know your weaknesses (overthinking and self-doubt), and you probably don't want your children to develop these behaviours so use them as your mental strength to keep up in a good mentality 💪
I look forward to see your game David! I may or may not like it but this wouldn't change the fact that you are a great person with good skills in game development.
Is this comment intended to be insulting? Cause, its reads as both incredibly insulting and invalidating, but also...unsuccessfully attempting to be encouraging....
@@honaleri I don't know what you're talking about.
David said he feels a burden to help everyone, but I said he doesn't have to.
He said he felt like an imposter, but I said he's not.
My very wise grampa used to say "There have always been more good people than bad. We now know more bad people because there is more people in general. And bad people are usually louder, that's why you hear them more often"
@@honaleri then you misunderstood the comment, and video.
Hey stranger! Just played your demo of "We Harvest Shadows" of Steam and I am genuinly loving it. The premise is simple yet I found the introduction to be just the perfect mix between blissfull countrylife and creeping psychological horror. The ambiance and atmosphere was perfect. I wish I could leave a review, but lacking that i'll throw an informal up on our curator page instead. Hope it takes root and best of luck in all of your endeavors.
thank you for your honesty and for creating this video. Your experience has taught me so much.
Always bringing very good lessons. Thank you and good luck, David.
What a beatiful family! Take care.
I'm always interested in the psychology behind it all. Thanks for sharing so openly! When I watched your trailer I had to smirk, because you managed to package so much of yourself into your art! You're doing great!
"My business was worthless because I hadn't actually created a business; I had created a job. And no one wants to buy a job. ... I knew that I had to build a business that could work without me. Then I would have the type of business that had value when I wanted to sell it and move on. ... I wanted to build the business that I had always dreamed of and not some type of prison I had to go to every day."
- Mark Stoner
You've helped yourself and a lot of people (including myself). You don't owe anyone anything and you don't have to help anyone. Just keep being yourself and do what you want to do with your life. Wish you the best in life and may you grow from your trials and tribulations.
Who is Mark Stoner ?
OH MY GOD! That is my game 05:27 second one from the left (top row).
I'm crying. Thanks David.
You cannot imagine how proud you made me feel.
Hey David, glad to see you're back! I remember emailing you back in 2020 when I was launching my game on Xbox. I was really surprised you actually took the time to thoughtfully respond! I wish you well for your upcoming game announcement and hopefully that kind of feature can help stir up some publisher support. Good luck!
Mate.
All these people didn’t need your help.
They WANTED your help.
Maybe not particularly yours, just someone.
The first persons you must take care of it’s you, if you will not feel good, then no one around will.
I know I sound quite egoistic but anyway.
So, please don’t blame yourself.
There’s nothing for.
And thanks a lot for everything you’ve done bro!
Man I commend your courage making this video. You helped so many devs and that is all that matters. As Steve Jobs said you can't please everyone.
This video really touched me. I appreciate your vulnerability. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself with us.
Thank you for sharing. You are a great person, and I resonate with your experiences with content creation and others on the internet. I also took a long break from UA-cam for a few years to focus on myself and live in the moment with people I love, and always trying to strike a balance and find my way back online to create, something I do still have a love for.
But that sickness you described feeling when opening Unity or your mouth to record is something I can very much understand ❤
This video made me cry. I got married 4 months ago and it made me feel this need to stand beside my husband through his ups and down. I'm going to sign up for GDU this weekend after I get paid. I'm also an introvert who truly cares about people. I know what it's like to need to get off the internet. It can be overwhelming. I can tell you're a genuine person David.
I'm happy that you're okay David! Wishing the best for you!
That feeling of burn out and what's the point of it all is real. I've definitely been there before, but it's awesome to hear that you were able to get inspired again and return to wanting to really get back into your passion again.
I hope your project does take off and you can continue doing what you love, with a change in perspective that will work best to account for your mental health and creativity.
David, you have done so much good for this world, and it is important to remember that every bit makes a difference, and that you can’t help everyone. When you put those two things together, you can go with the mindset that you don’t need to reply to every email, and read every comment, but those that you do reply to, and those you do read, and those you do help, is enough, just the 5 emails you decide to reply to a day, are 5 peoples who you have impacted, it doesn’t need to be 500, because that eats away at you, and bears you down to a point where you need help, not everyone else. Everything you do it appreciated and is enough, you could never reply to an email again, or help out a customer, and you would still be a good person who has left their mark in the world and impacted many lives. You and what you do is always enough.
Good luck with your game. I for one look forward to it, and hopefully plan on becoming a customer.
listen bro, I am the kinda guy who stays away from India games (well, mostly) and absolutely would not touch a first person game (I suffered through RE7 and 8 because I love that franchise) BUT I played your demo...twice and I can't get it out of my head. It was THAT good. I can't control the outcome obviously but rest assured you found yourself a new fan. Loved the storytelling, the atmosphere and for once the horror was not cheap jumpscares.
I have learned a LOT from your cozy atmospheric game for my own upcoming open world game.
Bro All the best for your new game 💓and I hope it shatter the amazing records made by The First Tree.
I'm one of your GDU students. Your videos about development and your honest story about the other side of indie development helped me tremendously in making my own decisions about what kind of Indie Dev I wanted to be. In the end I choose to just focus on that what I love the most, creating games! So now I'm creating ROM hacks, don't receive a single penny for that, but loving every minute of it. I would like to thank you for the big role you played in finding my way. I'm sure there are a lot of people like me. People you've never spoken or directly communicated with, but that were inspired and helped by all the work you did. Thank you for that! I wish you and your family all the best David. Regardless of the financial success of your newest game, it will be all right!
People pleasing is no joke. I have family members that have that. Its a deep seeded issue. It can be a personal hell. Hope things keep getting better for you. Glad you have a great support network
Man you're an inspiration! You gave everything you had never feel bad because of it!
You're a good guy, David. Even better, you appear to be a great father, husband, and provider for your family.
The internet is one of the greatest examples of something being bipolar. It's allows for and brings out the best of humanity as well as the worst. I cannot imagine the pressure you felt after the success of your game and transitioning into UA-cam and course content. Humans are a social species, but the internet takes it to a level that we're not meant to handle.
You were brave enough to put yourself on here which is more than most of us can say, myself included. I am not a bridge, I assure you.
Best of luck with the new game and its upcoming reveal. No matter the outcome, know that, "ya done good." You made an indie game that inspired many people, as players and developers alike. You provided for your family while taking on risky work that might not pay off. It's courageous and inspiring. There are people in the industry today who would not be there had they not experienced your content.
Thank you for what you've done over the years. Best of luck to you going forward.
Thank you for posting something very similar to what I'd like to say.
We may not know how to best handle the internet just yet, but people like you making choices like you did posting this comment will help make it better. Bless you
@@joevroh same
As a fellow UA-camr who has also faced similar things, and who have been tripping the rift of a burnout for some time now, I feel this video deeply. I decided to take a step away from basically all of my social media, I stopped creating videos, I just could not take it any more. It's easy to think just to ignore all the haters, all the people being mean, but from what it sounds you're a similar mind as me, it's nigh impossible not to have those comments chip away at an already low self esteem even further. Thank you for being so brutally honest, and best wishes for the future. Do what makes you happy, even if it includes hard work, even if it includes thinking about money, having passion for what you do will hopefully help with keeping burnout away. Looking forward to hearing more about your new project, best of luck in Germany!
The fact that you are successful does not mean that you owe us anything, being famous is particularly stressful and difficult because the temptation and stimulation are so great all the time, "never too high, never too low" is a motto that I really like to find an inner balance, I suggest reading Books on the subject, it helped me a lot.
Your new game is AMAZING! I am so, so happy to see this part of your journey.
Wow. I'm sorry to hear what you have gone through. But very happy you have come back stronger. Thank you for everything you have done.
You are good man David. Congratulations on all your achivements and most importantly your beautiful family.
So great to hear from you David! Thank you for being honest with your struggles, its really comforting to know that even successful people like yourself deal with a lot of the same anxieties as someone like me.
I hope your game succeeds, and I wish you the best of luck with it! Looking forward to seeing you create more awesome games throughout the year.
David, You inspired me to make games. When I watched your first GDU vid, it inspired me to start making video games. I started teaching myself unity at the age of 12. Now I'm 14 and I already got a job to make a game which is directed by a friend I met on the lethal company discord server. Life hits u hard sometimes. What matters is not giving up.
Thx,
Xindicate
Thank you so much for sharing your intimate story and hardships!
From someone aspiring to become a gamedev on the fence with a similar personality and fears, it's disheartening but also comforting to know that it's not impossible..
Wish you the best of luck on your endeavors, and much love wherever life takes you David
Ah David, we’re so lucky to have a video like this from you. I relate so strongly to so much of your experience - except I make graphic novels. I can’t wait to see your new game, and thank you so much for sharing all this with us
Thank you for making this video.
As someone who went down the same path, you’re right to put yourself and your life first. You don’t owe anyone anything.
Thank you David for being you and bringing us all the amazing stuff you have. Thank you for being yourself and for being real. I look forward to seeing what you create, as it’s ready. No rush.
Yo, dude. This hit me in a big way. I've been struggling with impostor syndrome hard since Covid. I hope you're in a better headspace now. I wish I could give you a hug.
Please read this David :) : I first love your humility then the rest. You've a GOOD BIG HEART David! And remember no matter what you do, you'll never satisfy everyone and it's fine bro :) that's life. Just be content of the good you bring to grateful people. Stay firm to your humility and great heart and keep spreading good around you as it always pay off but REMEMBER your well-being and family always come first. Good vibes to you bro ❤
You are a great storyteller, and amazing teacher, and a great game maker! Don't sell yourself short! If haters show up it means you made it! Life is about feeling it ALL! Goodluck at your launch! Can't wait to play and hopefully learn about these new mechanics on GDU!
Tank you for this video and all you have done. Wish you all the best!! I bought your couse a long time ago, I am very slow but I just enjoy the moment,it could take me 5, 10 or 20 years, as a hobby to change mind from job, fun comes first.
David, thank you for taking the time to be vulnerable and sharing your struggles. Art, livihood, dreams, and the fabric of human experience is struggle we can all relate to. It's hard being human, especially when dedicating thousands of hours to our game development craft. Have a great Gamescom!
I'm happy that you're at a happier place. Please remember, you don't owe us anything. Super happy to hear you're focusing on yourself, as we all should a little more. It's okay to be selfish at times and think for yourself rather than others. I'm looking forward to what you have in store and remember whatever happens at the end there were people supporting you.
David! Its so great to see you again! I think many people including myself relate with your struggles. I definitely feel like I have people pleasing tendencies too. So many people are in pain these days. Especially those in hate mail. But you should only help with what is within your capacity. We can't help everyone. I think most people don't understand is the art we make comes from deep within, and I feel like these experiences forces us to deal with our issues. Proud of you man, excited to see your game at gamescon!
Hello Mr. Wehle. 👋 First of all, from my hole life experience, you are the only great mentor I had and game dev unlocked game me hope to succeed to be a game dev.
Without it, i would be lost forever. You saved me and i know many others are saved too. Which I thank you and even my mother thanks you for your course. We will be grateful forever.
I hope you will get well, take some rest, spends lots of time with your family and friends and i hope i will see more games from you in the future. Indeed, making games less than 2 years is the best option for all indie devs because of financial reasons.
And of course, every art is not everybodies cup of tea. The same with movies or music. But if you find fans that follows your work and support you. Thats the most amazing feeling.
I wish you well. Be strong. You deserve all the best in life. Take care Mentor 💪🥰🍀 and congratz on your third game on Steam. 🎉🥳👏🎊 (most people would stop making games after the first one, so i see you have a great ambition💪)
Hey, I just wanted to listen to the soundtrack of "The first tree", then found this. I think you're a nice guy and a good dad. You cannot save and/or please everyone man. Even if we would all like to do so, it's kinda impossible. You do good on what do and what you did, just a relax it.
Hi David, you are truly amazing, I can not put in words how much you have helped me in my gamedev journey. I hope that one day you will reach a point where you can do what you love without this world sitting on your shoulders. Love Badger
I really liked watching your videos in past. Hope you will make such videos from now on as well 💕
Good to see you back David! You pop up in my mind all the time as I wonder how you are doing generally and with your new game. Looking forward to what you have in store
David, words can't capture the depth of my gratitude for the brilliance you bring into our lives. Your authenticity and creativity are nothing short of extraordinary. I eagerly await the magic you'll conjure next-take your time, because greatness is always worth the wait.
im so glad to see you back your the reason i got playmaker and now making my dream game
Hang in there man❤
U got this 🔥🔥
All the best David. I hope the new game works out! Your experience mirrors what a lot of people have experienced lately, you are not alone, but it sounds like you are on the right track.
Thank you David; it takes a lot to post a personal video like this. I wholeheartedly wish you every success, and looking forward to seeing what your new game is about!
Love seeing your return and can’t wait to see the new game!!!! Hope to see you and Thomas collab again in videos!
HE'S BACK!! love you and your work man. Keep doing what makes you happy and best of luck with the new project!
Glad you are back, hope you to sucessed this time and so on!
Thank you for your honest video
Telling us your gamedev journey. Have been following you for a while now. You can't always be selfless. You need to look after yourself too. Wishing you the best in this new game and future small games to come. :)
I love you, dude! Super real, raw and authentic video. Just keep being you. I think you're inspiring.
It's great that you've found the courage to be kinder to yourself. I really hope your game does well! Welcome back!
Thank you for sharing your story, good for you for focusing on your health & happiness. Balancing indie gamedev w/ a family especially is a very unique & difficult challenge. You're a good dude David.
So happy to see another video from you! I wish all the best for you!
Good luck at Gamesom! I wish you the best. I know all too well how rough the mental battle can be with game development, and I haven't even released anything yet! The part you said about being good with both options just speaks to how you've come to terms with what is good for you and your family. Wisdom and experience indeed. I hope this game does succeed. Because from an outsider perspective it looks like you genuinely care about what you do. But even if it doesn't, you deserve to be happy whether that's in the game industry or not.
Welcome back sir. An inspiration to many of us. Glad to see your return.
I bought your course and really found it very useful, I haven't finished a game yet as I've always struggled with an idea, but that said I will continue to try despite time not being on my side. Its ironic that trying to help so many people, you forgot to help you. Take care and I wish you all the best with your next game.
I'm sorry to hear about the struggles you've been through, but I'm glad things are getting better. Good luck with the new game, I will definitely be tuning into Gamescom later this month
Thanks again for GDU, you can be proud of this training and what has come out of it. Wild Dose, The Inspector, Farewell North which comes out in a few days and World's Worst Handyman which comes out in September, there are so many games that have been forged within GDU.
You gave us the impetus we needed to take the plunge and go for it.
Thanks for everything
Maxime
Thank you for making this video! A true story like this is much more inspiring to me than a fake one pretending that making games is all happiness and joy! I really hope that your next game makes success, and you keep making art, cause we're all here for that!
Just the video I needed, glad you posted a video of this message, and will pre-order the sec its avail!
Take care man, youre doing great!! Mental health is no joke 🙏🏻
Thank you for giving us so much inspiration
Just keep up, man. I've been a few months trying to remember your game. I showed it to my daughter some time back and was trying to get back to it. I'm glad you are better.
David you helped me a lot during my game dev career. The First Tree is a great game that I always recommend to anyone who is interested in making games. You inspire us! As you were there for us, we are here for you! Don't give up your dreams. Wish you the best!
Hey man, don’t feel down.
Creativity is everywhere, If! You look for the things and ppl you can add in ur imagination and change them into something new.
Thanks for making this video David, you're a good person. If you made an anime / movie about your life after the success of The First Tree, I'd watch it. All the best!
Delighted to see you back David! I'm excited to hear about your new game, I wish you all the best, and I hope you get to make smaller games to follow. I think the industry needs more small creative ideas, especially with how many games are made these days. I honestly believe that's the way to go as indie developers, it's those smaller, more unique experiences from individual artists that not only inspire more creativity, but also give gamers refreshing new stories to engage with while respecting their time. It's a win-win in so many ways.
Thanks for baring your soul in that video, it must have been hard to make. "Setting myself on fire to keep everyone warm" is a phrase I really identify with after I had a similar burnout a few years ago. I really hope you rediscover the passion for creating that you had at the beginning. Best of luck with the new game, and with Gamescom.
Best of luck with the rest of development! I'm looking forward to the game's announcement!
you helped me a lot brother , i wouldn't be so motivated about making games if not for you , you inspired me and many other developers to chase their dreams , but I understand if you might feel like leaving the industry , good luck on the new game , I hope it succeeds ...........
Here to support you, Thank you for everything you have done :)
I'm a pretty young guy and I've only been doing game dev for a few years but I've always struggled with the exact things you talk about, as far as being a "textbook people pleaser" and problems with imposter syndrome. It was so encouraging to hear that I'm not alone in the way that I feel about my skills and capabilities. Thanks for being so open.
Bro All the best for your new game
We all excited to hear about it
Hi David, like with most I really hope you read this one, because I hope it might offer some insight, as well as support.
That said, prepare for a novel. Because I've been considering this one.
First off let me say, that you have my support out the gate, I have no issue with anything you've produced, including the courses and related content you put out in to the world. The hate comments I can only imagine, when you hit moderate fame are awful, and I've seen it on multiple scales and almost invariably it has led to sadness and in extreme cases tragedy. So first off, let me say that I'm glad you're doing ok, I'm sorry the internet was rough with you, because it is rough and I'm really glad that you had the self awareness to take some time out and re-centre on things that actually matter in your universe. Family etc. I really hope that you're in a better place. I know if i had been in your shoes I'd have reacted in a very similar way, so I can empathise with the plight.
That said, I want to offer some opinion. Only the the tune of I hope it helps you perhaps in future positively manipulate your viewership better than last time. I'm a coder, and a game enthusiast. I've been professionally coding for 20+ years at this point, which is terrifying because it means I'm old as all hell. But I've had this passion for game dev for many many years and I track and follow a great number of content creators on the subject on youtube. Mostly for inspiration and entertainment truth me told, and you were part of that following.
I found myself becoming disenchanted with your content in comparison to other creators/developers in the space as you posted things over the years, despite being initially very much engaged with what you were putting out there. And to me there was an obvious divide between the kind of content you were producing and that of other creators. Perhaps your greater experience / success led you to produce content with a particular direction or goal. But for me it didn't hit home. I felt that my time was being used in a particular way, that you were capitalising on the success of your title with repeated name-dropping to that effect in order to sell the content of the video. A lot of the time I felt like this was the main draw of the video, regardless of the content and I probably disengaged with it due to the feelings of you attempting to capitalise on success/notoriety over quality of production.
Now, please forgive me the frankness, because I want to make one thing very very clear to you, and all who watch you. I think you're a good guy. I think you've been genuine hard working and trying to make the most out of your successes and work that you can. I have absolutely no problem with that. I mention my feelings towards the nature of your content simply to provide some context perhaps as to why you have such a notable negative response.
I do not condone that behaviour, nor do i think it a reasonable response to your content or effort. But I do in part understand why people took a negative view on to the things you were producing. Because I felt the same. I didn't verbalise it through hate or jealousy like a lot of the people you had to deal with seemed to have done. I'm a little older and I might hope a little more in control of my faculties than some of the internet. However I think the nature of your content felt clickbaity, coasting on previous successes, and perhaps a little arrogant and I think that was a big contributor to the negative backlash that you seen.
I want to re-iterate that I have no issue with what you've produced or the goals you had in mind when you did it. I think perhaps you could have been a bit less markety, perhaps a bit more grounded, and I think people might have been more accepting of the content in the long term.
I really don't want this to be a negative response, I just wanted to share some perspective because I resonated with the people who fell out with your content, even though I don't agree with the backlash you've had to deal with.
Despite this, you remain an inspiration to me, and many others. I too dream of producing something i can share with the world and finding success in the same effort. I wish you all the very best with the next endeavour, I will be watching this space with anticipation, and wishing you all successes. Good luck mate, I hope it's a winner.
Cheering for you
I am glad to see you're back David. All the best for your project
Such a heart-warming video, David! Let me tell you that you were missed by many of us. And I love your voice and cinematic storytelling. You're a great creator, and I'm just happy to be here, even in a censored country like Russia with the barely working UA-cam, to be able to watch your videos and learn a bit from you.
Thank you, and keep working on this new game of yours! It will be mind-blowing, I bet, like Elden Ring was.
Good luck in Germany!
Really look forward to your game! Day one purchase for me. Your honesty in your work is why you're my fav game dev.
I cannot thank you enough for sharing this story. It is hard for people, including game developers, to fully grasp and articulate the emotional weight of feeling like a failure during burnout. The intense feeling of being rejected is difficult to manage as our personal growth relies heavily on feedback, opening the possibility of receiving reactions that are not intended to help us in any way.
OMG although this is the first time I watched your videos and knowing about your work,
Your work is amazing and you're such a kind person!!
Don't let the hate in, you are AMAZING and I wish the best for you
You're good man David. pray you rock in your finished game. can't wait to celebrate with you
The demo for your new game was amazing and seems to do well, so hopefully you got yourself one more succesful project
Hang in there bud, thank you for everything. Do what feels right to you and follow your heart -- wherever that takes you.
Bro, I'm 32 years old, and I've been living this way my entire life. It's been helpful for me as an artist. I never expect to retire. Don't set an endpoint in your life because the moment you start thinking about that point-whether it's a day, a month, a year, or even years away-that expectation will prevent you from living in the present. If you're feeling a bit happy now, or there's some joy in your family, consider that your whole happiness. Surround yourself with positivity, and of course, more positivity will follow. :) Wishing you all the best. I genuinely want to help if you need it. :)
Mate what an incredible video. Big respect for being vulnerable and I really hope you're feeling better. Much love!
Glad to have you back! Wishing you the absolute best at gamescon!
Just watched the trailer for the new game. Looks awesome! Can’t wait to see more. Wish listed!
David I am glad to see you are back talking about this I am learn Ureal trying to make games always feel overwhelmed like I am not smart enough or just have tons of self doubt that I will ever be able to learn how to code and build anything that people would want to play my game and to me knowing a person who has successfully created a game that did so well makes me a ware that I am being overly critical of my aspirations to be a Game dev and that all we can do is make the best game we can make and people will love what we did or they won't and we cannot not change that also keep in mind you have bright smiling faces and loving wife that love you no matter what you do
David, thank you for your hard work. You inspired me to start making my own game. I recognize myself in you, I think we are very similar, we love to create. When you disappeared from UA-cam, I was saddened, trying to find out where you had gone. And I was very happy when I received an email from you. I'm really looking forward to your new game and I hope it will bring success and the opportunity to move on!
Amazingly honest video. All the best with the new launch!
You are worthy. You are valued. You are…human. We’ll all get there eventually. Some of us take longer than others. Some win. Some lose. Some don’t even get off the ground. But thanks to you…and a lot of other indie creators, there is hope. Thank you. 🙏
Am very happy to see you back on UA-cam ,good luck with your game
you are one of the reason why I want to be GAME DEV
I am still learning it.
@david wehle it takes alot of courage to put yourself out there. I commend your attitude and your willingness to share your passion with the world. I pray for success and offer my encouragement and support.
David, your friends are wrong. The demo was great and I can't wait to play the full version. Keep your head up and stay positive.