I've noticed a recent trend among so called "indie projects". Company names are cropping up everywhere. "Dark Storm interactive" "Red Paradox studios" " Something sinister + Something vaguely metaphysical" . (I pulled those concepts out of my ass in as much time as it took to type them)
They have awesome websites full of buzzwords and industry jargon like "Dynamic combat" or "Tactical Context Sensitive Inventory buttons!" and rattle off impossibly long and intricate lists of planned features and revolutionary new gameplay mechanics. The vast majority of these "studios" also seem to be unfunded zero experience amateurs working out of their parent's basement.
Enough already. We get it, Unity is cool. UDK is cool. The notion of making a game of your own is cool. Rather than focusing on what really matters ( Coming up with a small scale, humble, manageable concept and then slaving away on it for months) These guys seem to be caught up in the notion that game development is some glamorous activity that more or less does itself. Assuming your feature list is comprehensive enough and your company logo with the eagle holding a machine gun is cool enough, you'll have a top seller in no time! Right?
Here's a wake up call :
Game development is sitting on your ass in a worn leather chair for 10 hours a day, smelling of microwaveable meals and body odor. It is months on end of painful trial and error where even the most basic of features is a struggle against seemingly impossible odds. It is spending so much time away from friends and social activities that every time you do go out, you're awkward as hell around people. If you have a snappy website and a sweet feature list , good for you. You either have way too much goddamn time on your hands, or you've attracted a sizable support staff with a vivid imagination.
