game dev diaries part 3 : why make a video game?

 Overwhelmed and unmotivated 

Why make a video game? why?

If 85% of indie games are considered failures, why make one?

As my motivation fluctuates I started to wonder why I do what I do?

Am I trying to prove to myself that I'm capable of tackling a huge project?, is this something I'm willing to do despite being unpaid?

so many questions and my mind is blank.

I feel alone and lost in my process. I have no idea if I'm following the right way, or am I adding random pieces together and hoping something will come out of it.

So why make a video game? and how can I stay motivated while working on one?

Of course, the right answer is "love". simply your love of video games should be your primary motivator.

Up until you are faced with your first problem at 3 AM while developing for eight hours straight, then is love enough to sustain you?.

Ok, let's put love aside and think about why one can lose motivation to his/her passion project?.

Here is a list of why I think I'm unmotivated even before I started officially working on my game.

Reasons why I’m demotivated 

1- I need strong internal motivation.

2- There is no immediate reward.

3- The realization that games are hard to make, harder than what I expected.

4- No guaranteed success. (my brain can't justify the pain with nothing in return). in short, I need hope any kind of hope to keep going.

5- It's overwhelming to learn all different sets of skills to make one game.

6- working in a bubble is also not helping.

7- Intimidation.

8- It takes me a long time to do produce little work.

9- Getting stuck builds up my frustration.

10- I need structure, the development process can be messy, simply there is no set of instructions to follow. It's a series of trials and errors.

Ok, now what can I do about it?.

Here is another list of possible solutions.

1- Follow people that inspire you.

2- manage your expectation.

3- Break down your to-do list into small doable tasks.

4- choose the easiest task to start with then slowly move to the hardest.

5- join communities and start a conversation with other developers.

6- Take a break!. Remove yourself completely from your project.

7- Set yourself realistic goals and reward yourself every time you achieve one.

8- Don't get too attached to your project.

9- Set a schedule, don’t wait for motivation to come.

10- Set up your desk.

11- Just start working. Focus on reaching a flow state while working, forget about motivation, flow state is all you need.