After working on my weird shooter game for 5 years, I realized I’m never going to be finishing this project. In this video I explain why I’ve decided to quit my game and what is next.
A project that’s never released or monetized is a hobby. We all need hobbies. And it seems like this one was extraordinarily developmental because it taught you a lot about what goes into a game. It also taught you about videos, building in public, and setting expectations.
I hope you don’t see it as a negative and instead ask something like going to University on steroids. If you decide to develop a game to completion in the future, you’re going to be that much further down the road
At least opensource it, bro. Don’t let it rot.
This is extremely relatable for me. My game dev projects are basically just me entertaining myself by implementing difficult or interesting things that I’ll never release. I’ve been in the exact same position as this guy more than a few times, and have basically accepted that I’m probably never going to actually release a game lol. I have a lot of cool prototypes that never turned into a real game, even when I tried scaling down to something smaller. Luckily, I’ve gotten good at identifying when it’s time to move on before dumping years into polishing an incomplete concept (iirc, my longest project was nearly ten years long!)
Maybe some day I’ll partner with a designer to help me get over the inevitable design barrier, but honestly I’m pretty happy with the prototypes I have made over the years. Some are very unique, some are technical achievements, and some are even fun. I’m not motivated by the idea of profiting from any of this. They’re just arts and crafts projects to me, like old doodles you’d keep in a box somewhere. I’m fortunate to be able to do this without worrying about making a profit from it, and hope other people find a way to get into this for the sake of it too. It is a uniquely rewarding hobby.
I find itch.io to be a great resource not just for games as a “finished product” but for prototypes as well. The regular gamejams contribute to this - a platform of many prototypes. They don’t need the polish and coherence you’d want to invest and publish on Steam.
Have you considered publishing your prototypes?
Even as only a player, some prototypes make for very interesting playful exploration, even if it’s short. For a technological, creative, and inspiration they can be a treasure trove as well.
Oh it’s that alien spider climbing game! I remember seeing that back on Reddit, will watch this later because I’m curious what’s next after spending so long on one project
Edit: sounds like the project was big, I’m not sure a footstep decal system is important for playtesting buuuut their next project sounds like it’s going smoother!
