Sustainable gamedev

published 2024-07-19
last updated 2024-07-19

Often when I'm making games I get distraught because there are so many possibilities. How can I know what game to make, and how? I see many devs get wrapped up in one project for years, where they get quagmired and sad. Success seems remote in the face of our blank N-dimensional canvas and infinite mechanisms of mind. The goal, then, is to make as much of our art for as long as we can. What are good ways to maintain an enriching practice as an interactive artist?

So far the answer I've found generally seems to be: be nimble, be prolific. Make many games. Too many devs commit too much too early. Don't settle into a big project until a small one resonates. Get silly. Vomit shovelware. Make a poopgame. Have fun with it. Work with niche but tested genres. Re-use your codes and designs in sequels within one genre. Get excited about exploring your creative voice and applying it to simply modest projects, instead of banking everything on a masterpiece. You'll know you're ready for something more when people start asking for it. In the meantime, get some of your freeware in front of real players.

These are some resources I've been using to synthesize a humble, practical, and resilient approach to gamedev. In no particular order:

• "You are spending too long making your game", Jake Birkett,
  • Jake's by-the-numbers focus on making humble games for humble markets is a sobering palette-cleanser.
• "This problem changes your perspective on gamedev", Jonas Tyroller
  • Explains how "finding the fun" is a search and optimisation problem. This made me more mindful of my prototype iterations.
• MAKE GAMES WITH DEREK, Derek Yu
  • Derek has many practical articles, so here they all are. Also recommend his book.
• "Finishing a Game", Derek Yu
  • Derek serving more meat and potatoes.
• "How to make good small games", John Thyer
  • This balm was helpful for me to come to terms with being an amateur, and allowing myself to make what I want to make.
• "Making small games, which is fun in itself", ABA Games
  • This dev is very prolific. More good manifestos linked at the bottom in the citations.
• "How to get started making games", Narayana Walters
  • Miz's industrious, no-nonsense attitude is a good kick in the butt.
• "How to become a really good game developer in under a year", Narayana Walters
• "How much money I made from game development this past year", Narayana Walters
  • A transparent look into one kind of business model c. 2021.
• "There's not enough videogames; everyone should be encouraged to make them (or, videogames are just art)", Brenden Keogh
• "The videogame industry does not exist", Brenden Keogh
• "The stairstep approach to indie game marketing", Chris Zukowski
  • Chris gives lots of practical and sustainable advice for reaching your players.
• "The missing middle", Chris Zukowski
  • In this thesis Chris reminds us of modest games.
• "Seven lessons for achieving sustainable game development", Chris Zukowski

This is a living document; will update this collection as necessary. If you know a good article that might fit here, send it to me.

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