I Made a Bunch Of Small Games... Was It Actually Worth It?

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  • Опубліковано 16 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 18

  • @SoulEngineDev
    @SoulEngineDev  Місяць тому +1

    I struggled for YEARS to actually finish my games. What has held you back from finishing games, and how did you overcome them? Can't wait to hear about it!

  • @mythrilage5053
    @mythrilage5053 Місяць тому +2

    “No game is perfect” - Super Metroid would like to have a word with you, Matt.

  • @DeiversonSilveira
    @DeiversonSilveira 24 дні тому +1

    I'm in exactly the same situation as you were. I've been a software engineer for about 20 years. Since 2013, I've been studying game development. I've taken dozens of courses. I was even a university professor of digital games. I've only participated in a gamejam once, and it was in person for 72 hours. We camped on site and I had a very bad experience with the team. I've never done it again. I have dozens of unfinished prototypes. I was currently working on a workflow for developing a 2D Metroidvania game. I've taken courses in pixel art, marketing, sound design, etc., a lot of things, but I can't finish anything. Everything you said turned a key in my head, the game jam forces you to make small games, it conditions you to do that, today my biggest difficulty is knowing how to make small games, everything you said made sense to me now, my idea now is to start studying game jam games, to see what is possible to do in 3 days, in 1 week, to learn how to make small games before wanting to do something bigger, I need to learn how to finish and publish. Everything you said is making sense to me now, after 10 years studying gamedev and never being able to finish to publish anything. I need to remember this, to embrace imperfection.

  • @joyfulfishman5445
    @joyfulfishman5445 Місяць тому +1

    I love what you do, and I'm wishing for your success!

  • @McMurchie
    @McMurchie Місяць тому +1

    It's a bit like writing books too - many authors half finish a bunch of books. Artists with their art pieces. They all have a major thing in common, you are ready when you're ready - it takes a few projects under the belt to build up the skillset, and experience needed to see it through to the end.
    For a dev, if you are smart, make sure you are saving all your handy little functions into a script file.

    • @SoulEngineDev
      @SoulEngineDev  Місяць тому +1

      This is great advice and really true.

  • @TheMythicDev
    @TheMythicDev Місяць тому

    You really make some of the most inspiring content I always look out for motivational videos thanks for raised spirits 🙏 great work and advice as always

    • @SoulEngineDev
      @SoulEngineDev  Місяць тому

      This is so encouraging to hear! Glad you’re here.

    • @TheMythicDev
      @TheMythicDev Місяць тому

      @SoulEngineDev only fair people get the appreciation for the good they do, as a 'still learning dev' 4 years down the line I'm yet to finish a game(I'm so close) so seeing content like this from other more successful developers is very motivating to keep going. Best of luck with your new game I'll be there hope it does well

  • @endgamedevs
    @endgamedevs Місяць тому

    Nice! I replaced some senior devs on a project because they could not deliver on a game. So me being able to complete games got me some gigs as a game developer. Now I am able to finish a game a year. And these were multiplayer full fledged games. Deadlines is great. For me planning made a huge difference. Every game does need scope as part of the non negotiable.

    • @SoulEngineDev
      @SoulEngineDev  Місяць тому

      Planning and deadlines can definitely make a difference. This is awesome!

  • @ganondorf2419
    @ganondorf2419 Місяць тому

    The first game I finished was a RPG Maker game called Yifglo: Unfair Battle. It took almost the entire time I was in highschool to make, and it probably sucks. Really standard RPG Maker stuff, but it did get finished. After that was The Legend of MemeDing 1315, and I could not finish it. I still want to one day, probably remake it from the ground up though. I was bummed about that for a while, "2 years wasted" and all that self sabotage. Didn't make anything for a while, just put concept after concept down on paper but could never actually start something.
    Eventually I decided to learn Python because I didn't actually know how to code yet. Then I made Fug Bables (knock-off Bug Fables lol), a text adventure game with inventory/resource management and some fights. Then I went to Godot, and started making stuff there. The first one had an 'amazing' name, "Pixel Platformer", and I finished it in about a month. Next, I tried to make a Strategy RPG called Escort Hunt, and while it may have been doomed to fail for consisting of 50% escorting NPC missions, I stopped 6 months in because making it was too hard. Another platformer was made before I gave up on Escort Hunt, called "Crumbling Blocks". This was my first gamejam, and it can be played on itch under 'Jemaj'. (It is a little hard... maybe too hard sometimes lol).
    And now... I am about 330 or so days into my current project. It should be getting close to being done, but I feel like I've lost all direction and I have no idea what to work on most of the time. Maybe it's time to start asking people to play through it, I haven't really done that at all and I feel a little silly about that now lol.

  • @Tbjbu2
    @Tbjbu2 Місяць тому +1

    Mine Wasn't* pls fix title typo it's killing me inside sry thx

    • @SoulEngineDev
      @SoulEngineDev  Місяць тому

      Haha! I’m actually talking about multiple games, “Mine were not,” so I think it works!

    • @Tbjbu2
      @Tbjbu2 Місяць тому +1

      @@SoulEngineDev it doesn't really work with the first part of the sentence tho,

    • @Bluhbear
      @Bluhbear Місяць тому

      @@Tbjbu2 Fortunately, that's an entirely different sentence, so it doesn't have to.