My pet peeves as a hobby indie game dev
I decided to write this as I'm working on my second video game and have begun developing some pet peeves. These are my opinions and thoughts when developing a video game. This is from a solo game dev perspective when I'm working on my project alone.
Unrealistic Deadlines
The first red flag is giving a crazy deadline for the game. I won't say I'll create a full game within three days. Could I? Yes. Should I? No. Unless I want to be so burned out I can't function. When projects are given tight deadlines that don’t allow enough time to develop, test, and polish a game, this often leads to crunch time and burnout. It's understandable for game jam projects to be shorter due to their short time frame. I made my first game in five months and it was a straightforward project. I didn't want my game to be a buggy mess or have spelling errors.
Negative Feedback Without Constructive Criticism
Criticism is part of game development, but feedback without constructive suggestions can be disheartening, especially when vague or unhelpful. Comments about bugs, grammatical errors, and controls can be informative if I missed something and can fix it in an update. Not every criticism is harmful and can push me to be a better developer. I filter out the negative comments that don't add anything of value.
Misunderstanding of Workload Outside Programming
Creating video games and playing video games are two different things. Making a video game is very complex and I realized that when I took on a challenge. There’s sometimes an assumption that only programming is “real” work, overlooking the time and effort in art, design, writing, and testing that goes into a game. It requires organization on my end to make sure the video game is functional. Most of my time is spent problem-solving and editing.
Making a ton of promises
As of writing this, I'm only one person. I don't have a full development team at my disposal. I'm not crowdfunding projects I have not even started yet. Why would I ask people to pay for a video game that is not even completed or exists yet? This is a criticism against publishers who release unfinished or defunct games early access on the market. I will release a demo for free instead of charging money for it.
Making so many promises for a game by hyping it up during marketing campaigns only for it to fail during launch. When marketing sets unrealistic player expectations, it can lead to disappointment and backlash, which ultimately reflects on the development team. Failure is normal in game dev and should be embraced. However, as a solo dev, I can't promise the world and know my limits. Tasks can vary from lasting a day to weeks. Game development is my hobby and I balance it with my life.
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