next »

[Carrion]

My "day" job leaves me too tired to want to try and get into flow state most of the time.

Do you enjoy it though? Or would you rather be doing something that lets you focus more on games?

Kind of unrelated to games specifically, but to me settling for staying in a job you don't enjoy without the opportunity to work toward something you do enjoy has never really been acceptable. A lot of people settle for work they don't enjoy or are not passionate about and think that's okay but really, it makes no sense because we often spend most of our lives on our work. On the other hand, I understand that many people are not in a position that allows them to just switch careers or find the kind of work they want to do. I guess to me it's just always been important to know that I'm moving toward what I want to do, even if it means taking some risks or using less than ideal work as stepping stones along the way to whatever that thing is.

Neil Gaiman said something during this keynote that I find relatable to the entire stepping stones concept.

Sometimes the way to do what you hope to do will be clear cut, and sometimes  it will be almost impossible to decide whether or not you are doing the correct thing, because you'll have to balance your goals and hopes with feeding yourself, paying debts, finding work, settling for what you can get.

Something that worked for me was imagining that where I wanted to be – an author, primarily of fiction, making good books, making good comics and supporting myself through my words – was a mountain. A distant mountain. My goal.

And I knew that as long as I kept walking towards the mountain I would be all right. And when I truly was not sure what to do, I could stop, and think about whether it was taking me towards or away from the mountain. I said no to editorial jobs on magazines, proper jobs that would have paid proper money because I knew that, attractive though they were, for me they would have been walking away from the mountain. And if those job offers had come along earlier I might have taken them, because they still would have been closer to the mountain than I was at the time.

[Liza]

My "day" job leaves me too tired to want to try and get into flow state most of the time.

Do you enjoy it though? Or would you rather be doing something that lets you focus more on games?

Kind of unrelated to games specifically, but to me settling for staying in a job you don't enjoy without the opportunity to work toward something you do enjoy has never really been acceptable. A lot of people settle for work they don't enjoy or are not passionate about and think that's okay but really, it makes no sense because we often spend most of our lives on our work. On the other hand, I understand that many people are not in a position that allows them to just switch careers or find the kind of work they want to do. I guess to me it's just always been important to know that I'm moving toward what I want to do, even if it means taking some risks or using less than ideal work as stepping stones along the way to whatever that thing is.

Neil Gaiman said something during this keynote that I find relatable to the entire stepping stones concept.

Sometimes the way to do what you hope to do will be clear cut, and sometimes  it will be almost impossible to decide whether or not you are doing the correct thing, because you'll have to balance your goals and hopes with feeding yourself, paying debts, finding work, settling for what you can get.

Something that worked for me was imagining that where I wanted to be – an author, primarily of fiction, making good books, making good comics and supporting myself through my words – was a mountain. A distant mountain. My goal.

And I knew that as long as I kept walking towards the mountain I would be all right. And when I truly was not sure what to do, I could stop, and think about whether it was taking me towards or away from the mountain. I said no to editorial jobs on magazines, proper jobs that would have paid proper money because I knew that, attractive though they were, for me they would have been walking away from the mountain. And if those job offers had come along earlier I might have taken them, because they still would have been closer to the mountain than I was at the time.

That seems so aligned with my outlook on these sorts of things that I think I must have read this somewhere earlier and forgot about it.

[starsrift]

My "day" job leaves me too tired to want to try and get into flow state most of the time.

Do you enjoy it though? Or would you rather be doing something that lets you focus more on games?

I don't dislike it. In theory, I should be able to put in an additional 3-5 hours (depending) on development while at my "day" job. But working graveyards and renting an apartment isn't easy on QOL.

[Darion]

My "day" job leaves me too tired to want to try and get into flow state most of the time.

Do you enjoy it though? Or would you rather be doing something that lets you focus more on games?

I don't dislike it. In theory, I should be able to put in an additional 3-5 hours (depending) on development while at my "day" job. But working graveyards and renting an apartment isn't easy on QOL.

Oh god, I TOTALLY relate to this – it's an issue thats really starting to bother me now that I'm out of school and have been working for a few years, now. I also gym after work every other day, so it leaves even less time to get shit done that I want to do myself. Ultimately I think it comes down to blocking your time out ... at least that seems to help me. Otherwise, I will sit my fat ass on the couch for those 3-4 hours that I have every night and completely regret it.

Honestly, the gym helps a lot, too; on the days I don't go I feel so stoned when I get home from work. And not the good kind of stoned.

[s_l_m]

Just found out that the project I have been designing for a while and coding on and off for the last two weeks or so has some startling similarities to Nuclear Throne (which I was not aware existed until I saw a lets play of it). Now I am trying to figure out ways to change the design enough to make it more unique  

Luckily the similarities are only basic gameplay wise (the fact that it is a top down shooter with random levels), everything else is completely different

[DanDecarlo]

Two weeks isn't that bad, imagine working on a project for 6 months, and still having no idea of what to do with it. 

[s_l_m]

Haha yeah, it is not like it's a huge amount of time to throw away if I decide to do so. I think that I might keep going with it though, and just embrace this as forcing me to create some unique gameplay aspects if I want to be seen as not a ripoff. Also, I have been watching footage of nuclear throne for the past hour and the similarities to my plans are pretty skin deep as far as I can tell

[Geti]

Someone will always see your game as a ripoff, haha. Countless people have actually been angry with us when they found out how dissimilar KAG is from Terraria. "What do you mean the other team are meant to knock down my tower?!?!?!".

Good luck with the project, as said above 2 weeks really isn't _that_ long to throw away, but if you want to stick with it, great

[jddg5wa]

Luckily the similarities are only basic gameplay wise (the fact that it is a top down shooter with random levels), everything else is completely different

A top down shooter with random levels sounds like a quiet a few games, especially online flash games. I feel like if those are the only similarities then it shouldn't be much of a problem.

[s_l_m]

You are totally right, I just had a mini freak out for like 30 minutes. Thanks for talking me through that y'all

[Carrion]

Luckily the similarities are only basic gameplay wise (the fact that it is a top down shooter with random levels), everything else is completely different

A top down shooter with random levels sounds like a quiet a few games, especially online flash games. I feel like if those are the only similarities then it shouldn't be much of a problem.

Er yeah, I wouldnt credit Nuclear Throne for being as original as it's charming. Make your thing and just let it be a thing that's a thing instead of nothing because it's too much like something.

thing

[Blambo]

welp

rejected from cmu. at least i'm $240,000 richer

[Conker534]

Man, what did I do this year?

I really didn't get anything done with myself this year. I always came up with excuses and played to many video games.

I'm so bored of my life style right now, but all my friends are so dormant and involved in playing video games all day its just hard to get away. I want to have a more social life, but I don't really know where to start. I've gotten to the point where all I do is just draw all day, but its not like any of my work is good. I'm not very good at art, miles away from how good I want to be, which is a confidence drop. I'm not very motivated with my life right now, even with girl friends and friends, i'm just bored.

I wish I was more social of a person really, its not like I'm anti-social, I'm far from it. But its hard for me to break the ice, I think I lack confidence in myself. I need more confidence. I should do something with my life. I need to goto the gym more too, starting to feel fat now that all I do is draw all day.

I feel like i'm wasting my time, but I don't know what to do with myself. Its a shitty feeling.

Idk i'm just feeling pretty down with myself lately. bleh, life goes on.

[Geti]

What to do with yourself: imho edition 


Make playing games more of an event and less of a constant buzz in your life. You can still see and talk to your friends, just not all day every day.

Have a day (or more!) each week where you don't use gadgets - if that's CRAZY AND EXTREME then have a day with an hour or two of gadgets, no more. Go to the gym, like you said.

Re: Art - every single artist ever is in a constant yoyo of "hey that looks cool, go me!" and "man I wish I was 30000 times better than I am". Get used to it, and use the periods where you're able to be self critical to make a list of shit to work on, and then work on it. Note that becoming a great artist takes years and years and years and noone here is particularly fantastic, but a lot of us can get by on it :^)

Listen to music you've never seen before, get your friends to come around and watch a movie, then drink a few beers and talk to each other rather than exchanging smack talk over the hum of fans (or through a mic).

I'm not a role model for "more social" though so I'll leave that part to someone else, haha. I have a group of friends I see a lot of, but people coming into and out of that are few and far between. If you just want to see more of the same people in a social setting though, house parties tend to work.

welp

rejected from cmu. at least i'm $240,000 richer

Whelp. Hugs, hope you have a back up plan.

[clockwrk_routine]

I think we all have story lines about who we think we are, but we don't have to go along with them, and that's the great thing because you really don't.  Of course the way we think and feel, is out of habit so it's not so easy to change, you have to work for it.  Something I do to drive the blues away, is go through some part of the day telling myself I am not my thoughts or feelings.  It's simple cheesy whatever, but I think it's pretty effective.  good luck with everything

[diegzumillo]

A nice corner to blow off steam

I'm painfully bored with my life as well, but I had it coming. I'm trying to get into grad schoo, so all I can do is send out applications and hope for the best. Everything will get back on track eventually.

At the moment I'm just tired. Two months away from home taking care of my mother. A month in a hospital and another at home. She's fine now, thanks to doctors and science! But I'm tired nonetheless. My whole life basically paused. And the beginning of this chapter were basically the worst two weeks of my life, easy.

NExt week I'll be returning home and my game project will be there waiting for me Too bad I also have to move to another town this week... oh man, I'm so tired lol

[Conker534]

Take it easy man, don't over do it!

[Erichermit]

My "day" job leaves me too tired to want to try and get into flow state most of the time.

Do you enjoy it though? Or would you rather be doing something that lets you focus more on games?

Kind of unrelated to games specifically, but to me settling for staying in a job you don't enjoy without the opportunity to work toward something you do enjoy has never really been acceptable. A lot of people settle for work they don't enjoy or are not passionate about and think that's okay but really, it makes no sense because we often spend most of our lives on our work. On the other hand, I understand that many people are not in a position that allows them to just switch careers or find the kind of work they want to do. I guess to me it's just always been important to know that I'm moving toward what I want to do, even if it means taking some risks or using less than ideal work as stepping stones along the way to whatever that thing is.

This has been a big deal for me too, and mainly why I've decided to work in game design. Work is going to be a major part of your life, and I feel that if I work at a place or something I am not passionate for, then I will have wasted much of it.

[sonnyblueballs]

It's ok im here, everyone can commence hugging me now.

[s_l_m]

I am going to deal with my alcoholism. I am tired of wasting all my time and money doing nothing.