No Whining!
I have a strict “No Whining” policy. And I apply it to myself. Maybe not with the same fervor or use of a large bat with which I apply it to others, but I do hold myself to the “No Whining” standard.
(Mostly.)
So I don’t want my
“I’m a Game Developer” post to be considered whining. Nor as some kind of diatribe against the video game industry.
I’m not one of those people who rant about how “fed up” they are with the video game industry (it is what it is). Nor am I “disillusioned” by the video game industry’s insular/incestuous tendencies (you get used to it). I’m not even “saddened” by the quality of life issues and how young men and women are worked like the slaves they volunteered to be (stupid gits).
Nope. None of that.
I still like designing games, I like seeing what other game designers come up with, and I still think that indie games can be a huge creative and innovative shot in the arm for the overall video game industry (though probably without any further assistance from a few notable once-indie and once-supported-indie companies).
I am, however, “rather melancholy” about how I no longer get much of a rush from the idea of making games, nor from the actual work, like I used to.
And I “remember fondly” the days when I could (and did) work and work and work–for no money up front, neglecting all other hobbies, including my wife and family–all for a dream of “One day, when my game is finished…”
I still dream, of course. And those dreams still inspire me to invest long, unpaid hours of effort to see the vision become a reality.
It’s just that the dream is no longer making games.
Been there, I suppose. And done that, I guess. And by the only yardsticks that seem to matter in the long run (units sold, options cashed in), I haven’t done it too well.
Maybe my current project–which is in too many ways a return to my first real game project–will change that.
Maybe it won’t.
Either way …
No whining.
-David
