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Jesse Schell (an expert game designer) said in a book that most essential skill for a game designer is ability to LISTEN which not necessarily means to hear physically but your emotional perception of ideas and syncing those ideas to people's minds to form FUN experiences
Your timing is remarkable on this subject matter. A week ago I lost my big brother. Aside from all the conflict and emotions that come from that, I found a game idea I have been sitting on for years suddenly had congealed in my mind. The simple concept began to take shape and meaning. It's weird to say that his death motivated this idea but that's exactly what happened. "Don't pray for an easy life but the strength to endure a difficult one".
Thomas, you have no idea how much the things you said resonate with me. I love that even though the topic of the video is related to Game Development, it is still so personal and raw. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I appreciate it a lot. Much love!
I completely understand where you're coming from with this. As an artist, I often realize that the more I feel the better my work becomes and I used to believe it only came from a place of pain or sorrow but I recently found not to be so true. I found that any sort of strong emotion whether pain, depression, happiness, sadness, disgust, love, etc is good enough so long as that emotion is an intense version of that feeling. So maybe instead of looking for intense pain, look to find ways to have intense joy or try to conquer a fear of yours. I noticed whenever I go on vacations in new strange places I often comeback bursting with new ideas.
I'm in the process of learning coding in C# and have experience 3D modeling and level design. I always been fascinated by how games work. Watching what you do inspires me. Thank you for uploading your videos.
Breaking the shell brings you different mindset to stabilize, causing new cells open inside your mind. That's the birth place of creativity. Thomas, I have been watching your videos since long time. But, more than informative, somehow this one is one of the most inspiring videos I've ever seen in your playlist. For me, except point 5, every other point is true !! Thanks Thomas !!
Thomas, idk how much you enjoy making these types of video, or how much work they take, but these sort of taking head videos of yours are my favorite! It's I guess relaxing or something to just hear you casually talk about what you think about something
I decided to listen to this in bed one night, and it was very helpful whilst also quite calming at the same time. I recon you would make a great podcast.
I feel like getting older gives me more game ideas, especially with all the experiences you have outside of a younger persons life (I.e. having kids, working to pay bills etc.) I just feel that expressing those ideas to a good game is harder. There feels to be a disconnect from your imagination to reality whereas when you are younger it seems like it's a lot more connected.
For content that you usually don't view you could go on tubi or Netflix and click a random movie that you wouldn't normally watch. Choose a letter or a word to randomly select a film and just jump to a random scene, write down a few emotions, descriptions of what you liked of the characters..and even schematic angles that you find interesting...try to guess the plot or what will happen next or the goal of the characters in the scene and write a few things down then jump to another scene. If you do this a few times you will surely find something that's interesting that you would have not thought of otherwise.
This is spot on. For reasons I wont go into, these past few months have been arguably the most emotionally painful months of my life, but I'm also *BY FAR* the most creative I've ever been. Didn't really notice before, and its kind of comforting thinking that something is actually coming out of this pain.
There is a fine line though, often when people have too many ideas it makes it hard to see a project to through to completion before moving on to the next one.
In Finland we gamedevs have this secret word called "Parastaa" (a combination of "Paras" an "Varastaa") meaning something like: "Steal and Make it better" or "Embrace and Extend". Just steal an idea and make it better
I find the best inspiration is old movies and going to trips to small villages rich in history, like the Yucatan Peninsula. Chris Crawford, from Atari, also pointed out museums with rare finds and reading greek and nordic mythology. I get those ideas then look for a way to bring about a struggle. Most compelling games I enjoy involved the main character having to face a struggle from within and if the game entangles that and explores the idea, so does the player. Just my thoughts on this.
#1 - Change your environment #2 - THROW OUT ALL OF YOUR PLANS #3 - FIND EMOTIONAL TURMOIL #4 - GO DO SOMETHING TERRIFYING #5 - TALK TO SOMEONE YOU TRUST #6 - CONSUME UNFAMILIAR CONTENT
4:00 I've noticed this with myself as well. I made a lot of money from 25-34 and I stopped keeping up with my coding skills, marketing skills, and financial tracking and basically found myself in turmoil and living off of the savings I had built up. But after a year or two of spinning my wheels I'm starting to feel like I understand what I need to do to start working like I used to. I'm working out and updating my skillset to what today's marketplace likes and looking to do what I did before (find a unique way to drive a lot of traffic to a profitable service/software/game/etc) except in a better industry/niche that I resonate with more.
Its not that the older you get the harder the ideas are to come by... its that as you get older, you realize that you can calculate just how many games you likely have left in you..
I think your thesis may be a little off (not entirely - I partially agree). Consider that rather than being "too comfortable" and having to force yourself to snap out of that zone, it sounds more like your body is already telling you that you're feeling "uncomfortable" with the situation and prompting you to do something more creative as a way to get back to your creative zone. As someone who is both analytical and creative (in different ways) myself I think creativity does become an urge the builds up over time until you just feel the need to build things. Where I do agree with you is that it takes experience in order to relate to others, and also more experience gives you more material for your creativity to work with. Creativity is sometimes a matter of combining the abstract with the familiar or combining different concepts or things that you haven't put together before. New material and new experience definitely helps with that. But like all things creativity I wouldn't rush it or pressure yourself unnecessarily. At the same time life is short and we do need to resist the desire to do nothing (doing nothing can be good in small doses but too much of anything is usually bad). Just my 2c. I really liked the personal vibe of this video. That's brave to put this stuff out there.
Hey Thomas, funny my friend and I were both talking about you earlier today and then I found this video. He was saying the pressure is what helped you to complete Once Upon a Coma and looks like he was right. Personally, I don't think you need to remain in turmoil, you just need to find a new driving force. You're used to the pressure or turmoil being what pushes you to work hard, but there are other ways you can be inspired. Good to hear you coming up with some ways to do this though. Thanks for sharing :)
Most of my favorite games came out in the 80s and 90s too! I feel like a lot of interesting mechanics got left out of games due to storage and other restrictions of the time. I'm currently workin on an acrobatic 2d platformer hoping to create the kind of game that I always wanted to play as a kid...
Michael Jordan used to make up stories about his opponents saying stuff about him in order to create conflict and stay on top of his game. You always need challenges, pressure and conflict in order to be at your best but it's better to create that conflict yourself rather than put yourself in a shitty situation just to feel motivated. Great video, stay safe and keep making games!
I'm wondering if what you said about suffering leading to creativity is true or not. It's also possible that if you're used to create content that resonates with your suffering, once your quality of life improves, the themes and ideas you used to work with don't resonate with you anymore. I'm wondering if your creativity would come back if you tried to go toward a different direction, replacing your usual somber tones towards something a bit more vibrant and fun (or whatever resonates with how you're feeling nowadays)? Of course, changing directions like that can break your brand if you have one (though gradual change might help), but I think it makes sense to be less inspired by themes and atmospheres that you don't relate to as much anymore
Great insight! While I believe that compliance definitely brings decline (in everything not just games), you don't have to be unhappy, or somber or be in turmoil to be able to challenge yourself. You can be happy get ideas from your happiness and work with that. Yes they might be different, and "feel" different than your other games, but honestly who would rather be miserable just so they can stay "on brand"
Thank you for the inspiration. I think i just got an idea of my future game. I was questioned how can i apply everything you said being completely noob in game development... But i think i found a soultion. I think it would be not a game even, but interactive and abstract story.
Summary of this video *Expression comes through experience so experience as much as you can *Hard experiences always last more and have more impact on you *Share your experiences to people you trust and appreciate Wish you all the best
The story that your heart wants to tell can be told in many ways. Dying inside because of self doubt could be the expression you want to present. Your idea sounds like a metaphor for you not enjoying the business side of your work as much. That longing to hit restart when things felt new on this journey. We all have that. Your first thought may not always be your best one for the public or the publisher but you can still tell the story you want to tell without it being exactly what comes to mind. If it has to be grim and dark in your opinion and you want to push the create envelope...You could always make a film with blender rather than a game that people may enjoy or seek out a publisher that is known to do dark content. It's your project at the end of the day but there's nothing wrong with a bit of pivoting as long as the concept and emotional feeling you are trying to convey with your work gets expressed..that's all that really matters.. I think sometimes we get caught up in our ideas and end up down a narrow path creativity..Read graphic novels,comics or look at different types of artwork for inspiration and you may find that your experience creates a better story than your heart could ever do alone. I really enjoyed listening to your advice in this video and I just thought I'd offer some of my own. Take care.
I making a custom game called London horror I don't know when it is gonna release but the poster is cool you can see the player holding a lantern in a village and you can see Big Ben from a distance and it has giant spider legs and if you look closely you can see a bunch of people climbing Big Ben with clocks as faces called clockworks
WHOA. My next game Neversong comes out on Steam MAY 20th! Wishlist now to snag that tasty launch discount :) store.steampowered.com/app/733210/Neversong_formerly_Once_Upon_A_Coma/
@Wumixe Bruh, I don’t want to know what your problem is but it seems serious. Maybe go talk to a specialist. Normal people don’t piss on others like this.
Hey thomas! Im a 13yo from Georgia and i recently started working on a new game, i have most of the code already made, but i cant seem to come up with an art style and i just wanted to ask you, are there any tips on how to understand what art is right for your game? Thanks
Hi Thomas, I'm also Thomas, Why don't you start a game design school? You are having a creativity block, don't fight it.enjoy life and get comfortable, slowly you will begin to fall behind peers, That should give you a challenge, you are feeling block because you have achieved your goals.what you need to do is raise the stakes. Game design course is one idea. Another idea is to scale up your game,in terms of graphics, scope and the number of people involved,ie become a game producer.🤷
There was a story about a Prince who whose life was always filled to Beauty , pleasure and Happiness who finally experienced the world of those who aren't as wealthy as his
Hello Thomas I'm just starting game development full time, been dabbling in some for a few years now. Quick Question: What is your personality type?I think we think very similarly. The way you explain things, talk about the emotional impact of things in the real world and how it translates to games. Im 24. It looks like I will grow up to be just like you :)
Why make him an unrelatable businessman? Why not the CEO at a toy company... or a game company? I feel like you can find the best of both worlds here and create a story that's more relatable to the end user without abandoning the story you want to tell...
Developer Person My thoughts exactly: in Thomas’ how to keep working on your game, he says that you (and the player) should have an emotional bond with the protagonist. And now he tells us to not make him relatable?
Hey tomas, I've been a software developer for years but never a game designer. Putting my creativity to work and doubting myself I'm able to make something believeable or good enough even to me is what causes me the most disconfort. Do you think I can use that in my benefit somehow?
You should start asking BIG questions in games too. Because most games are more of the same. Can we solve big issues of our time or solve philosophical questions. So what about a new economy game, where we have a financial system that rewards doing good for the world, rather than plunder of natural resources. Or a game that deepens levels of contact with nature, so you hear danger coming sooner, or (literally) see or hear more. Or meaning of life: you play a player who can enter virtual worlds, where he must build real world connections with others players. Like how to befriend a fellow player in a FPS or a MMORPG etc? (by the way, just is just starters ideas listening to you. But then I'm a professional creative thinker and much older ;) Or as you do, observe how you live yourself. Make a game where a career kid has to choose all the time between pleasing your boss or follow his own guts. And that in a climate of repression, so losing your job looms on one side, and on the other looms depression. And you as maker and me as player can find a way out. :)
I have the idea down sort of, i want to create a 2d side scroller relaxing pixel art walking sim, basically. Problem is, that sounds so relaxing that it'll put the players to sleep lmao... How do i not make it boring? Would really appreciate suggestions/advice!
Haha I actually find that my work gets better only when I am very angry and pissed. Best work comes out when there is an asshole in the office trying to belittle me. That way I can prove him wrong by doing great work and really nailing him in.
I’m hear because I just finished “Neversong”. Bravo👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 Missing 5 cards though... 🤔 considering I was ever diligent I’m quit surprised. Every thing from back tracking from one end of game to the entire other end, emerald keys, to sitting through an entire “play through” 😆 of Coma. Gunna dig back in. Congrats on the launch. Game is beautiful.
I spend years trying to make project, learned how to use SFML, learned how to use monogame, opengl, how to make my own engine I never finished. Recently learned how to use a game engine. Pixel art, blender... Years and years since im 16 (32 soon now) that im trying to finish one game. But no idea stook with me, they all feel blend and boring. I cant find an idea that make me want to actually make the game. It all feels meh. Now Im burn out and lost. Lot of skills learned, no ideas and no game finished. Right now im staring at a blank page trying to list ideas... I may be done. Sad I couldnt make one game. (besides the one I did back in the day to train myself, copy of pong, pacman etc...) Maybe this is the end of my indie dev journey that never truly started. I guess all those skills will now belong in the trash. I hate my lack of creativity. I consume contents yet my brain doesnt seem to do sh.t of it. This is just sad at this point.
Can you make a video on possesses to go through in game making please i need help i already have a story for my game but no idea where to start please help.... 😥😥😥😥
"Consuming content" is not necessarily a good idea. I would say "learning about art" is better, wether it's films, paintings, video games, litterature (books are not technically art, but whatever). Great artists are an amazing source of inspiration. So better than watching netflix: go to museums, learn about cinema history (the most inspiring films are almost never the most entertaining - entertainment is the enemy of inspiration, it makes your brain very passive) and play all sorts of video games, especially indies.
Thomas, over a number of videos you have looked lost and a little sad. I think you need to change direction on the game environment. At 11:00 you talk about a new game idea where it starts off with a man jumping off a building. Okay fine, but just look back at your other games and the themes they address. Pinstripe is about a husband who has lost his wife and now has lost his daughter and needs to find her and get her back, seemingly from hell. But if anyone has played the game, you will know what really happened. Great ending. Neversong about a boy who wakes up from a coma and needs to find his girlfriend, which leads him to an asylum, Blackfork Asylum. All very dark themes, even your studio you do your youtube videos from is dark and moody. Their is absolutely nothing wrong, but to much of a dark theme can be a little depressing. We all have our own likes and dislikes, but maybe bring some light into your room or stories, not death or darkness. Just a concerned subscriber. This may not be so important, but to get ideas read uplifting stories, or children’s stories. Autobiographies, or even look back at your own childhood, which I often do, and many stories have formed for me that way. The latest one I am now developing into a game, credit goes to you watching your videos. Anyway, keep a stiff upper lip, drink plenty of tea and open up those bloody curtains and let some light in :-) Have fun!
I agree with you Thomas sell a game that comes from your heart rather then a quick product that sells and possibly sells good and\or bad but it felt like a product and not a masterpiece. Honestly when your dedicated and care that much about your games I think that would be cruel to steal you away from the story you want to tell. Your games are mysterious and gripping I'm planning on tryinging them out. Thanks for inspiring content as always! XD
I have some ideas that I could sell to you . Some of my ideas are not full game ideas . Some of them are mechanical. We should talk . I am getting into game design slowly but surely. I would love to see some of my ideas come to life.
To have ideas for Games be GOOD and LOVE!!! :D And use that imagiantion The Universe!!! :D She already is create the most aweosme and beautiful things!!! :D
Ok. 5 minutes in and I already going to click away. I can't stomach this. This is why; My life's shit. It always has been. Lately I've been doing better than ever, honestly. I am happy. For the first time in a very VERY LONG WHILE! Yet, I am the most creative in a long while. Telling people that misery=creativity is irresponsible and horrible. That's not AT ALL how it works! What gives you creativity is being expossed to many forms of media! Watching movies, playing games, listening to music! Exercise that creative muscle, do some work! Guys, art IS NOT suffering nor vice-versa. That's such a 1800's way to see it and SUPER DAMAGING. If you're happy and wholesome and having a great time, ENJOY THAT SHIT. Be happy, enjoy your relationship, enjoy your life. Creativity comes from within, from ALL your experiences, NOT FROM from your bad experiences!
Thanks for watching! Hope you learned a ton.
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I have an awesome idea for a game.... Its possibly. World changing \
Thomas your hat is stupid. There you go... creativity++
@Ben S Black You are right!... c#--;
Man creativity level 1000
This made me laugh so hard. lol
Jesse Schell (an expert game designer) said in a book that most essential skill for a game designer is ability to LISTEN which not necessarily means to hear physically but your emotional perception of ideas and syncing those ideas to people's minds to form FUN experiences
are ya talking bout the book of lenses if so I read through that book and loved it. lot of great tips on there.
14:55 "What is the last thing you wanna do right now, go do that thing."
*Jumps off a 20 story building*
Haha same !
Nice profile pic.
How else do you think fall guys come to be?
Surprised this comment isn't mine
Your timing is remarkable on this subject matter. A week ago I lost my big brother. Aside from all the conflict and emotions that come from that, I found a game idea I have been sitting on for years suddenly had congealed in my mind. The simple concept began to take shape and meaning. It's weird to say that his death motivated this idea but that's exactly what happened. "Don't pray for an easy life but the strength to endure a difficult one".
that is deep bro, sorry for ur loss
Sorry for your loss man.
I'm sorry for your loss, we're all gonna make it.
Thomas, you have no idea how much the things you said resonate with me. I love that even though the topic of the video is related to Game Development, it is still so personal and raw.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I appreciate it a lot. Much love!
I completely understand where you're coming from with this. As an artist, I often realize that the more I feel the better my work becomes and I used to believe it only came from a place of pain or sorrow but I recently found not to be so true. I found that any sort of strong emotion whether pain, depression, happiness, sadness, disgust, love, etc is good enough so long as that emotion is an intense version of that feeling.
So maybe instead of looking for intense pain, look to find ways to have intense joy or try to conquer a fear of yours. I noticed whenever I go on vacations in new strange places I often comeback bursting with new ideas.
I'm in the process of learning coding in C# and have experience 3D modeling and level design. I always been fascinated by how games work. Watching what you do inspires me. Thank you for uploading your videos.
@IlikeMakingGames How are you going with c# learning so far? What resources would you recommend for me to start learning?
It's nice to get a bit of your deeper thoughts. Resonates here
This actually helped a lot. Thank very much for your help. You've been guiding me with your knowledge for 2 years now. Thank so much! Stay safe
Thomas has become my humble game dev sherpa over the last year or so!
Breaking the shell brings you different mindset to stabilize, causing new cells open inside your mind. That's the birth place of creativity.
Thomas, I have been watching your videos since long time. But, more than informative, somehow this one is one of the most inspiring videos I've ever seen in your playlist.
For me, except point 5, every other point is true !!
Thanks Thomas !!
Thomas, idk how much you enjoy making these types of video, or how much work they take, but these sort of taking head videos of yours are my favorite! It's I guess relaxing or something to just hear you casually talk about what you think about something
I decided to listen to this in bed one night, and it was very helpful whilst also quite calming at the same time. I recon you would make a great podcast.
I feel like getting older gives me more game ideas, especially with all the experiences you have outside of a younger persons life (I.e. having kids, working to pay bills etc.) I just feel that expressing those ideas to a good game is harder. There feels to be a disconnect from your imagination to reality whereas when you are younger it seems like it's a lot more connected.
Exactly what I needed past couple days thx Tom
For content that you usually don't view you could go on tubi or Netflix and click a random movie that you wouldn't normally watch. Choose a letter or a word to randomly select a film and just jump to a random scene, write down a few emotions, descriptions of what you liked of the characters..and even schematic angles that you find interesting...try to guess the plot or what will happen next or the goal of the characters in the scene and write a few things down then jump to another scene. If you do this a few times you will surely find something that's interesting that you would have not thought of otherwise.
This is spot on. For reasons I wont go into, these past few months have been arguably the most emotionally painful months of my life, but I'm also *BY FAR* the most creative I've ever been. Didn't really notice before, and its kind of comforting thinking that something is actually coming out of this pain.
yeah, when I feel emotional I usually do more work.
There is a fine line though, often when people have too many ideas it makes it hard to see a project to through to completion before moving on to the next one.
Same with me, I have too many ideas for a game.
I just wanted to come up with an idea for my game, and now I have existential dread. Thanks Thomas!
i agree going for a walk and getting out of your office/away from computer definitely helps freshen up creativity.
In Finland we gamedevs have this secret word called "Parastaa" (a combination of "Paras" an "Varastaa") meaning something like: "Steal and Make it better" or "Embrace and Extend". Just steal an idea and make it better
Good on you sticking to being you and creating your visions because you want to.
I find the best inspiration is old movies and going to trips to small villages rich in history, like the Yucatan Peninsula. Chris Crawford, from Atari, also pointed out museums with rare finds and reading greek and nordic mythology. I get those ideas then look for a way to bring about a struggle. Most compelling games I enjoy involved the main character having to face a struggle from within and if the game entangles that and explores the idea, so does the player. Just my thoughts on this.
"Go do something terrifying!" 🧡👍🤓
#1 - Change your environment
#2 - THROW OUT ALL OF YOUR PLANS
#3 - FIND EMOTIONAL TURMOIL
#4 - GO DO SOMETHING TERRIFYING
#5 - TALK TO SOMEONE YOU TRUST
#6 - CONSUME UNFAMILIAR CONTENT
4:00 I've noticed this with myself as well. I made a lot of money from 25-34 and I stopped keeping up with my coding skills, marketing skills, and financial tracking and basically found myself in turmoil and living off of the savings I had built up. But after a year or two of spinning my wheels I'm starting to feel like I understand what I need to do to start working like I used to. I'm working out and updating my skillset to what today's marketplace likes and looking to do what I did before (find a unique way to drive a lot of traffic to a profitable service/software/game/etc) except in a better industry/niche that I resonate with more.
this is strangely therapeutic thank you!~
Its not that the older you get the harder the ideas are to come by... its that as you get older, you realize that you can calculate just how many games you likely have left in you..
I think your thesis may be a little off (not entirely - I partially agree). Consider that rather than being "too comfortable" and having to force yourself to snap out of that zone, it sounds more like your body is already telling you that you're feeling "uncomfortable" with the situation and prompting you to do something more creative as a way to get back to your creative zone. As someone who is both analytical and creative (in different ways) myself I think creativity does become an urge the builds up over time until you just feel the need to build things.
Where I do agree with you is that it takes experience in order to relate to others, and also more experience gives you more material for your creativity to work with. Creativity is sometimes a matter of combining the abstract with the familiar or combining different concepts or things that you haven't put together before. New material and new experience definitely helps with that. But like all things creativity I wouldn't rush it or pressure yourself unnecessarily. At the same time life is short and we do need to resist the desire to do nothing (doing nothing can be good in small doses but too much of anything is usually bad).
Just my 2c. I really liked the personal vibe of this video. That's brave to put this stuff out there.
Hey Thomas, funny my friend and I were both talking about you earlier today and then I found this video. He was saying the pressure is what helped you to complete Once Upon a Coma and looks like he was right. Personally, I don't think you need to remain in turmoil, you just need to find a new driving force. You're used to the pressure or turmoil being what pushes you to work hard, but there are other ways you can be inspired. Good to hear you coming up with some ways to do this though. Thanks for sharing :)
Your thesis is why I’m working out because I wake up in the morning and my whole body is in constant pain and I still see very little gains
I get all my ideas by remembering old games from the 90s' or 80s'. It's just sad being invisible to the world.
Most of my favorite games came out in the 80s and 90s too! I feel like a lot of interesting mechanics got left out of games due to storage and other restrictions of the time. I'm currently workin on an acrobatic 2d platformer hoping to create the kind of game that I always wanted to play as a kid...
14:39 jumps out of a plane with Norman Reedus
Relate very well to the getting out of your bubble. I go for more walks now, getting away from the pc for a bit. Really helps :)
Michael Jordan used to make up stories about his opponents saying stuff about him in order to create conflict and stay on top of his game. You always need challenges, pressure and conflict in order to be at your best but it's better to create that conflict yourself rather than put yourself in a shitty situation just to feel motivated. Great video, stay safe and keep making games!
I don't think you need to experience pain to be a good Creator, you just need to avoid becoming complacent.
I'm wondering if what you said about suffering leading to creativity is true or not. It's also possible that if you're used to create content that resonates with your suffering, once your quality of life improves, the themes and ideas you used to work with don't resonate with you anymore. I'm wondering if your creativity would come back if you tried to go toward a different direction, replacing your usual somber tones towards something a bit more vibrant and fun (or whatever resonates with how you're feeling nowadays)?
Of course, changing directions like that can break your brand if you have one (though gradual change might help), but I think it makes sense to be less inspired by themes and atmospheres that you don't relate to as much anymore
Great insight! While I believe that compliance definitely brings decline (in everything not just games), you don't have to be unhappy, or somber or be in turmoil to be able to challenge yourself. You can be happy get ideas from your happiness and work with that. Yes they might be different, and "feel" different than your other games, but honestly who would rather be miserable just so they can stay "on brand"
Thank you for the inspiration. I think i just got an idea of my future game. I was questioned how can i apply everything you said being completely noob in game development... But i think i found a soultion. I think it would be not a game even, but interactive and abstract story.
Great Video! Great Advice!
Summary of this video
*Expression comes through experience so experience as much as you can
*Hard experiences always last more and have more impact on you
*Share your experiences to people you trust and appreciate
Wish you all the best
Thomas, to me you'll always be Indie Game Jesus.
PS: Just became one of your followers in Patreon.
The story that your heart wants to tell can be told in many ways. Dying inside because of self doubt could be the expression you want to present. Your idea sounds like a metaphor for you not enjoying the business side of your work as much. That longing to hit restart when things felt new on this journey. We all have that. Your first thought may not always be your best one for the public or the publisher but you can still tell the story you want to tell without it being exactly what comes to mind. If it has to be grim and dark in your opinion and you want to push the create envelope...You could always make a film with blender rather than a game that people may enjoy or seek out a publisher that is known to do dark content. It's your project at the end of the day but there's nothing wrong with a bit of pivoting as long as the concept and emotional feeling you are trying to convey with your work gets expressed..that's all that really matters.. I think sometimes we get caught up in our ideas and end up down a narrow path creativity..Read graphic novels,comics or look at different types of artwork for inspiration and you may find that your experience creates a better story than your heart could ever do alone. I really enjoyed listening to your advice in this video and I just thought I'd offer some of my own. Take care.
It seem like your life is like a too easy game so you end up in the boredom zone, instead of in the flow channel
I love your ideas, dont cater to anyone but you! Yeah man! :D I'll be behind you.
The best video that I have ever .....
I respect this so much thank you Thomas for sharing I learnt a lot
Thanks for the honest and great tips!
I making a custom game called London horror I don't know when it is gonna release but the poster is cool you can see the player holding a lantern in a village and you can see Big Ben from a distance and it has giant spider legs and if you look closely you can see a bunch of people climbing Big Ben with clocks as faces called clockworks
WHOA. My next game Neversong comes out on Steam MAY 20th! Wishlist now to snag that tasty launch discount :) store.steampowered.com/app/733210/Neversong_formerly_Once_Upon_A_Coma/
Thanks for the video man. This was really helpful
I found this video in Unity's newsletter. How do I get Unity to promote my stuff 🤔?
@Wumixe Bruh, I don’t want to know what your problem is but it seems serious. Maybe go talk to a specialist. Normal people don’t piss on others like this.
Hey thomas! Im a 13yo from Georgia and i recently started working on a new game, i have most of the code already made, but i cant seem to come up with an art style and i just wanted to ask you, are there any tips on how to understand what art is right for your game? Thanks
Thomas brush Says" This video is brought to you by SquareSpace" Me forwards 1 mins XD
thank you really worthy material
Thank you.
Have the same problem. Thanks!
Ive currently been writing various games ideas down and fleshing them out.
Hi Thomas, I'm also Thomas,
Why don't you start a game design school?
You are having a creativity block, don't fight it.enjoy life and get comfortable, slowly you will begin to fall behind peers,
That should give you a challenge,
you are feeling block because you have achieved your goals.what you need to do is raise the stakes.
Game design course is one idea.
Another idea is to scale up your game,in terms of graphics, scope and the number of people involved,ie become a game producer.🤷
When I start my business I’m gonna need those ads Thomas
I know you didn't hurt my feelings, but somehow, my creativity went from 10% to at least 80% just by watching your video. Thanks Thomas.
Such a dark vibe today
There was a story about a Prince who whose life was always filled to Beauty , pleasure and Happiness who finally experienced the world of those who aren't as wealthy as his
Great video!
hahahah dude that last statement about not being able to consume content.. ON THE DOT to how i am
Hello Thomas I'm just starting game development full time, been dabbling in some for a few years now. Quick Question:
What is your personality type?I think we think very similarly. The way you explain things, talk about the emotional impact of things in the real world and how it translates to games. Im 24. It looks like I will grow up to be just like you :)
14:55 the last thing I wanna do right now is give up on making games...um...what now?
14:57 that thing for me represents maths
Why make him an unrelatable businessman? Why not the CEO at a toy company... or a game company? I feel like you can find the best of both worlds here and create a story that's more relatable to the end user without abandoning the story you want to tell...
Developer Person My thoughts exactly: in Thomas’ how to keep working on your game, he says that you (and the player) should have an emotional bond with the protagonist. And now he tells us to not make him relatable?
Hey tomas, I've been a software developer for years but never a game designer. Putting my creativity to work and doubting myself I'm able to make something believeable or good enough even to me is what causes me the most disconfort. Do you think I can use that in my benefit somehow?
Thx Tom you are awesome
You should start asking BIG questions in games too. Because most games are more of the same. Can we solve big issues of our time or solve philosophical questions. So what about a new economy game, where we have a financial system that rewards doing good for the world, rather than plunder of natural resources. Or a game that deepens levels of contact with nature, so you hear danger coming sooner, or (literally) see or hear more. Or meaning of life: you play a player who can enter virtual worlds, where he must build real world connections with others players. Like how to befriend a fellow player in a FPS or a MMORPG etc? (by the way, just is just starters ideas listening to you. But then I'm a professional creative thinker and much older ;) Or as you do, observe how you live yourself. Make a game where a career kid has to choose all the time between pleasing your boss or follow his own guts. And that in a climate of repression, so losing your job looms on one side, and on the other looms depression. And you as maker and me as player can find a way out. :)
I have the idea down sort of, i want to create a 2d side scroller relaxing pixel art walking sim, basically. Problem is, that sounds so relaxing that it'll put the players to sleep lmao...
How do i not make it boring?
Would really appreciate suggestions/advice!
AHH THANK YOU SIR I BEEN STRUGGLING LATELY
Haha I actually find that my work gets better only when I am very angry and pissed. Best work comes out when there is an asshole in the office trying to belittle me. That way I can prove him wrong by doing great work and really nailing him in.
Nobody
Tomas Brush: Go jump out of plane to came up with game ideas
great vid
I’m hear because I just finished “Neversong”.
Bravo👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Missing 5 cards though... 🤔 considering I was ever diligent I’m quit surprised. Every thing from back tracking from one end of game to the entire other end, emerald keys, to sitting through an entire “play through” 😆 of Coma. Gunna dig back in.
Congrats on the launch. Game is beautiful.
Just broaden your horizons by exploring tons of external stimuli
I spend years trying to make project, learned how to use SFML, learned how to use monogame, opengl, how to make my own engine I never finished. Recently learned how to use a game engine. Pixel art, blender... Years and years since im 16 (32 soon now) that im trying to finish one game.
But no idea stook with me, they all feel blend and boring. I cant find an idea that make me want to actually make the game. It all feels meh.
Now Im burn out and lost. Lot of skills learned, no ideas and no game finished.
Right now im staring at a blank page trying to list ideas... I may be done. Sad I couldnt make one game.
(besides the one I did back in the day to train myself, copy of pong, pacman etc...)
Maybe this is the end of my indie dev journey that never truly started. I guess all those skills will now belong in the trash.
I hate my lack of creativity. I consume contents yet my brain doesnt seem to do sh.t of it. This is just sad at this point.
hi
Can you make a video on possesses to go through in game making please i need help i already have a story for my game but no idea where to start please help.... 😥😥😥😥
"Consuming content" is not necessarily a good idea. I would say "learning about art" is better, wether it's films, paintings, video games, litterature (books are not technically art, but whatever). Great artists are an amazing source of inspiration. So better than watching netflix: go to museums, learn about cinema history (the most inspiring films are almost never the most entertaining - entertainment is the enemy of inspiration, it makes your brain very passive) and play all sorts of video games, especially indies.
I just had a great idea for a youtube video.. a youtube video about how to come up with ideas for youtube videos
Wow. I watched this 20 min video in under 3 minutes. So, you share your game ideas with your parents. Crickets.
People are creative in spite of their problems not because of them.
Thomas, over a number of videos you have looked lost and a little sad.
I think you need to change direction on the game environment.
At 11:00 you talk about a new game idea where it starts off with a man jumping off a building.
Okay fine, but just look back at your other games and the themes they address.
Pinstripe is about a husband who has lost his wife and now has lost his daughter and needs to find her and get her back, seemingly from hell. But if anyone has played the game, you will know what really happened. Great ending.
Neversong about a boy who wakes up from a coma and needs to find his girlfriend, which leads him to an asylum, Blackfork Asylum.
All very dark themes, even your studio you do your youtube videos from is dark and moody.
Their is absolutely nothing wrong, but to much of a dark theme can be a little depressing.
We all have our own likes and dislikes, but maybe bring some light into your room or stories, not death or darkness.
Just a concerned subscriber.
This may not be so important, but to get ideas read uplifting stories, or children’s stories. Autobiographies, or even look back at your own childhood, which I often do, and many stories have formed for me that way. The latest one I am now developing into a game, credit goes to you watching your videos.
Anyway, keep a stiff upper lip, drink plenty of tea and open up those bloody curtains and let some light in :-)
Have fun!
Where is music?
i got school to do so thats good enough
I agree with you Thomas sell a game that comes from your heart rather then a quick product that sells and possibly sells good and\or bad but it felt like a product and not a masterpiece. Honestly when your dedicated and care that much about your games I think that would be cruel to steal you away from the story you want to tell. Your games are mysterious and gripping I'm planning on tryinging them out. Thanks for inspiring content as always! XD
I like your vids.
how to come up with a good name for the game?
i Got the best ideas when im am at work lol.
you should dev a game based on history of the entire world i guess
I have some ideas that I could sell to you . Some of my ideas are not full game ideas . Some of them are mechanical. We should talk . I am getting into game design slowly but surely. I would love to see some of my ideas come to life.
I connected tips 3 and 4, because the last thing i want to make is jump off a building
To have ideas for Games be GOOD and LOVE!!! :D And use that imagiantion The Universe!!! :D She already is create the most aweosme and beautiful things!!! :D
I expected generic unuseful ideas, instead these are great and very practical ways of feeling and creating. Thanks!
private videos... HEY WHY ARE YOU NOT WATCHING
Ok. 5 minutes in and I already going to click away. I can't stomach this. This is why; My life's shit. It always has been. Lately I've been doing better than ever, honestly. I am happy. For the first time in a very VERY LONG WHILE! Yet, I am the most creative in a long while. Telling people that misery=creativity is irresponsible and horrible. That's not AT ALL how it works! What gives you creativity is being expossed to many forms of media! Watching movies, playing games, listening to music! Exercise that creative muscle, do some work! Guys, art IS NOT suffering nor vice-versa. That's such a 1800's way to see it and SUPER DAMAGING. If you're happy and wholesome and having a great time, ENJOY THAT SHIT. Be happy, enjoy your relationship, enjoy your life. Creativity comes from within, from ALL your experiences, NOT FROM from your bad experiences!
Minecraft was inspired by Infiniminer.