Why is it that people on this forum quit what they like doing? Thread

Hello

I am talking about making games and things connected to it obviously.
I used to be very active,I tried to learn everything so that I could if I had to create a game I wanted by myself.

After a bit of struggle,lets say 4 years it seems like I lost the sparkle and now after a long while just out of boredom I visited many accounts that were very active and interesting when I was around and they too seem to have moved on.

It's almost like this place has become the place where game creation dreams come to die.
Or is it that people are considering these things hobbies and then they replace them with others.
All things considered its quite sad.

I remember how excited I was when I first discovered this site(more correctly moddb).
How excited I was when we were working on the game.
I would spend whole days doing 3dmodels aka learning.
The biggest problem with making games was keeping people working on the game for free.
Everyone would love the idea of xyz game,but when said game wasnt completed in like 1,2months people would slowly back out and disappear.
Which is the reason why I even tried to learn it all rather than just focusing on 3d modeling.
Still,for the most part people kept coming and going so you kinda accept that is how things are.
Anyways,I derailed into a trash memory lane...

Good night

Quit, no, just adjusting. (I joined indiedb, and will never give up hope)
Working for free is a paradox. The entertainment/video game is a multi-billion industry.
Sure, I started small, making maps (Duke 3D, Quake etc). Then started tinkering with the game dynamics. Then making my own actors. Animate them. Then switching to different engines and so on.

But there is the real life. Feed the kids and even myself. Thus, instead of joining yet another team, I work on my own until I can justify hiring more talents to make my game.

As for moddb, those are very talented hobbiest, who instead of wasting time watching TV, do something marvelous. I say win win for everyone

Edited by: Taamalus

I will just respond like this since I dont know how to quote on this forum.
I used to be just like you,I thought I would never quit.
I dreamt of creating a studio for making games sorta like we start doing games for free and fun and slowly move up to an actual studio and start making games to earn money.
And as time went on and people came and went I picked more and more roles on myself and everything that I learned was by myself and looking at tutorials.
And as I had more roles it became harder and harder to move forward with the project and learning.

Besides that I also used to help out bunch of other indies with 3d models because at the end of the day 3d modeling is what I wanted to do the most and had the most experience with.
And so I lost the strength to keep going and so my dream is on hold now.

Also,I joined moddb first because of esf,but I was always more interested in making actual games than modding games.

Making games is hard, projects can drag on, it gets boring, no one's really taking any interest, the kids need feeding, rent needs paying, dishes need washing, there's a new show to binge watch on netflix and it's just really easy to give up.

Or people realise that they don't enjoy it and do something else that scratches the creative itch.

I've also seen this with friends in other creative areas, whether it's writing a novel, designing furniture, learning to play an intruments or whatever. It all starts of with an initial flurry of excitement, the big statement of "I'm going to spend an hour every day..." but when I ask them about it six months later they say they're still in the planning stages and then a year later they've given up. It can get a little awkward as they explain why they've quit.

Personally, I'm kinda getting used to dealing with the low point half way through a project and it's about finding a way to get through it.

I guess by your standards I lasted quite long ehehe.
6 years total,4 years I was excited,then the two years I just couldnt get back into it.
I wanted to do it,but simply imagining the hurdles and mission impossibles ahead of me in order for me to reach a goal were just too much.

Anyways,I wanted to point out with this topic that this site is more so a hobby thing than a true indie or at least what I would consider an indie developer.
And most of the games you see get started here will probably die in a year or two.
Maybe I am wrong.

I've just finished making my adventure game, and as much as I would love to start making another one after a little break, it's likely I won't make enough to sustain me making another game. I've been doing it full time living off my savings. Visibility has been difficult for me. I could have spent more time plugging it whilst I was making it, but that would take up the time I had making it! I did everything on my own except for 4 voice over characters. So music, graphics, design, puzzles, dialogue etc.

I don't know if I will ever make another game, but I'm damn proud of what I achieved, regardless of if it becomes a success or not. If I've saved my signature correctly, said game should be there! Trails and Traces: The Tomb of Thomas Tew.

If this was 1970 your game would be pretty good ehehe.
Honestly the best part of it all are the animations and voice acting.

I did work under a team which "published" an android game about beyblade.
Lemme search it up.
Play.mob.org
I created at least 50% of the beyblades and if the game still has credits I should be under it with my real name.
I did also make some pokemons for that one game that was hot on this site - I forgot the name.
So yea I do have some things I can look back at with enjoyment and happiness as well.

If things could be a bit more serious aka if this site could turn into something like patreon/indie games maybe this site would produce more games and possibly of better quality.
On one site where I download games I often see people commenting "another trash indie game,cmon crack xyz game"
I really wish I could muster the strength/will to go back and continue from where I left.

Well, I started studying to be a practical nurse and it's taken all the time from game development, which didn't give me any income, so I had to think of something else to do. Hopefully I can return back to game development later or dedicate one day every week for it. So far that thought didn't work, had too many school assignments.

Which is why I thought making this site into something like patreon and similar sites would help because there would be some income for the team and thus you could spend more time on game development.
And on top of that we will boost the game quality,game variety and maybe even prices of games overall.
You can still make mandatory that there is a free beta version of the game or something or leave it up to the creators whenever they want to ask people money for development or not.
I have seen some pretty crappy porn games being paid for trough patreon.
If that can fly then this site is filled with future games that have nice potential.

I'll never let go of my mouse, but no new hobbies didn't come calling. I went through a lot and it got me away for long enough for the engine I used to be on it's deathbed by the time I got back

ModDB has always been nwo and non-oldschool, but the usere's haven't

I started reading these posts and without a doubt I was like, "Yeah that's me".

A long-long-long-long time ago I started a "Cronix Games" profile when I was a little brat. I was working on a mess of an FPS, "Taking Point" (Lol it's still on IGN.com) I was SO AMAZED by the support of the community. 300+ watchers, etc.

The community would literally LIFT you.

Now, since I've been fired from my last job that I despised with all my heart (I was good at it, it was just the people that got on my nerves; not where I belonged simply), I started Vicci Games October 27, 2019. OFFICIALLY. Meaning incorporated. FINALLY. I have always wanted this dream of running my own studio despite the hardships ahead. So, I have to ask: Why did it take so long for me to come back to what I was truly meant for?

Simply said, I don't know. However, judging by the many similar responses here it was frankly due to well....Life.

I think I see this website as almost dead as far as prospects go. There's A LOT of developers here compared to before, but just not as many viewers.

I'd honestly like to know another good site so I can double up on the publication lol.

Much love, and may we never turn from our dreams.