how to pick better indie game ideas

I needed to hear this....

"Its impossible to be learning and excelling at the same time" -- beautifully put!

One thing I think you hit on that most of the advice of start small misses is that the end goal should be your big game. The only difference I give is that you should choose small games that include systems your big game needs. If you know your big game is going to have point and click nav mesh movement, then make a small game that includes that. Your learning skills that are specific to your big game and also have the motivation to finish the small game because it is working directly towards the end goal.

This is so true, since I started pixel art for my game, I have all these ideas and mechanics and art styles I have. Now I realize everytime I fail to do what I meant to, it's not a waste of time at all, with every idea I learn a new skill, or a new tool, or why something fails, etc. It's actually become so fun to just think of ideas, try them, and fail but see why, then try to implement that. I think a good strategy though for people with big ideas and just starting is, just start a diary. You get a cool idea for a mechanic, or class, character, game, etc, write it down somewhere, make a really simple version of it, or look for other games with similar things. Even if you don't touch it for years, it keeps excitement to have these Idea somewhere, because with every little skill you get, you can see how it would implement into this idea and it feels a little closer.

Looking at that graph I just kept thinking about how my very first game, made in unity, was... guess what? An atmospheric horror/walking sim game. And I did learn SO much from making it. This series is so fascinating. It's great to see stories of people getting their feet into game dev and hearing what lessons they've learned, and you have such a great way to showcase and talk about those.

Wow man, you really have a way of putting thoughts into words. You are so right, it’s a marathon and if you aren’t taking things step by step then you aren’t going anywhere. Can’t wait to see more from this channel

As a psychopath working on his own engine for the past... 9 years, I agree with most of this advice. More to the point, though, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to game development. If you're completely new, just develop short games that motivate you without much hope of commercial success. If you come in with a lot of experience, then leverage that for your first project. Think critically, weigh the advice of others, be as smart as you can be and follow your own path. Some advice from the art world - don't practice drawing arbitrary stuff, but practice drawing the things you ultimately want to draw. Want to be a character illustrator? Then don't spend forever practicing environment art (and vice-versa). So if you wanna make a huge FPS one day, maybe break it down into elements you want to learn, or just use a bunch of libraries for most of it, and make those games first. Then graduate to big-daddy game later.

I really like how these tips on game design can also apply to day to day life. Very well done video man!

I love the message of this video, super inspirational. Excited to see where this leads you!

It is crazy how many people i see on youtube that start with their dream game. My first games were not great it was my 5 th game maybe I actually felt proud of but all the games tought me so much about programing design and art that making games today is so much more fullfilling. Really awesome video!

Subbed. Looking forward to seeing how your game comes along! I started a game over two years ago now (a 2d space shooter). Be warned: things take longer than you think! (I thought it would take 9 months!) I would advise looking at the team sizes of the type of game you want to make and how long it took them to do it. Also write down absolutely everything that you plan to put in the game; every system, piece of art, animation & sound effect etc -Then how long you think it will take for each thing and adjust accordingly. I'm pretty much at a point where the game I'm working on is pretty much finished except the art needs polishing, bug fixes and just a couple of more features (like controller remapping and localisation etc). Good luck! Run the marathon! 😎.

I've noticed that when people stay in the same genre, they rapidly get much better. What I've seen work is to release a smaller and tightly-scoped game, but for free. Then to focus on improving that for a while, with close attention to community feedback (a critical skill). Then make a slightly larger game in the same genre, and keep releasing/improving them for free... until the quality and content is there. Then charge, but now you will have the full support of a community behind you!

Such a well put togheter video! Your advise really speaks to me, as I would really love to voice act in video games and animation, but i also feel the same anxiety when looking at the path towards it. Taking things slow and improving piece by piece is something i comepletely agree with. The bigest hurdle for me though is getting over the feeling that i suck, because i am very self-contious and self-critical and it can be tough realizing that you will not always suck and that you will improve. But i guess it is something that just needs a simple acceptance. Really hope the best for you and your souls-like project!

one of the best game dev videos ive watched 4 minutes in. straight up just saying how it is.

This is good stuff. I kept getting caught up in big dreams and I realized I needed to keep it small at first. So this week I've been making an FPS level. Nothing crazy. I don't even want to make an FPS but it's helping me get more comfortable with unreal and learn different skills that I can transfer to other projects

just starting out and my end goal is to just have fun whit a game i made

I learned a lot from your experiences by listening to this video. Past week I've been slacking on my coding because I developed the gaming itch that I could use what programming skills I already have and create my first game. Not knowing how complicated it could be. Figured that out now from listening to your story on your journey. Figured out that the idea was just a hobby idea and that deep down inside I would rather focus on what I've been already doing, making mobile apps. Thanks for sharing your story.

While this was a well put together video and you obviously put a lot of thought into it. I don't think I can ever get behind the idea of underselling passion. This comes with the territory. A passion idea or project might fail. But I'd much rather fail doing what I want, than trying for something less. As long as you are ok with the very real possibility that you will fail. But as long as you fail upwards, the stigma of failing becomes learning. And the fear of doing what you want can dissolve. And yes, compartmentalization helps. I would tell my younger self that I can still build towards something big, while compartmentalizing the work into tools, and skills that will be required for that project. But it can still be that game you want to make, one day.

No bullshit, straight to the point, explanatory, and supportive. Thank you!

Only time I watched a game dev video that made me hungry 😂