So You Want To Make Games?

I talk about all of the questions you might want to ask yourself before going into the game industry.

Videos I reference:

[JustDaveIsFine]

This is why I went the distance as an indie dev. It's still very difficult development work, it's hard to make things as you want, but you also get the unique opportunity to be completely broke all the time.

[MortismalGaming]

Thanks for the shout out Tim! To the topic of your video, I'd say being in an industry adjacent place can be really fulfilling! I love playing and reviewing games but I know that actually trying to make them and engaging with teams and company structures would quickly turn it into something that would feel too much like work to me and I'd start to resent it which would definitely kill the passion for me.

[metarenegade]

Tim always goes hard. I was fully expecting this video to be 5 seconds long.

"Hi, everyone, it's me, Tim. Make a demo. Bye!"

[WastelandChef]

Worked in the game industry and the emphasis of pleasing shareholders over actually creating fun products is a reality that may be hard to swallow for newcomers with a real passion for games 😅

[lhfirex]

Now we just need a point and click adventure game about getting into the gaming industry called So You Want To Make Games in the style of King's Quest 1: So You Want To Be A Hero.

[foundyif]

I loved video games in middle school and high school and was absolutely convinced the games industry was my future. I had so many ideas and planned out which colleges I wanted to go to and studios I wanted to work for…

Took my first comp sci class in my junior year of high school and realized it was NOT for me. Hated nearly every second of it from the first print line. Never have been an artist either and began to despair.

I realized I didn’t actually want to make games - I had ideas for games I wanted to PLAY, and just imagined myself telling other people to make the games for me.

Luckily around that time I found philosophy and realized not only was I super passionate about it, but was good at it. Finishing my degree now and have won some undergrad awards for philosophy papers and my professors are encouraging me to pursue the academy.

I still love video games, especially CRPGS. I’d still like someday to maybe try and make a little indie game for myself, but I’ll have to teach myself some coding and how to draw.

I really appreciate this video though. The important thing for me was learning that liking video games and wanting new, original, good video games, is not the same as wanting to be a developer. I’m happier being a consumer and player and accept that. :)

[Enjoyurble]

Game Publishers knocking outside your door dressed like Elsa from Frozen:

Do you wanna build a

[Luke-yxve]

I'm a cabinet maker but I feel like I'm still learning stuff that relates to me watching all these videos

[jones]

You’ve mentioned in several videos that you’ve never done indie dev work. Do you have noncompete agreements that would prevent you from developing small indie titles? If not, have you considered doing a couple small indie projects, maybe on some of the more niche ideas you’ve had that traditional studios won’t greenlight or maybe even just so you can see that side of the industry?

[BrandonMcBarrettFace]

Not sure why but your consistency with the introduction of your videos is really nice. At this point I think it cues me into a good mindset subconsciously and helps me tune out other noise.

This was a great video, thank you!

[tepid]

I like that Tim gets asked the same question over and over and despite his probable annoyance at the questioning, he still takes time to find new things to talk about when it comes up so that people still get an answer.

[WiccR]

I'm "self taught" mechanic for 20 years now, but did all the paper stuff later in my career to get certificates. I tend to do game modding etc on my freetime a hobby. But recently my body is starting to fail so ihave been thinking about switching to computer side as a mainwork and mechanic stuff backdown as a hobby as it were when i was still young 😅

[tehfn]

I've been making games since 2010. Focusing on Unreal Engine.
I once heard the best question in all of Game Dev.
"Why did you want to become a game developer?"
and the perfect answer
"It seemed like a good idea at the time".

[emirwattabor]

I needed this. I think I can go into the game industry seriously. I don't have many strong skills that are desired in the industry yet, but I'm still young, learning programming and writing. I think I enjoy working in a team, going with the flow and communicating over big projects. I think as much as I enjoy games as a hobby, I'd even moreso love to make it my career.

Honestly, more than anything, I simply can't come up with any other industry that fits me better. I've loved games and game design my whole life (though who doesn't!), I have a deep interest in the worlds of art, design, technology, and finance, and I deeply value leaving a mark on this world through the act of creation. I know it can be a cynical and soul crushing industry on the inside, but what isn't? At the end of the day, I have to pay the bills somehow.

[Broski_Nation]

Another question to ask yourself,

" Can you handle the flucuations in body hygine? Especially during crunch!"😂😅

[ConfusedDesigner]

When I started looking at how to get into the game industry a lot of developers told me that if I liked playing games, I shouldn't make games, I didn't get it at the time, I was very young, like 14yo or so, but now I've realized why they told me that and it's the best piece of advice I've ever received, because now I see a lot of newcomers that love playing games getting really, really frustrated, they think they'll play all day long and have fun and things will be easy and smooth, but then reality hits them, and it hits them really hard, I've seen a lot of people quit because of that

I don't get why so many people stopped giving that advice, perhaps because it is poorly phrased, it should be something like "you won't be playing much if you get into the game industry", but it's not as harsh, and I think that particular advice needs to be really rough.

[decode.]

After almost 10 years on Networking, I felt like I needed a change. Was desperate for one, to be honest. I was always angry, moody, always tired, haven't created anything in a long time.
So, I tried getting into the gaming indursty. Since I can't code to save my life and I have no prior dev experience (only playing ton of games basically), I tried Unreal Engine 5. Made a short FPS demo as a showcase what I could learn by myself in a month. Sent it out to a couple of companies to check it out, hoping to get at least into QA.
Long story short: After 5 failed attempts and one part-time offer, I'm back in Networking ...
Well, at least I tried and with my current "special" shifts, I sleep more :D

[Adamthegeek]

Long long ago, I sent Piers Anthony a letter asking him how to be an author. His reply was just do it... it was a form letter printed on a dot matrix printer (high tech at the time) . I never did, I went from that desire, to special effects which I never did, to soldier, to computer programmer. I still sometimes think about writing, I might still do it. I think that advice though.... is just it if you want to do something, just do it and do it till you don't want to do it anymore.

[JacobWashington-zltj]

This is truly the ultimate self-reflection. I know that as much as I want to be free and do whatever I want as an indie dev, I know I wouldn't get anything done.

I am going into my junior year in high school. Last year as a sophomore, my school offered a one month python programming class. By the end the final project was to create a text based game using what we learned. Me, being obsessed with Fallout, made a recreation of Fallout New Vegas in the span of four days. Sure it was certainly a bit of a mess, but it ran, and the people who played it, loved it. Now during the summer I tried to do the same with the original Fallout, a much simpler game to port. I can't even get past making the cave of Vault 13.

I do worry slightly what this may mean for a future career in gamedev. Great vid as always, Mr. Cain.

[drmprod]

I just love you, Tim. Thanks for taking the time and effort to make these.