Opinion: Indie Game Design Do-s and Don't-s: A Manifesto
[Veteran indie game creator Edmund McMillen, known for his work on 2005 IGF Grand Prize winner Gish, Time Fcuk, and Super Meat Boy for WiiWare, shares his opinions and manifesto on making indie games, with 24 clear do-s and don't-s to make your art thrive.]
One of the most common questions I'm asked in interviews is, "Do you have any advice for independent game developers who are new to the scene, or tips for developers in general?" Well, I actually answered it this time: I came up with this list of indie do-s and don't-s.
Now, I'm going to make clear that I'm not perfect and I'm sure as the years go by this list will change. But from where I stand right now, having made independent art/games for a living for the past 10 years, the advice below is crucial to all indie game designers, and all artists for that matter.
Also note that when I refer to a "designer" or "artist," I include programmers. All aspects of art have a fine balance of the technical and creative; just because programming is viewed as a technical field does not mean it is void of creativity. The creative is visible in the work as a whole rather than in the specifics. Light and shadow are vital technical aspects of illustration, but without creativity the piece is nothing more then a photocopy of the subject, void of any personal touch or presence.
This is a list for the creative designer who strives to be independent. This isn't advice on how to monetize your Flash game or survive financially by copying existing trends and juicing the public for their cash. This is a list for artists who are driven by the desire for creative freedom and/or to "just make some cool shit people will love."
Anyway, here's the list. Take what works for you and leave what doesn't:
1. Be honest.
When I say "be honest" I mean to speak from your heart. Don't be manipulative or condescending in your work; treat the player how you'd wanted to be treated. Honesty is extremely valuable when making art.
2. Realize you're making art.
Game designers are artists and have advantages over non-creative jobs; think about what they are and exploit them. Your goal shouldn't be to make tons of money. If it were, you would have gone to business school or become a doctor. This is a creative field and should be treated as such first and foremost. Financing your art comes later. This is probably your greatest advantage as an indie designer.
3. Design from the heart.
Write / design around things you're passionate about. Put yourself into your work and show the world who you are. What do you love? What do you hate? Why? All notable film makers have a stamp, something that appears in their work and speaks to who they are. These themes will always come through to your audience, giving your work a sense of your self.
4. Take big risks.
Try to innovate the hell out of anything you make. From how your game plays to how it looks, be unique and you'll stand out. Push your personal limits, try new genres, mechanics and aesthetics. Experimentation and risk are the keys to growing as an artist. Don't be scared of failure; you don't have much to lose and you'll only learn from your mistakes.
5. Don’t bite off more then you can chew.
If you're just starting out, think small, then think smaller. If you start on something big you won't finish it and if you do you'll be burnt out and probably won't make another. A filmmaker never starts his career with a blockbuster movie. One of the easiest mistakes to make starting out is letting ambition drive you down a path you're not ready to travel. Slow down, take your time and start simple. Prototyping is crucial for all designers.
6. Practice (make lots of small games).
Make lots of small ideas quickly; build on the ones that work. If you look at any successful or "fully realized" game in the indie scene you'll note that it began as a simple prototype. If you get an idea that feels right, simplify it. Strip it to its core element; this element will become the glue that holds your work together. The stronger the glue the more you can add. On the opposite end, if the glue isn't holding, move on. Don't waste your time trying to fix something that won't work. If it's not interesting or fun in its primitive form, it's not going to be when it's finished.
7. Make the games YOU want to make.
Go with what moves you. If you're no longer feeling something, put it down and work on what you want. I've found that all of my best games were ones I made quickly and felt passionate about. The ones that sucked were ones I lost interest in but forced myself to finish. If things have gone sour and you feel yourself losing interest in a project, try looking at it differently. A simple change of perspective or reinvention of an existing mechanic can make all the difference when you're losing motivation.
8. Stand out.
Don’t make something that looks or feels exactly like an existing work. When people experience something new they're more forgiving of its design, and in the end your creation will get more attention. This should be obvious, but somehow goes over the heads of most designers. If you notice a trend in aesthetics or play mechanics: DON'T DO THAT. Avoid trends; innovate and break new ground. Stop making goddamn ninja and zombie games and if you're making a shooter don't put it in space. Seriously.
9. Think critically.
99% of game design is critical thinking. Try to find holes in your designs: if you can't fill them, move on to something else. Before you set out to work on your project you should have already given plenty of thought to how it might NOT work. Start asking how these core elements cpi;d be exploited and how might things come back to haunt you in the future. Thinking critically is the key to avoiding later conflict; always look before you leap. Take a step back from your project. Consider it the same way you would someone else's work. If you hadn't made it, what would you see as its strengths and weaknesses?
10. Play games.
You can't expect to learn anything if you aren't playing what's out. Even if they suck, games that sell well in the mainstream do it for a reason: pick them apart and find out why. If you don't play them, you won't know what NOT to do when you make your own.
11. Dissect existing formulas.
All game "genres" are formulas. Level design, teaching rules, jumping patterns: it's all according to a formula. Pick apart those formulas and see how they work. Play a shit load of games: find out what elements you like, decide why you like them, then redesign them. It's as vital to be able to deconstruct a game's formula as it is to be able construct one. In most cases you'll learn much more from deconstruction. You already have thousands of existing formulas at your disposal.
12. Grow up.
Chances are you're not a fucking kid anymore, so if you feel like making a more adult game, do so. When you’re indie you don’t have to answer to anyone, so stop designing games like you have to have to pass ESRB. I'm not saying everyone should make porn games, but why do all video games seem to have immature themes? People aren't stupid: stop treating them like they are. Speak through your work like you would to your friends, design for yourself and don't censor your ideas.
13. Go outside.
The world outside your room is important. It can also be very inspiring. Go take an adventure, then come home and write a game about it. That’s what Miyamoto did. I believe that you can't be inspired without living. Life is what every artist pulls from; how could you pull from something that wasn't there? We all strive to be great, and most of us tend to obsess over our work, but it's important to have balance. Go do things that don't involve video games and computers. Don't become stagnant.
14. Stay balanced.
Many designers are prone to depression or other mental disorders. Take care of your brain and, most importantly, yourself.
15. Stay Grounded.
No matter how good you think you are there'll always be someone better. stay humble and accept that you're not perfect. A designer's ego can easily put up walls that will stunt his growth just because he doesn't want to admit he might be wrong. The moment you think you have nothing to learn is the moment you should quit. Be honest with yourself, admit your flaws and shortcomings and accept that you're probably wrong.
16. Be open to feedback.
If a bunch of people say your game is lacking in some area, but you insist it's perfect, chances are you're wrong. It's hard to take critical feedback, especially when it's right. Loosen up, stay humble, remember you're not as great as you think you are. If players agree that something's wrong, you should probably take a step back to reconsider what you're doing. But don't make the mistake of just doing what your audience expects. If they have an issue with something, figure out why. If people don't like how your game controls, this could mean one of hundreds of things, from how things move in the game to what buttons it uses. When responding to feedback, ask specific questions and try to find the root of the problem. Don't attempt a quick fix by just cutting out the problem.
17. Work with people.
People are nice. Some are good at things you aren’t. Game design uses your whole brain; chances are you’re lacking in some area. Find someone who can fill your hole. In my experience, there's a yin/yang dynamic between a person with a technical mind and one with a creative mind. I've found in this a perfect marriage of ideas and approaches. That's not to say this will be everyone's experience. But I do think it's important to work with at least one other person. The indie game designer can easily become a hermit and having someone else in the room to validate an idea can be the one thing that stops you from becoming that recluse who bathes with bleach.
18. Network.
Talk to other designers, fans, the media about what you're doing. You might gain some perspective on how others view your work, maybe even make a few friends. There's no shame about wanting to talk to people about your work. The biggest misconception is to assume that people don't want to hear about creative folks. They do. Writers love to write about you, fans want to know about your next project, and designers want to share their ideas and experiences with you. Talk!
19. Be excited about your work.
If you can't get excited about something you’ve done, how can you expect others to be? Talk about your work and sell yourself as well as your game. If your work doesn't excite you, why are you doing it? If you're not happy doing what you do, stop. It's impossible to be properly motivated unless you love what you're doing; don't be scared to let that passion spill into the press. Being indie means making your own rules: if your own rules don't excite you, rethink them.
20. Join communities.
Indie game communities are booming: join one. You don’t have to post anything, but reading them will give you an understanding of the dos and don'ts of beginning game development, as well as insight and opinions about design in general.
21. Learn a little about business.
Business sucks ass, but it's important to know something about it so you'll know if you're getting fucked over. This goes hand-in-hand with networking: ask like-minded people about business situations they've been in. Find out how much things go for, percentage cuts, sales numbers and the best places to sell your wares. It's easy to get caught up in a seemingly amazing publishing deal if you have no perspective on how things work, and just as easy to get totally fucked over and lose your intellectual property in the process.
22. Don't worry about being poor.
Indie game designers are starving artists. Be frugal and humble. Again, your goal shouldn't be financial gain first and foremost, If it is, you will most likely fail. A profitable indie game designer is a rare thing. If you value money over "a job well done" then this isn't the field for you.
23. Try to make money.
Selling your work, getting your games sponsored, using online ads or asking for donations are all means of making money from your work. You need money to eat, so try to make some.
24. Have fun.
If you're not having fun then quit. You only live once; there’s no reason to keep doing something if it's not making you happy.
[Edmund McMillen is an independent game designer & illustrator based in Santa Cruz, CA. Best known for his work on Gish, Braid and the upcoming Super Meat Boy. Edmund has also spent the past 6 years working on honing his craft by releasing smaller, more personal online projects like Coil, Aether and Time Fcuk.]
Comments
Good list, even though some points were repeated.
Doing a game You would love to play is probably very important, and being passionate about it. That passion might just infect others.
Posted by: ippa | December 30, 2009 5:07 PM
12. Seems a little silly.
We shouldn't have to be told what audience we want the game to be for.
If I want a kid friendly game, I'll make a kid friendly game.
Posted by: nope | December 30, 2009 5:36 PM
That's a good set of pointers for people who are just starting out. I've hit upon most of these in my thinking before, but it's nice to have a summary like this. I should save it somewhere and read it over once in a while.
I think that 5 and 6 are especially important. You can't be a game designer if you're not making lots of games. Too many newbies try to make the next WoW on their first try.
Posted by: Alex Vostrov | December 30, 2009 5:47 PM
Awesome manifesto.
Nope: 12 doesn't say to only make adult games; it says that you should feel free to make them if you want to.
Posted by: Gregory Weir | December 30, 2009 6:02 PM
Thanks, good advice not only for game developers, but for anyone involved in art/creative work.
Posted by: Bellyache | December 30, 2009 6:26 PM
Practical for some people possibly, but not particularly in line with how I do stuff for the most part. Picking ones that I have no sympathy for, I get : 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 13, 17, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24.
Posted by: increpare | December 30, 2009 6:51 PM
Nice list Edmund. I certainly appreciate the info and will try and take from it what I can.
I think some people become confused because by some helpful and free information that people such as yourself are willing to divulge. Some of the information might seem simple, some may be common sense, and some might have been further from our own thoughts than we even realized making them interesting new ideas that could possibly help or inspire us in new ways.
The reason why I appreciate you doing this list is because it is not only valid but it seems sincere. I think it's important to realize that everything in this list might not be for them, but it might be important for everyone as a reader/viewer/gamer to think about our comments and responses before leaving them since people like you have taken the time to try and help or give advice on something that you're passionate about without expecting anything in return. I know it doesn't seem like much to some people but this is a rare thing, in practice. Though in theory, I think part of the reason people leave quick comments and off the cuff responses because they feel some need to share their two cents, but instead certain people do this by instead trying to make an argument, rather than a discussion, however their intentions may not have been in the wrong place.
I guess what I'm saying is perhaps sometimes it is important not to respond if you don't have anything to add to a discussion and instead have something to dissect from helpful and free information that someone else has left with the whole intention of being helpful and sincere in their opinion and experiences they've gained. As people who leave comments after such posts, it's not important to always have an opinion - when we haven't put much thought into that opinion.
Hopefully someone out there understands what I'm trying to say.
Once again Edmund, thank you for your time and view. Hopefully it will help others in more than one way.
Posted by: Appreciative | December 30, 2009 7:00 PM
Number 2 made me laugh. Video games are not art. Video games will never be art. They may have artwork contained within them sometimes, but games are meant to be games. I will never consider "art" games to be anything more than a developer's excuse to be lazy and pretentious.
Posted by: Wat | December 30, 2009 7:24 PM
Not sure if it was directed at me or not - I did put some thought into my reply. I'll elaborate though:
3: I don't think in terms of passion. There are a lot of feelings I might have about a topic or subject, sometimes making something is a total chore and I feel a large chunk of indifference, but apart from that there's still a part of me that things that such and such should be done.
6 terming anything 'practice' sort of really grates with me. I would never treat anything as practice, or as an exercise (Except as maybe a piece occupying the 'genre' of exercise).
9 Quite often I find myself unable to think about a game when I'm making it. Quite often afterwards I just get a void when I try to think back on stuff I've made (sometimes while I'm still making it). Criticality is present sometimes, but not always, and not something I think is *necessarily* desirable in general.
10 I don't think that people should only play games that they like, but I don't see why anyone *should* play games that they don't want to play. There's a whole lot else they could be doing: there are a lot more things that games in the world.
11: ditto, pretty much. I mean, I've done it a couple of times myself - I guess I'd recommend it to some people sometimes, but I don't see it as at all necessary as a general approach to creating things.
13: blech. I guess I don't have a problem with this, but I don't like the register.
17: I like not working with people. I like working with people, but I like not working with people as well. I do have some people that I talk to about games stuff, but that's not quite the same thing as what you're saying. Also the presence of the technical/creative dichotomy in the point is a total turn-off and pretty anathema to my way of doing things.
18: Network? Reads as 'do marketing' to me. It's not really something that interests me at all. I'm more comfortable without it.
19: Excitement? I don't generally do excitement. It tends to come off a lot as affectation, and is not something I feel to be immanent to the works themselves. I'm usually pretty drained after doing something, and often have a lot of different thoughts about what I've done, none of which tend to be describable as "excitement" (neither do I tend to feel anything like excitement before embarking on a project...generally it's better characterized maybe as a sense of gloom and anxiety). And I don't feel I'm missing out on anything important.
21/23: I don't make money off my stuff, and I don't want to.
24: 'fun' is a word with a lot of bad connotations for me. 'happiness' tends to set off my cynicism gun as well. I don't particular make things for either of these reasons, and for that reason I find myself disagreeing with your "there’s no reason to keep doing something if it's not making you happy" line. I guess I might say I have fun sometimes, or that making some games has made me happy, but neither of these are really imminent to the creative process. Pleasure does come into it at some levels - it frequently diverts the course of games, in both the tools/techniques I use, and the end-content of the game. And I think that's okay. So that'd probably be the closest I could get to 24.
Posted by: increpare | December 30, 2009 7:25 PM
Just to reiterate what I said in my first reply...I think a lot of people might get a lot of stuff from Edmund's advice. I'm just putting my experience out there. (Also I haven't been around on the scene half as long as Edmund (whom I respect as an artist), really just over a year).
(as a qualification to 21/23, in case someone calls me on it yes I do have a day job in the games industry but that's no not what I was talking about)
Posted by: increpare | December 30, 2009 7:35 PM
I really liked this list, it was really inspiring. I've never really thought of game design in all of these ways before and it's great to hear views from an experienced game developer like yourself. #6 hit me the hardest because thinking back to the many, many games I've made, NONE of them were even 1/10 of the way that I wanted it to be. I guess at that time I never fully grasped the idea of a "simple and easy" game prototype. This really helps me out because I've been lurking in the indie-game scene for a couple of years now and I'm thinking of starting to develop indie games myself.
Posted by: michiyo | December 30, 2009 8:05 PM
A very good read . I will bookmark it for later reference . Thank you Mr.McMillen .
Posted by: Alexitrón | December 30, 2009 8:30 PM
Awesome list Edmond. I think I might disagree on #10, though.
Playing other games is useful but lead to you being inspired by other games, instead of by life. And I think being inspired by life is core to being really original.
Posted by: PsySal | December 30, 2009 8:34 PM
12 is number one on my list.
Posted by: cactus | December 30, 2009 9:47 PM
increpare, "Network" just means "make friends with other game developers, portal owners, and reviewers" It's pretty easy since we all love video games. It's also fun and rewarding even if you don't want to make money from your games.
Posted by: Scarybug | December 30, 2009 10:50 PM
Scarybug: re-reading his description, you have a point. The term 'networking' is like a red-flag to me in its connotations, though... .
Posted by: increpare | December 30, 2009 11:24 PM
Thanks for the comments guys, i appreciate the feedback.
Obviously i understand that not everything on this list is going to be ideal for everyone, hence why i started the list with "Take what works for you and leave what doesn't"
do what works for you, this is clearly a list of things ive found useful to me personally over the years.
I feel a lot of things on this list can be helpful in many forms of art.
thanks
-Edmund
Posted by: Edmund | December 30, 2009 11:56 PM
thanks for the advice : )
Posted by: increpare | December 31, 2009 12:21 AM
25. Remake Jumper
Posted by: Franz Ulrich | December 31, 2009 12:43 AM
I was all like fuck yeah 12 and then I got to the part about porn games and I was like :(
Posted by: cmspice | December 31, 2009 12:50 AM
nope: You can make a kid-friendly game by these rules, although the idea is that you shouldn't limit yourself to be kid-friendly. If your full idea doesn't need anything that wouldn't be kid friendly, cool. If you have an idea but you limit it to get a wider audience, bad.
Posted by: FIshyBoy | December 31, 2009 1:17 AM
increpare, I find myself wondering about a lot on your list. You don't design games because they excite you, or because you are passionate about them, or because it is fun, or because it makes you money.... so why exactly do you make them? What other reason do you have?
As for networking/working-with-people/practicing/dissecting-formulas, I can certainly understand why you might not like these things, but as you note in point number 3 (and on this I agree with you), there ARE a lot of things that you might not find fun or be passionate about but you should do anyway because they are either necessary or extremely helpful. I know people who haven't followed points on the list and people who've followed all of them (not just with regards to game design but pretty much any artistic process), and the people who are most successful (both in terms of quality and recognition for that quality) tend to do most of these things.
Also, the "practice" thing doesn't mean you think of any given game as "just practice," it means that you will learn faster if you do a wide variety of short projects than a single monolithic project.
Working with other people doesn't have to be about a technical/creative dichotomy (Edmund points out that was just an example familiar to him). But if you're the only one working on your project, you'll only see problems from one perspective. Simply having someone to bounce ideas off of from time to time can be invaluable.
In general I got the sense that a lot of your reactions had more to do with particular words Ed used than the overal point he was making.
Posted by: Raemon | December 31, 2009 4:12 AM
More like Edmund McTHRILLIN'.
Posted by: Kepa | December 31, 2009 8:35 AM
This list is very insightful and totally encouraging. I often have the habit of forcing myself to finish things i started but didn't keep interest in it. This is going in my bookmarks folder.
Posted by: np | December 31, 2009 8:43 AM
14th one is truly important one :]
Posted by: Kaworu Nagisa | December 31, 2009 10:48 AM
Rule 12 (Grow Up) is a good one, but I argue the flip side: Don't be afraid to make a game with taste.
Posted by: releppes | December 31, 2009 1:33 PM
Awesome list, very encouraging and realistic. Thanks Dude! Maybe I will drop by Santa Cruz, get some armature surfing in, and say hey.
Posted by: Josiah Munsey | December 31, 2009 3:59 PM
"In general I got the sense that a lot of your reactions had more to do with particular words Ed used than the overal point he was making."
What else can I take issue with but words? Words supply both context and subtext in this instance. I don't engage with everything that he said about each point (I frequently agree with him), but the things I engage with I do believe might have an existence in his world-view and that are situated in this list. Regardless of whether he really meant to draw attention to them or not, these are the things that stand out to me as being problematic (they may not be problematic to others).
"What other reason do you have?"
There are some things that I am unable to put name to (but I feel compelled to speak on their behalf nonetheless).
"the people who are most successful (both in terms of quality and recognition for that quality) tend to do most of these things."
Screw quality, screw recognition, screw success.
Posted by: increpare | December 31, 2009 5:04 PM
increpare, I'm pretty sure this isn't your intention (because I'm a fan of your work), but you're coming across as if you hate making games. All this stuff about "excitement" and "heart" and "having fun" can really be boiled down to this: When you make games because you really WANT to make them, it comes across in your work. If you make games out of a sort of rote habit or necessity, the results often feel forced and uninspired. Of course, all this only matters if you're trying to make games that are good for other people to play. If you're making games, but don't think other people should want to play them, then none of this applies at all.
Posted by: StephenM3 | December 31, 2009 5:24 PM
I will consider this advice next time I want to make a flash game for sponsorship or to appeal to particular audience.
However, this advice seems terribly inadequate when I want to make an experimantal games.
I want a list of "dos and donts" for experimental games.
Posted by: mirosurabu | December 31, 2009 7:01 PM
Isn't that kind of the point with "experimental" though, that you shouldn't have any dos and don'ts to follow, you should make your own rules and see what works?
Posted by: Hideous | December 31, 2009 7:03 PM
I have a lot of sympathy for increpare's points (except for the networking one - networking is just finding colleagues, in my view).
Many talented artists throughout history have been driven by an unnameable motivation that was orthogonal or maybe even inimical to quality, success, and recognition.
I don't believe in artistic purity in the way increpare or dessgeega do, and consequently I don't think there's anything wrong with making money or becoming famous through art. But I do wish there were more videogame designers who were interested in this other more inward-looking dimension.
But increpare, I sometimes hope you can get a better grip on what you're aiming at, because I sometimes get the sense that you are repulsed by your own games when they fail to satisfy your ineffable goals. I think that has to work against your progress toward those goals, somehow.
Posted by: Bennett | December 31, 2009 7:41 PM
Rule 12 (Grow Up) is a good one, but I argue the flip side: Don't be afraid to make a game with taste.
That so many people seem to think this is the flip side would suggest that 12 should be one to really think about. Maturity is a refinement and development of ideas and emotions; plenty of works of literature have been made in a way that appeals to children, but communicate concepts only adults can appreciate. Overcoming the rather immature take on maturity that most of gaming's audience (and designers) seem to have is a very noble goal.
Posted by: vonlenska | December 31, 2009 8:12 PM
I didn't like being depression! #14 is right! Be less mental!
Posted by: Aubrey | December 31, 2009 8:52 PM
Re points 10/11
A quote from Terry Pratchett (that's interesting irregardless of what you think of fantasy):
"If you are going to write, say, fantasy - stop reading fantasy. You've already read too much. Read other things; read westerns, read history, read anything that seems interesting, because if you only read fantasy and then you start to write fantasy, all you're going to do is recycle the same old stuff and move it around a bit. The next thing you know you've got a dark lord and there is no help for you."
Posted by: Anonymous | December 31, 2009 11:25 PM
I can sort of understand just having an inescapable compulsion to create that has a slightly different context than "fun," "passion" or "excitement." I'm not sure what you mean but I can at least imagine it. But when you go on to say "Screw quality, screw recognition, screw success," I just don't understand what it is you're trying to accomplish. Quality in particular, since it's at least open to a different interpretations. If you don't care about quality and you don't care about money or recognition, by what metric do you measure yourself at all? If you don't judge your own work and try to improve in some way, then there's basically no point in following any kind of advice at all
With regards to my "you seem to be taking issue with words as opposed to the actual statement" I was actually referring less to the "fun/excitement/passion" stuff and more about the "networking/practice/technical-creative-dichotomy." The impression I got was that something about the buzzwords themselves irked you that wasn't actually relevant in the context they were used in.
Posted by: Raemon | January 1, 2010 2:58 AM
Regarding other various points of discussion: I actually didn't like the wording of number 12 either. It wasn't necessarily bad advice but most people I know actually had the opposite problem, randomly inserting violence/profanity/etc into works that didn't need them. I think that "Grow Up" is legitimate advice but the point should have addressed both sides of the coin. You're not 5 anymore, but you also (probably) aren't in middle school either. Swear words, extreme violence and sex don't make most games better. Is it really that common a problem for indie developers to be restricting themselves to G-rated content?
As for the "playing a lot of games" thing, I think the key is to play a lot of gameS, as opposed to playing any particular game a lot. I agree with the Terry Pratchett quote to some degree: you should be drawing a lot of your inspiration from sources other than games. But you should still know what kinds of things have already been tried so you know you're not re-inventing the wheel. If you have a cool idea, chances are someone has done something similar and you should be willing to borrow the parts that are amazingly good while putting your own spin on it. If everyone worked in isolation, we'd probably still have a lot of FPS and sidescrollers out there, but people would have had to develop them all independently, wasting a lot of time that could have been spent pushing other boundaries.
Posted by: Raemon | January 1, 2010 3:10 AM
"If you don't care about quality and you don't care about money or recognition, by what metric do you measure yourself at all?"
Whilst I obviously can't answer for Stephen, I can answer this for myself. Getting the idea out of my head and onto the screen is far more important a factor for me than anything else. If it turns out to be an idea with some merit (however one might choose to define that on a personal level), then ace. If it isn't, at least it's out of my head.
But crucially, I don't measure myself on the body of my work and wouldn't care to either. It doesn't define me. There are far more important things in life to worry about, y'know?
Posted by: RobF | January 1, 2010 6:38 AM
I think that's a fair statement. But if all you care about is getting ideas from your head to the screen (without worrying about improving the quality of those ideas over time) then there's no piece of advice that's going to matter to you one way or another. This advice was targeted to people who presumably are trying to improve in SOME way or another, otherwise they wouldn't be reading a column full of advice.
While I do sort of measure myself by the body of my game and visual art work, there are other creative works where I don't specifically measure "myself" (as in, my own worth is dependent on their being good), but I still try to make them as good as they can be, and most of the advice in this column is relevant to some degree. (This includes music, writing, sculpting, etc). Some things I might not worry about as much. I don't go around networking with sculptors and bouncing ideas off people when I just want to play with clay for a while, but even then I still know that doing so would improve the quality of my work.
Posted by: Raemon | January 1, 2010 6:57 AM
I answered the explicit question of "How do you measure yourself at all?",
You seem to assume that makes me some sort of lost cause who can never better myself because my focus is elsewhere and I contend the opposite. That I improve precisely because none of these things are primary motivators. I still experience things, I still learn things, I still progress. I -live-.
I have the freedom to create and to see where the road leads from that creation. If I were to concentrate on anything else, it'd be limiting and I do not wish to limit myself in that manner.
I value that freedom far too much. It's precious stuff and aspiring to nebulous and arbitrary goals isn't for me. It's not how or how I could ever choose to work. YMMV, naturally, but the implication that somehow it's stunting is rather insulting when I find it personally anything but.
Posted by: RobF | January 2, 2010 3:11 AM
I love this list. It's fucking amazing, and exactly where I am right now.
Thanks for writing it.
- Michael Todd
Posted by: Spyeart | January 2, 2010 2:27 PM
I apologize. I am actually feeling pretty bad that my first comments on this website are basically criticizing people I don't know for creative processes I don't fully understand.
I've gone and played some of increpare's games and have a better idea of what he's going for. (I didn't really have any issue with your statement in isolation, my negativity was directly, whether appropriately or not, at him). The psychologist game in particular I can imagine having the idea in my head and just wanting to get it out, and see where it naturally takes me, and I can see where "passion," "excitement" and "fun" aren't quite the right words to describe why you'd do it.
For the rest of his points (I don't know how much you agreed with them) I think I stand by my statement but want to clarify what I meant.
If you're primary goal is just to get ideas out of your head and see where the creative juices flow, then the results of your efforts will not be something easily measured, period. That doesn't mean they're useless, or that you won't improve. Lots of important things are hard to measure. Creativity can be its own reward, and there are plenty of ways to improve that AREN'T on the list.
But systematic improvement of your skills (the sort of thing you read advice columns to get better at) requires you to be able to measure your work somehow and approach the improvement of your work as a sort of metagame. If that's not something that concerns you, that's fine, but then you are not really the target demographic of an advice column.
Increpare's original statement, before I had any sense of who he was or why he makes games, reminded me a lot of people I know who DO care about measuring their work and improving it (to a point where it can either make money or least be widely accepted as enjoyable/interesting/meaningful), but are simply too lazy to do the work. But I think both the original article and Increpare's statement used the phrase "Indie Games" to mean something two different things.
Posted by: Raemon | January 2, 2010 6:59 PM
I am mostly to my surprise following in Raemon's tracks while reading the above comments (also googling for increpare's work), and the discussion was a very pleasant read.
Personally I would like to mention or note to most people claiming their arbitrary way of 'measuring their quality' or judging their work by their own contention that it's great you are on the internet, it is a wonderful place where everything is good. However I must side with Raemon, becoming better, practise, learning thus not reinventing the wheel (however not simply copying but understanding the concept), understanding your own context, is as much 'limiting' or 'burdening' as growing up and time is; we will all pass on one day maintaining whichever attitude we please. I for one prefer a more reasonable (though) autistic attitude towards value and whenever possible rather take more into account than less.
Posted by: Alexander | January 3, 2010 2:12 PM
I really quite enjoyed perusing this list, but I have to concur that 12 could have perhaps used a little more depth.
Whilst people shouldn't be afraid to make an adult game, they shouldn't feel as though they have to to survive in the indie community, either.
And to be honest, some of my favourite games have been those presented as kiddie games -- with a distinct lack of smut and violence -- yet have managed to be challenging.
My rule 12 would have said something like this: Don't be afraid to make a challenging game. You're grown up, so there's no harm in making a game that involves philosophical, emotional, ethical, or even political dilemmas. You can take such things and handle them in an intelligent way, and present them to people in a way that would make them think in ways they otherwise wouldn't.
That's what defines a mature game, for me. I ofte find that overuse of smut and violence can either try to hide or stamp out any imagination or creativity in an endeavour. That's just my opinion, but Dragon Age was a game filled to breaking point with smut and violence, and it bored me to tears.
I think that if one is making a mature game, then one shouldn't insult the intelligence of those enjoying their games, they should be brave and challenge people.
Make them think, make them consider, open their minds, make them feel!
Just my opinion and my odd Welsh two pence, but there you go!
Posted by: Wulf | January 3, 2010 2:23 PM
@ wulf: i think that that was what edmund meant by "an adult game". (although of course there's often sex and violence in his games)
Posted by: fuzz | January 3, 2010 6:17 PM
True, but I felt the point became obfuscated by a tangent within 12 itself, either that or it wasn't specific enough to what I felt was a mature game. >.>;
Either way, I just wanted to speak up in regards to my thoughts. As a mature game is often one which we come away from with that special condition where we're unable to stop thinking about the things it posed, the dilemmas and scenarios it posited, how it made us feel, and so on.
These things are so important. They've been largely forgotten by the mainstream, except for small niches. So I'm hoping that's something the indie community will pick up on. And if I ever developed a game, what I said there would be my motto.
"Make them think, make them consider, open their minds, make them feel!"
Posted by: Wulf | January 3, 2010 6:36 PM
Good article, but I'd like it better if it didn't assume all designers were male (ie, "he/his" being the default pronouns).
Posted by: Alexandra | January 4, 2010 9:51 PM
The list is ok, but like you said, it is nothing more than an opinion.
Many people in indie game dev don't actually view their games as art, but as entertainment and business.
In my experience, it is also good to pursue a good income. It is not good just to bring food on the table, but also to hire experienced freelancers. This is a good thing in general. If more money circulates the indie and freelance scene, more people will be able to do it for a living with a comfortable lifestyle (not dirt poor), giving them more room to experiment and feel happy. If no one brings money into the indie scene, the group will stay poor as a whole, limiting options (and yes, I do think money brings a lot of options in game creation).
But again, just an opinion.
Posted by: Victor | January 7, 2010 8:31 AM
I agree with each point of this list... all you need is passion and work, work, work.
Posted by: agou | January 25, 2010 10:23 AM