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[SundownKid]

In my opinion, no you don't need passion to develop a game. However, you DO need passion to develop a high quality game. If you aren't in tune with modern games or just don't like video games, it will show through in your work. Either the details will be lacking or it will be "off" somehow. Of course, that's fine for some people, but the best games are created by passionate people.

If you are totally dispassionate about games, enough to basically stop playing them, then maybe you shouldn't be seeking game development as a potential career path anyway.

[tieTYT]

this is probably semantic stuff, but it seems weird to me to call a non-productive thing, something that's primarily done for entertainment and relaxation, done to reduce boredom, a "passion". to me, playing games isn't a passion, it's an addiction, or a pastime, or a hobby. making games is the passion, not playing them

I have a feeling we could be talking past each other with my reply, but as the OP said, animals play games.  There must be some evolutionary advantage to it.  Maybe there's more to it than just "reducing boredom".  Then again, maybe there was an evolutionary purpose when all we had to play with were sticks and stones and modern games are tapping into that evolutionary desire and taking advantage of it without any gains. 

Either way, I think it's subjective to call any form of entertainment non-productive.

[The Translocator]

Nah.

The casino gaming industry operates just fine without passion.

They are passionate...

about money.

[Melon Mason]

I don't agree with your analogy that gaming is "natural" at all. I think you are confusing play with games, which aren't the same.

Here is my view though; a lot of the game devs and hobbyists I know (including myself) are not big on playing games, but we have an objectivity that hardcore gamers might not have.

Having a passion for games and having a passion for developing games are two very different things. People who like playing games often want to make games because they think it'll be just as fun, but it doesn't really work like that.

There is a famous quote: “A critic is a man who knows the way but can't drive the car.”

I think the same can be said for gamers and game developers. A gamer might know what he likes in a game, but that doesn't mean he'll be any good at making one.

[MiNTO]

this is probably semantic stuff, but it seems weird to me to call a non-productive thing, something that's primarily done for entertainment and relaxation, done to reduce boredom, a "passion". to me, playing games isn't a passion, it's an addiction, or a pastime, or a hobby. making games is the passion, not playing them

Completely agree.

One of my hobbies is playing games but my passion is developing games. I do think that developers do have to keep tabs on industry trends and game news so they can better their project(s).

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

this is probably semantic stuff, but it seems weird to me to call a non-productive thing, something that's primarily done for entertainment and relaxation, done to reduce boredom, a "passion". to me, playing games isn't a passion, it's an addiction, or a pastime, or a hobby. making games is the passion, not playing them

I have a feeling we could be talking past each other with my reply, but as the OP said, animals play games.  There must be some evolutionary advantage to it.  Maybe there's more to it than just "reducing boredom".  Then again, maybe there was an evolutionary purpose when all we had to play with were sticks and stones and modern games are tapping into that evolutionary desire and taking advantage of it without any gains.  

Either way, I think it's subjective to call any form of entertainment non-productive.

as someone mentioned above, there is play and then there is games. i certainly do 'play', but you can play in ways that don't involve videogames, like being playful while talking to friends. another issue is that, in animals, play is usually only found in *young* animals. kittens play way way more than cats do, as anyone who has had cats knows. the same is true in humans: human children spend more time playing than human adults. that doesn't mean adults don't play at all, but if an adult spends the vast majority of his or her time playing, that isn't normal, and usually considered undesirable. spending 6 hours a day playing videogames wouldn't be normal or desirable for a game developer. maybe an hour or two max

so in any case, i think the only way playing games can be a 'passion' is if you are a pro-gamer -- e.g. a professional league of legends, starcraft, etc., player. for those people and those aspiring to reach that level, sure, playing games is a passion. but for everyone else it's entertainment. saying that games are entertainment and not productive doesn't mean that i think they aren't essential. entertainment, relaxation, and rest *are* essential. non-productive activity is essential. but it's still non-productive, even though it's essential

and there are many ways to get that relaxing, entertainment aspect of life besides videogames. you could go jogging, you could go on trips to other countries, you could go to the museum, you could read novels. there's as lot of stuff besides videogames to do. besides, game developers already spend all day making games, sitting down in a chair, being sedentary. i think it might be healthier if they choose a hobby that's more physically active than playing videogames. who wants to make videogames for 8 hours a day and then play videogames with the rest of the day? that's a recipe for disaster, health-wise. take up tennis or something instead, that's also a game, also entertaining, but isn't sedentary

[Richard Kain]

Being good at playing games does not make you a good game designer. Skill at games does not translate into skill at making games.

What IS valuable is being able to play games, and be as observant as possible while doing it. Looking for and evaluating the systems in a game is a valuable skill for a designer/developer. Exercising this ability to analyze while playing will help you to turn the same skills on your own creations. Thinking about games and their design while playing them is an exercise that all game designers should engage in from time to time.

But being passionate about playing games, no, that is not really a requirement. Passion about creating games? Yes, that is required. But that kind of goes without saying.

I would advise that you fire up a game once or twice a week. You don't have to be good at it, and you certainly don't have to play it to exhaustion. But as an exercise, play three or four hours a week at any game. And really think about what's going on in the game while you're playing it. (and after you've played it) Take a little time afterward to write out your thoughts and impressions. Neither duration nor intensity are important. Just that you work those game design juices while diving into some else's work. Mix up the selection of games as well. You'll learn more from games or genres that you don't like or are less familiar with.

[a pita]

Being fearless.

Being fearless leads to everything else. It's like the pivot of all other emotive and physical interactions with your surroundings.

When you're fearless, you go with your intuitions. It's hard to explain, but I see it a lot in many successful game developers and/or entrepreneurs.

[Richard Kain]

Being fearless.

I think you're mistaking fearlessness with boldness or confidence. Fear can be both prudent and useful, and there is a place for it. True "fearlessness" often leads to reckless behavior and some very unwise decisions. Remember, for every successful entrepreneur there are seven or eight that crashed and burned. And the reason they crashed and burned is not because they weren't fearless enough.

Being bold and confident is good, especially when dealing with other people. People are naturally drawn to confidence. Behaving in a confident manner around others is a sure-fire method for acquiring the approval of your peers. But for major decisions, a bit more prudence is usually a better idea.

It would be fearless for me to quit my day job and pursue a career as an indie developer. But it would also be a profoundly bad idea given my current circumstances.

[Sushi]

Passion is necessary, but like other people said, passion for playing games and making games are really different things.

Actually when you're really into developing games, slowly you'll spend less time playing and more time making them
I found that this happened with most devs I know (with some exceptions of course).

And about this "passion", it really needs to turn into a passion for a specific project of yours, just wanting to make games is not enough, otherwise you'll keep switching projects all time and never finish anything!

[ActionGamemaster]

What IS valuable is being able to play games, and be as observant as possible while doing it. Looking for and evaluating the systems in a game is a valuable skill for a designer/developer. Exercising this ability to analyze while playing will help you to turn the same skills on your own creations. Thinking about games and their design while playing them is an exercise that all game designers should engage in from time to time..

Beat me to it. I can only add a video made by Extra Credits here:





They made a lot of videos about game design and the gaming community in general. And they are still making them. I really recommend both designers and gamers to check out their channel: There's much to learn for both.
And another thing: Try playing not just games like a designer. Try to analyze books, movies, when the most exciting moment happens and how the excitement is laid out, hell, I think even school tests might be analyzed like that. They are somewhat similar to games. When they're done right, that is.

[Muz]

The main reason I've never really finished a game is because my passion for playing games is too high. On the other hand, the best games are ones that try to create something that hasn't been done before, and it takes a lot of love for gaming to get a feel for that.

[ChrisCorr]

Since I started working on my game I spend MUCH less time playing games. Sometimes it hits me and I spend many hours with just one game, but eventually I go back to working on my game as much as possible. I think I have passion for both.

But much of what makes a video game is formulaic. Which maybe means that it doesn't necessarily take passion to make good games, just dedication. Someone who doesn't have a passion for wood working could probably still spend a lot of time learning and practicing about wood working and make a good product.

[Devr0s]

...passion to play game is different with passion to make game...

This is very important. Making a game is very different. Try keeping the passion going after being in 3 years of development hell. That will separate those with passion for game making from the posers. I work on games for my day job and then at night I continue working on my own stuff. I have to tear myself away in order to have a life and I seldom have time for playing games anymore (I try to play at least a little when possible). So yes, I think you can passionately dev games even if you aren't playing a ton of other people's games.

[benjonesdesign]

I think there needs to be passion. Without it the level of detail will not be great, visuals will be basic and there will be plenty of bugs on release resulting in a poor product.

[wccrawford]

If I didn't play so many games, maybe I'd have time to stop and make one.  Instead of just planning it all the time and not really getting things done.  *sigh*

[cbox]

I don't think you need passion, but it really shows when you do.

[SouldomainTM]

When we are children, we kick a ball.
When we grow up, we kick a ball with some "skill".
When we grow older, we watch other people kick balls.

And that's okay, it's nature.

This pattern you are talking about, its called old age and death. And actually that's not natural since death does violate the meaning of life which is healing and growing. Just people think it is "natural" because they don't know any better and just accept it.

Passion is required to over come a difficult task. But sooner or later the subconscious mind takes over and you have only to "sneeze", and there you've got your masterpiece. But this of course only really works if you actually know how to use your subconscious.

[iamwhatonearth]

Wow, I've never really thought about it but this is really interesting.
I definitely agree with the people that talked about how it depends on whether the type of game being produced has changed much since the developer stopped playing.