Just Make Games 

I love the message you're conveying here it's hits home "Just making games" is what keeps me going when I've been programming for 2 years trying to find a job as a software engineer the one thing that has kept me from giving up is simply "Just Make Games!!". Also, thanks for featuring my LD game, Demonware Inc!

RU-vid has been pushing this video on me really hard, like, it's been in my recommendeds 10 times already I think. Good video!

I've found this to be true. If you are learning- learn and practice learning. Don't create 'end products'.

“When a measurement becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measurement.” - charles goodhart

I love the LD compo, probably my favorite of any recurring game jam. ...Game jams ARE awesome for "the power of try to murder yourself"!

This video really hit me - in a good way. I literally have no words, just thank you.

You raised a good question. I'll tell you why I'd been struggle for the past 10 years. TLDR; skill issue. Seriously. Started from learning random tutorials, made half-baked platformers. What happening here in this stage? I didn't have the game design skill. Though I had rich gaming experiences, but when it comes to making a game I got tunnelled vision and couldn't bring up proper words for how would the game be like and only got "what kind of game do I want to make" and yeah, MMORPG my bro. Then the tutorials hell happened. I learnt so much from tutorials but I couldn't make a single game, why? It's because I didn't study properly and only followed the tutorials, so when I need to utilize the knowledges the most I could recalled was some keywords and had to open official documents while developing the game which kinda frustrating. Afterward I struggle to the point that I lost the sight of where I wanted to go, so here another classic gamejam hell. I joined many game jams too, but didn't participate much in the social. It's because I didn't proud of the game I made during game jam, though I learnt a lot from making it. Then another struggle with personal project. It's been a total struggle and it's ended up bugging me to the point that I stuck in the loop of watching motivational videos and newbie how-to videos that's popping up everyday with repeating patterns from new game developers that want to have followers on youtube. Now what happened? As I said, skill issue. I lacked technical skills so that the inertia on working on something was so high that sometimes it's like a month before I move me lazy arse to work. Well you could call it "mental barrier" which could be say that it's too abstract to explain in proper words. I know many people also had or having mental barrier which ended up causing inertia from your daily routines into making something related to making games. For me, it was assets creation part. Partly it's traumatic experiences from my ruined uni life, another was the collapsed of self-confidence which enacted the self-defense mechanicsm, hence "mental barrier". Though I'd say assets creation is the most fun part for me. I just struggled because of the PTSD and had to make immense efforts to unfucked myself. After I won the mental barrier, what happened next? This one is the last and I only managed to make it work on paper thanks to ChatGPT since a last week, it's the game scope. At first I thought the game was rather small...apparently the story alone allowed me to split into trilogy. Well after I splitted into trilogy, it's still too big. Afterward I use ChatGPT to help in both making suggestions and estimate time which normally not accurate, but I have my own way to make a good calculation for myself. I made the plan of 2 weeks, though I gradually reduced from 6 months, 3 months, 1 months, into 2 weeks. The planned 2 weeks would be enough to only finish my first prototype with nearly finished game system and using placeholder assets. Now what happened here? It's actually the SKILL ISSUE on planning the game scope! That's right, the true reason I struggled for the past 10 years is that I didn't have a proper skills set for working solo. It'd be different if you're working as a team since people can split their expertise and some people may have the right skills to manage the project scope. But as a solo, you need to be an all-rounder. The one man army, or gamedev god. Just pick ones that you like. Not to mention the false understanding under the illusions which other people talked or given advices. Something like "you must have a prototype in a week or a month at most", can't be use in context of "you're a total noob without any experience not to mention you can't even make a proper system by yourself yet". So here is the advice if you skipped everything to read here or read until her, considered it as a bonus. Study the game development workflow -> study tools workflow -> only study the part which you need right now -> go make your dream game -> if it's too big make it smaller by either splitting or directly reduced the scope. The planning skill is fundamental for every parts of game development or even in life. So if you don't know how to cut the big chunk down, then maybe get some help and learn from it.

I needed this video, thank you. ♥

As someone who used to mess around alot on RPG maker, I felt the heart in this vid. I think more devs; big and small, should embrace this philosophy.

Love this. Love the insight. Love the message. I might go make a game now.

Thank you, needed it) ♥️

This video has re-ignited my passion for gamedev. As soon as i can, i'll come back to it with new eyes. Great video, really underrated channel ( you got a sub yayy!!!)

Game jams are GREAT for experienced programmers. UNFORTUNATELY, not that great for newbies. They just CRUSH you!

Great video. Recently I've been struggling to get myself to make games because I'm always thinking about the end product. But this video reminded me why i started it in the first place, for enjoyment. Just subscribed :)

Thank you for this video

I myself was about to create a video about this feeling, but you have captured it perfectly! Also as others said, you have been recommended to me hard!

It may not be today or someday but hopefully I'll be able to create a game that I will be proud of. Thank you for making this video!

thank you so much for this video man! I'm a game dev too and my first game jam ever was Ludum 55th, in last month. We went in three friends and made a lot of fun. I really like the message you send in this video. Inspire me a make a video about my ludum jam too. Congrats, and thank you!!

I really needed this, thanks!

I don't know, I still kinda enjoy my unfinished but good looking and inspired prototypes more than I think I would enjoy doing this under time pressure with extreme restrictions on what is even a viable learning topic to dive into. There are things you learn from finishing the game, I'm sure, but there are also things a you learn from tackling big complex problems or trying to realize larger visions in some way that is doable for an indie. I think there's both kinds of devs and also different personal goals you can have in this which may or may not be achievable without one or two way huge projects that teach you about scale and long term motivation, too.

Thank you. I've been contemplating whether if my game concept is attainable and thinking of giving up midway the production but you gave me courage again to continue.

Darksiders devs were asked why. They said cuz they thought it was a cool idea. That simple

Great message, and really well articulated. This is helping me get back on track and filter out the noise. I forgot somewhere that RU-vid, and marketing, and likes, and followers is not what I started out looking for. I just wanted to make games.

Every game jam I've participated in, I've learned far more in the few days I've worked on that than in months of practicing

Lovely vid and def subscribing! might be trying to learn programming soon and this def makes it look more appealing o/

love it

Hey, I've recently made a big switch from Unity to Godot, and I've still yet to make a single finished game, no matter how small the scope... I like the idea of "Just make a game" but for me its not art or sound design that hold me back, but its always the coding aspect I can never truly find out how to code and it makes me demotivated and I quit only to come back just to quit again... If you have any thoughts just please share them with me...

yes master

Your game jam game looks fun

fire vid

epic video cool message!

Heck even Loop Hero was originally from a game jam, via Ludum Dare no less, called Loop Path Hero.

good video keep it up👍

I keep worrying if I would be able to make what i imagine,do i have enough skill set or experience,even though i keep learning the fear stays, because I am not making them with the fear that it will 'Suck' and this fear is putting me down or holdin me back really. Your advise really is good and effective, i have started make small little games and it really made me more confident to attempt stuff. First plan, then figure out how to do, not other way round!!🎉❤

Ludum Dare started Hollow Knight. You don't even have to sell it to me. ^_^

Cool vid pal, fellow solo dev here!

Your platformer looks nice. At 0:29, I believe you are toggling a trail renderer to help visualise the player's dash or sprint and it seems to disappear when the move is complete. Consider toggling the 'emitting' of the trail renderer instead of enabling / disabling it :)

i wish it was that easy

"90% done, 90% to go."

Could I even make Unreal Engine 5 fot the space jam? Or are like only some programs supported?

Man, your Lumina Rush game gives me such a Teeworlds vibe. I have more hours in that game that I'd care to admit, an absurd amount.. I'd be very surprised if you weren't inspired by it. If not, check it out, specially the race mode (vanilla mode is PVP but game has evolved a lot throughout the years thx to its community and open source codebase) Anyway, ima gonna whishlist that.

Cool video!

I've been in the ludumdare irc channel almost since it's inception, but I haven't really participated in any (like 1, and a couple I started, but didn't finish). Maybe one of these days.

This is just it! Don't try to make some AAA quality game. Just something new and different than you have before. Make it a single level even. I think most people have over the top ideas when they first start. I know I did.

I'm currently planning a new game, the gameplay can be either 2D or 3D however I don't have artistic skills to make assets of my own... I know that 3D development can be more challenging as there's a whole new dimension compared to 2D and can get more complicated, however creating simple 3D assets and animations looks much less challenging than 2D pixelart..... just wanted to throw my struggles on here

The first part of the video is exactly where I'm at right now and marketing is my least favorite part of this process so far. I never thought I'd be one of those guys parroting "like, comment and subscribe!" but here I am 😅 It has forever changed the way I watch RU-vid and scroll through Instagram or consume any media for that matter. That stuff matters, so if you are like me and never subscribed to anyone, the next time you're watching your favorite content creators, click on those buttons. It will probably make their day :]

Hold on, can I please get an answer to this? You don't need to be a games programmer to do a game jam? All this time I could have been doing game jams and getting to know people and providing assets for them? I've been trying to learn how to program a lot just so I can attend a game jam and bring something of value. I had no idea artists and musicians could join. Is this true?

I want to make games, but I have zero coding knowledge :(

I like the thumbnail, but try to have a thumbnail that adds on to the title. So the title doesn't have the same exact text as the thumbnail. Just a tip. Still cool, and got me to click.

Is this now the new meta for indie games marketing? :D

okay I'm unmotivated... I'm unemployed, I need money, I don't want to come back to the Web Development world, please someone fall from the sky like a miracle and tell me how can I make a bit of money from my kinda simple games

just make games, waste your time to do a dev journal, showcase your unique concept at a game jams to other rivals and post your game on steam list. ez gg.

No...

Programming is annoying as hell tho