How 'Game Dev Tycoon' Reminded Me To Keep Going
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As you can tell by the lack of posts, I've been struggling lately. To be honest, I've been so busy these past few months that I haven't had much time or energy to dedicate to writing: I'm in my last semester of university and preparing to move out to the Pacific Northwest; I got a new job at a pretty sweet student-run multimedia company; and I've been trying to keep my life in order amidst it all. But I'll admit, that's no excuse. And I feel ashamed that I haven't posted anything on here in so long.
I haven't really been able to enjoy video games like I used to--at least on my computer. The past couple of days, I've been playing on my old original PS2 with my roommates, having picked up a used copy of Dynasty Warriors 6 as a birthday gift to myself. It's been a while since its release (circa 2007 or 2008, if memory serves), and though I've played plenty of its predecessors, I never got tired with them. Hell, even now, I can spend hours just beating the crap out of wave after wave of hapless soldiers as Zhou Yu or Gan Ning (Wu FTW, amirite?). If it's one thing I'll give Koei is that they knew how to make good sequels, essentially having remade the same game over and over again and yet still make it even more fun (Activision, take notes).
It wasn't until the introduction of DLC and microtransactions that games started to really lack the soul that used to be so common in games made a decade ago. Don't get me wrong: there are quite a few games made in the past couple of years that are truly works of art. But with so many games out there to choose from, not to mention the rise of Early Access--the scheme of selling half-made games with no true guarantee of ever completing them or delivering on promises--it's kinda got me down. We've become complacent with mediocrity.
I mean, think about it. When was the last time you played a game where you could unlock extra characters or features, just by playing the game (i.e. completing challenges or campaigns)? When was the last time a game truly challenged you, that it forced you to save only at select locations or when you're dead, it really is game over? When did you last play a game that didn't need to be patched almost immediately out of the gate (or several times over, for that matter)? And really think about this.
I ask myself these questions often and I won't lie, I get pretty depressed thinking about it. And this depression among the rest of the chaos that is my soon-to-be-post-grad-life has killed my drive to write about much of anything. But, as you can tell by this very post I get over it, and I suppose the title spoiled what prompted me to sit down and buck up.
HA. IT WASN'T JUST GAME DEV TYCOON! One of my roommates challenged me that I couldn't post something before midnight (at least, in Central time) and I'm no loser. I'm not a betting man and I don't accept losing well. But as I first sat down, I was scrolling through my list of games and Game Dev Tycoon caught my eye.
If it's one lesson you ought to derive from that game, it's that running a business isn't easy. If it was, any schmuck can do it. As this whole Early Access watering-down of quality has proven--as well as Greenheart Games' (the makers of Game Dev Tycoon) success as an indie developer--the games that stick out are the ones made with a passion for gaming rather than making money.
If you're unfamiliar, you begin as a game developer, programming in his (or her) garage. Though the game has no true indication of time (you just start on Year 1, Month 1, Week 1), it's safe to assume you're one of the pioneers of a burgeoning industry. You start with a modest amount of money, trying to make successful games that are subject to scrutiny by your fans and critiques. As you make progress, you can spend time and resources expanding your studio, researching new features, building new game engines, and doing marketing and review research to make your games even better.
It's pretty hard the first few times if you don't know what you're doing. If you don't give development the right focus for the right genre, for the right audience on the right platform, you can easily make or break your company. And despite the hours I've put in, I still haven't managed to win.
But how does this relate to Start 2 Continue and my own dilemma? Well, like I said, trying to start to build something is tough. Everyone has goals: whether it's weight loss or saving up for that vacation you've always wanted, everyone at some point in time has had aspirations and dreams to chase after. Mine is working with video games and/or writing. But like everything worth anything in life, you have to keep at it. You have to push yourself, even on the days that you don't want to, because it isn't a matter of want. It's a matter of need. If you have a passion for something, lose yourself in it. After all, if you work doing something you love, you don't work a day in your life. Or at least, that's what I've been told.
Playing a simulator about making games, trying to get the best reviews, reminded me about how that can be me (the reviewing part, obviously). This isn't unattainable, so long as I work at it. Nothing's necessarily impossible so long as you put your mind to it. And while I'm being candid with you, I can't promise I'll write more in the immediate future, though know that I will try. Definitely after I've relocated in Washington, but I'll do my best in the meantime to write some more interesting things to read. While you're waiting though, what's something that you've felt the need to start, but not pushed yourself to do?
Take it from me: just get one of your roommates to call you out on you being a lazy schlep and prove 'em wrong. You'll be grateful for it in the end.
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