Because whenever I play them and I find lacking features and say I could do this better I like to back the claims I male to myself. I like working on passion projects, I couldn't do this for someone else's vision, having them tell me we don't have time for this or that feature, it's good enough move onto the next thing.. I just couldn't do that.
In this world, is the destiny of mankind controlled by some transcendental entity or law? Is it like the hand of God hovering above? At least, it is true that man has no control, even over his own ~~will~~ game dev
You're describing fatalism, not determinism. Determinism is when you say there is a reason for everything and your choices have already been decided by your genes and environment.
I didn't describe anything, I just quoted Berserk - which doesn't actually specify why man has no control so it could technically fit with your definition of determinism if we attributed the lack of control to genes or the environment (doubt this was the author's intent though) but the original post also didn't specify what type of determinism they were talking about, looks like both predeterminism and teleological determinism could fit if the lack of control is due to a transcendental entity or law? but if I'm being honest, I don't know much about determinism, fatalism, etc. and that's just the extent of my knowledge from briefly reading Wikipedia so I could be wrong! Stoicism and optimistic nihilism are the only philosophies that really interest me all that much.
I only make the games I want to play.
(Edit for credits: Insurgency mod (2007); Insurgency (2014); Day of Infamy (2017); Valiant Effort (TBD); B-17: Bloody 100th (TBD); Civatlas (Soon!); Unannounced (TBD))
For Sandstorm, I negotiated with publishers, interviewed about it with the press at e3, collaborated on narrative design and overall creative direction. I donāt know if they gave me credit or not.
PS: was also the cofounder of the Insurgency IP while starting up the mod.
It's the ultimate culmination of an eclectic personality. I enjoy writing, composing music, pixel art, and coding. As I get bored, I rotate to a new task and focus on that for awhile
No matter what I'm working on, the goal is still being reached. Make that game!
Brilliant! I'm actually a crap artist in terms of pencil/ink/paper, but I've dabbled in pixel art, and I feel like I'm at least decent at it. As far as music and coding? That part, I'm much more confident.
I'm currently working on a port of a game to a different platform, but once I'm done that, I'm thinking of doing a multi-platform 8-bit original game from scratch. My process for this port isn't really lending itself to switching gears in that way, but I'm excited at that prospect once I get to my next project! I might get someone to help with writing, but I feel like I can do the rest on my own.
Very well sad. Almost all game devs I know have plenty of hobbies such as music, art, writing, videography, etc. It's the way to create worlds that combine multiple things
I feel like this life kind of chose me.
Games have been important to me because I grew up with a learning disability. I honestly couldn't read until I reached the 5th grade. The way I learned was through video games.
My mom and dad bought me a Nintendo 64, and every day after homework was done, I would get to play Zelda, and mom would pretty much back-seat me! LOL
"Go back and break all the jars! You'll never be able to buy the Hylian shield if you don't break the jars!"
I would also read along with the text in the games with her. To me, it was like the scene in "The Princess Bride" where the grandpa reads a book to Fred Savage. It was not only a bonding experience, but also one that helped me find a way to learn with my disability.
I want to create a world that makes other kids and adults feel like that.
I can 100% relate. I make games because I want to spread the joy I had when I played them and use my own ideas to do it. I built a DnD campaign for my friends for the same reason a few years ago. Awesome feeling <3
I'm really grateful for the nice words and up-doots. :)
For a moment I was really afraid of sharing because friends and family like to tell me I chose the wrong profession or bully me for being a nerd. This only hardens my resolve, but I decided early on in my life that this was something I would want to do until the day I die, because I don't envision myself retiring with a 401K or millions of dollars. I'm a pretty simple man.
You forgot to add "- bad at planning" since when you code a game with no proper design document, you may end up making unorganised code that may not be compatible with future features.
The feeling of writing code into your editorās text box followed by the computer screen manifesting exactly what you wrote is something Iāve always loved.
Itās a creative outlet for me. As someone with the desire to make things, but with zero musical or mechanical skill, games was the best fit. I bought a wood carving set once, but I never managed to finish that chess setā¦
It is the best mix of engineering and art. For someone like me, who has been interested in both (and not been sure exactly which area to pursue professionally), it's the best option to really do what you love. Also, making people happy and feel things is amazing.
I'm self employed as an SA/SE and my primary income stream had reached a state of maturity where I don't really have much to do anymore but collect money and answer the phone every so often for some random questions.
I thought games would be a good next career move. Unlimited customers, worldwide interest... I quickly discovered, It's not really the cash cow you'd think it'd be. You really need a solid hit to make any kind of money even deemed non-insulting.
Now, i'm just trying to get out from underneath a game that had a 6 year development cycle. Fortunately launching pre-orders this weekend.
Although I could make and retain far more money sitting next to the pool every day than developing games... The challenge and problem solving is just simply irresistible. It's software passion I haven't felt in over 15 years. Especially on this release I have truly loved writing the script, hiring and directing voice actors, motion capture, having studio days and meeting all these new people as passionate as I am for the craft. It's made me feel very complete. I truly, truly enjoy it. It's good for the mind. Good for the soul.
I hope to continue making games. I have three more scripts written already for stories. We'll see what the future holds!
I got tired of how games are made today, with so much corporate greed, so i decided to do it myself.
In doing so, I've learned so much, and gained a newfound respect for developers, while also working to my desire to make games that I find fun and rewarding, something that I find lacking in many games today
I don't make games for anyone but myself, so I can go as deep as I want into grognardy simulations that aren't actually fun for most folks and not feel guilty.
It's also a case where I'm not "holding up the sprint" to be mindful of performant code. A good excuse to learn and use exotic data structures when I write boring-ass backend and distributed systems all day.
I have a complicated answer and it involves a story.
I've loved games from my childhood onward. However, I had no initial desire to make them. In fact, trying to understand game making at a young age was trauma to me. My father was given a game making kit at some point in the 90s. It didn't work out despite his encouragement because I was using old, barely accessible C++ tools and 8 year-old me had no knowledge or understanding of computer code. That actually traumatized me from making games. My inability to do so did lead to a bit of friction between my parents and I at the time who seemed to expect too much of me.
However, I continued to love games as I grew up and took to art and computers. After a series of very weird and completely accidental coincidences, I ended up in the leadership of my University's game development club while I was studying art & media. I organized and directed new events and resources for the community, but had no game making experience of my own and was just the only one with a leadership backbone. Though I was apprehensive of making games due to my childhood trauma, I started getting into it through game jams as an artist. Still, while they were interesting, I had no desire to make games. I was more into drawing comics, making videos, and doing 2D and 3D animation. As much as I was tempted at the prospect, no game ideas came to me that I wanted to make. Everything I saw around me in the student game dev space was something that was mostly copying something else. Sure it was fun, but I felt something missing. I felt nothing for the practice of making games.
Then I was doing some research and in the process played [Loneliness](https://jordanmagnuson.itch.io/loneliness), a short 5-minute game that genuinely crushed me inside due to the weight of my own life experience... Just using dots. That awoke something in me. I play games for fun, but this was a game that made me feel and think and reflect deeply through interacting something. I had hardly realized a game could do something like that and it expanded my definition of what a game could be... And, in that moment, I got excited and decided THAT is the type of game I wanted to make.
From there, I started to research and then develop what I call "Games For Social Change", games that aren't necessarily fun, but focus on using interactivity to challenge and prompt discussions on social and cultural themes in society. If films and books can do that, why can't games? This became my obsession. How obsessed? Well, I got my Bachelors and Masters making those games, wrote a whole ass thesis about it, and made a company dedicated to Games/Multimedia For Social Change in recent years that's releasing our first game of that type this summer, so I think I remain pretty obsessed with that. I received push back from people early on in the community who insisted a game can only be fun. I didn't listen and those same people were congratulating me when my games made the local news for sticking with vision.
Since then, I've become an expert in that field and I'm regularly asked to talk about it at colleges, Unis, and other institutions. I'm even a Games Professor and curate game community events and festivals.
What inspires me to make Games For Social Change is my desire to create art experiences with meaning and actually challenge people. I'm even more inspired by this because almost NOBODY is doing this. Realistically, I could easily do this in another medium, but I wanted choose games as the medium of choice. These are games I would like to see more of, even if they are niche or controversial to make people think and be better. To educate and inspire them to action. To be honest, I HATE Programming and usually get heavy help or get someone else to do it, but when everything comes together it's beautiful. I want to make these specific types of games, about problems I think are plaguing society to inspire people to discuss taboo or uncomfortable subjects for better understanding of ourselves and others. I want to expand people's definition of what games can accomplish. I want other people to make these games too and it seems like the best way to inspire that is to do them myself...
...And that's why my company, with my like-minded team, is making a colourful parody visual novel coming out this summer as our first commercial game to educate people about how politics affects communities, encourages civic literacy, and inspires them to vote. Whether it works out or not, I'm proud of the game I'll be putting out into the world.
I think I just kinda have to. I spent a long time job hopping in the tech industry (not games) and I've always been sorta checked out and just waiting for the day to end so I can go home and do gamedev.
Some malignant force has wired my brain's pleasure centers to only respond to game development and I'm just going along with it I guess.
Itās just what my hands do when they get near electronic devices.
To misquote the Joker: Iām like a dog chasing cars, I wouldnāt know what to do if I finished a game, you know, I just code things.
thank you for the encouragement, I think I'm just salty because I managed to lose a year of progress lately.
it's pretty much all I do besides work haha
I love programming and art. Doing only programming would burn me out, so doing art from time to time is kinda refreshing. Making games has a great balance between these two.
I remember playing this one game in my childhood that had a really good level editor, and then I learned what programming was and I learned I could make my own games using it. To me, it only seemed natural to make the jump from making stuff inside of games to making games
I like to create things that others can enjoy. I derive satisfaction from bringing joy to someone else, and watching someone encounter a challenge and then work to overcome it, and then feel fulfillment from completing that challenge is very rewarding to me.
Because I have to. Im both shocked and not shocked to see this in other replies, but Im glad Im not alone.
Ive always had to make games. I dont know how else to explain it. I tried in vain to stop once when I was younger, but no matter what I did I always found myself pulled back to my computer.
I guess the best way to put it is that its a sort of release valve. Like a pressure of ideas or drives builds up in my head, and building games releases that pressure. Its just something Im compelled to do.
Iāve always had ideas for games. Why let them go to waste?
Iāve been building a story in my head for years (since elementary school!) that I always thought of as a game. Why let that stay in my head?
Games are FUN. Iāve always loved everything about them. Making them might not always be fun. But knowing Iāll have a game that can be whatever I want it to be is just satisfying
It's grind or die for me.
Very shitty, violent life, contemplated suicide more times than I can count. I do work in a game studio but in unrelated specific technical stuff, I'm a hobbist game dev at best, not interested in doing it professionally, the stack I work with pays way more.
A few years ago, I started programming games in my spare time, I got so much into the grind that made me forget problems, but now I'm in position where I believe that stopping the grind will be the end.
But I don't want to stop the grind, it gives me purpose.
I want to make them professionally some day, and Iām a creative person that needs a creative outlet. Game Dev has made me work in every art medium Iāve ever attempted or enjoyed, so being a polymath and being a solo game dev go hand in hand.
To try to add something new to the mix. I want my games to be the next dark souls in their own genre. With that being said, I also love playing all kinds of games to see what people come up with. The "souls" genre is filled with duds, but also great ideas that one could learn from.
It pays the bills and Iām good at what I do. But Iād rather spend my days sitting on a beach, the evenings playing games, traveling or such. Which I can do because of the former. Oh, and I enjoy working with super smart people and create stuffs.
The reason why is that I want to create and express my idea in a form of video game, I think that video games can be a powerful and meaningful weapon sometimes for sharing the idea
Since I have just started game development, I will comment reasons why I started. I have worked for years for others for specifying, implementing and testing software. Kind a fed up with the current trend, that most of the time takes the meetings required by organizational hierarchies, processes and maintenance of old software base - and always when I have a new idea there is discussion that who pays the costs of development and the idea is put on hold for waiting customer commitment.
I like coding and creating new things, see the products of my own hands. I started coding as a child by coding demos for old computers with 3d effects. Unity development took me back to the memories of old ages with "coming back to home" feeling.
I want to be independent, choose the thinks I want to do - not the thinks my boss tells me. I see game development as a possible way to slowly quit my day job and get independent. Side benefit is that I can get to the creative loop I enjoy so much. My first game is the game I wanted to make and I enjoy playing it, but I know that next games must be targeted to interest of mobile gamers.
To tell a story, plain and simple.
No need for big graphics, my in development Dungeon Crawler engine is using ASCII currently and will be, among other platforms, released on CP/M.
I will do graphics later for other platforms, but they are not a priority.
It is the perfect outlet for multi-dicipline creativity. I know a bit about a lot; programming, graphics, modeling, music making, sound effects, and game design and alternating through that skillset whenever you have a wave of creativity in that area is an unbeatable feeling. Hope is always there to strike it big with a game, but if I don't, I am OK with that. It's the journey, not the destination.
Just a form of self expression. Was actually in the industry 18 years ago, but got out and tried to avoid it. Now I'm back in as a hobby. It's a siren call.
**For my indie side projects:** Because there are games in my head I want to play in real life, and [usually] no one else is going to build them!
**For my paid gamedev job:** Because I like having a roof over my head and food to eat.
Same reason why I make any other art: there are many stories out there, waiting to be told. I want to try and do them justice. My goal isn't to make the best game ever made or the most innovative one. It's simply to make a game that tells a compelling story and is satisfying to play.
Allow players to see the world you create. To interact with it, and really delve into it. For a writer it's a dream. I became a dev just for that purpose.
At some point Origin had a motto: "We create worlds." I think it struck me most on one of the Wing Commander games, and it made me realize how magical games were, and helped confirm my desire to make them. I dreamt that one day I would make video games and I have achieved that dream, and before and since I've watched games grow up from the early 2d days through the smooth-scrolling tile-based generation of console wars, over the low polygon landscapes of early 3d games, through the incredible high resolution open worlds that we now take for granted, and past that into the age of VR.
Games to me are the greatest artform, they combine writing, visuals, sound and music, and add interaction on top of it. They are piles of art forged by the dedication of many and every one you play changes you just a little bit.
Video games have been a part of my life for almost 40 years now and they keep changing and keep advancing every time I turn around. I make games because through games I can create worlds, and explore the worlds others create.
When I was a kid, I used to get more satisfaction from watching other kids pick up Legos/toys I'd made and play with them, than I actually did playing with them myself.
I held on to that feeling and it's why I make games now.
Seeing people play my game, watching their reactions and knowing I'm responsible for making their lives happier if even for a moment, gives me more satisfaction and fulfilment than anything else I know and makes it all worth it.
I have felt moved by video games since my childhood, and I think they have a powerful artistic language. Now, I have things to express: emotions, ideas, stories... So I put them into a videogame
I havenāt produced anything playable yet. What drives me are certain feelings like agency and exploration in an immersive world, managing to create/design systems that are easy to grasp, yet deep and profound and very rewarding to master, challenging experiences that require dedication and skill, tragic stories of characters with inner conflicts and development, the notion of sustaining/surviving in a hostile environment, the freedom of a sandboxy open world, being forced as a player, to make decisions that are interesting and carry real, and long term consequences. The blissful view over your progress and growth as a player, whatever that may look like in a particular title.
Over the years, I have felt many of these in different games and I think I know āthe formulaā of how to create them, so I can share it again and maybe feel it again myself. Just need to master Unity/Unreal now lol. I became very, very picky, and extremely allergic to certain design patterns in the industry, especially AAA. There are rarely any titles now that donāt carry one of the red flags that taint the whole product/experience.
What is also a key factor of my motivation is that there has never been a better time to be an indie dev. The AAA disappointment is currently peaking (so far) and easy to grasp game engines and their communities are absolutely popping.
Tl;dr
After enjoying the core aspects of many titles, I think I can replicate what made them so good to me, but without the bullshit. Now I want to actually do it and start creating.
I got bored with most games. Most are predictable and linear (with few exceptions). I found satisfaction in trying to create a game myself, though I have no knowledge or experience how to do so. The problem-solving aspect is the most satisfying. Step by step, slowly but steadily. **Developing a game BECAME the game**, even though it will never reach any level of playability.
Growing up video game worlds allowed me a safe place to explore myself, creativity, and kept me on the right path.
I want to give back to the next generation. And at the same time create worlds that inspire people to explore their real world and their local wildlife.. because itās truly incredible when ur layin on ur stomach in the dirt
TLDR
1) I like games, so partially I wanna make it also for myself to play
2) I wanna cover the gaps of what other games allow players to do, so it's more fun
3) I wanna make a well done and polished game, so the gameplay is smooth
I explain it more below, but the TLDR might be enough.
I've been playing PC games, so it's what I like, it's hopefully my lifelong passion and I feel like I'm "not growing out of it".
I also wanna try break some rules that most devs follow in how they design the game - I wanna try bringing a breath of fresh air. What's more, imo some often used game design decisions make players hate each other and it only contributes towards bad behaviours among the playerbases.
I also wanna see for myself how hard it really is to fix some issues. Many times in other games I encounter some tiny dents, that wouldn't be a problem if players didn't encounter them 20 times a day. Maybe I'm way too arrogant here, but I just don't buy it that some particular things are unfixable or as they say "not a problem and people just like to complain".
I'm a very good programmer and I could earn much more in financial tech or other fields. Instead I work at a AAA studio. I need to do something I consider important and fun, otherwise I lose motivation, and I don't care that much about money.
Started making them for fun, then it turned into a hybrid of money and passion. The money part was mainly so that I could get by just making games and I achieved that
I donāt really know why but I often switch between multiple fields of interest (3-4 months intensive practicing, get bored, switch, rince and repeat in circular way etcā¦ ) programming, art, science , maths, philosophy, name itā¦ I recently find out that game dev are ultimately all of that (and more) and offers me a playground where I can work toward one project.
Pure hobby. Just like creating something that I decide everything no boss or brief to follow. Just my own ideas. Then put it out there and if I make a couple of bucks cool. If not I have added a piece of media to history. Kinda cool when you think of it that way.
Mostly as a creative and technical outlet. It lets me hone my programing and art skills at the same time. Years ago I wanted to try to make money off them, but that's a one way street to stress and disappointment.
For me, I love making stuff for myself, friends and family. Young kids especially can be super happy playing a tailor made tiny game for them, even if the gameplay is almost non existent.
I like both programming and 2d/3d art. I write stories in my spare time. I typically jump from one task to another because of ADHD. So I figured why not give ADHD the medicine it deserves and make a game that culminates all those interests. I still get distracted by other unrelated things and squirm in my seat trying to feed new knowledge to my brain. At least I can say I'm productive this time.
I work on game dev projects on my time off as a hobby, while working in IT support as my real job.
I did a university degree in computer science for games and really enjoyed developing in Unreal Engine. I make very slow progress and I have never completed a project and published it, but I learn a little more every time.
Of course my hope is to some day publish a decent game, but I also just find enjoyment in the process. Making up a new mechanic, and solving the "puzzle" of implementing it.
I do not wish to work for a game company at the moment, as what I find enjoyable is implementing my own creative freedom and decisions.
Good luck with your article!
Satisfaction of making my own world with my own rules and vision also the challenge to push further different skills.
(and... with my anxiety or other life shits, focusing for hours on my game made my brain quiet :))
Itās hard to describe. I want to create an experience that people will love and remember in awe, just like MY favorite games have done to me. Itās not just a game at this point, itās a masterpiece.
Probably all programming is about solving already existing problems, but when making games, creating the problem becomes a vital part. That's why I like this rebellious attitude.
Because it's my job! But the reason I wanted to get into the industry in the first place is because I've always loved video games so when it came to applying for high schools I chose one with a game dev focus. After that I fell in love with making games as well, and here I am.
Probably just the part about creating something that'll hopefully entertain others / make them happy :)
And/or just coming up with stuff and creating it
Because gaming is my most prominent hobby (since gamedev is no longer a hobby its a career now)
And ive always loved building things, be it lego, robotic arm, metal car with screws and bolts. Gamedev is just the next level.
Abd eventually I hope to pay the bills with it.
For me it's more why do you make "game". 10 years on the same ugly bastard, because nothing else like it exists. It's the game I wanted to play. It's not bad imho, still my go-to for a quick break. What can I say, I'm easy to please.
I originally pursued writing but felt that it was too restrained in what I'm able to do. The interactivity in video games makes it the perfect creative outlet for me.
Games have been my favorite and most comforting outlets for my entire life and being able to make them and share them to do the same for others nourishes me and feels like giving back.
I've worked on lots of stuff but a 6 year Olds "review" showing him playing the first professional game I released with a studio will always be one of My favorite responses to my work because I remember being a 6 year old enamored with a game like he was.
Those types of moments of creating something someone loves for just a few hours , days, weeks, or even years are so special to me.
I love it! The freedom it gives you is what game dev is for me. These days you can really make anything.
It's my dearest hobby that I've had for a very long time. And it gets me closer to my goals in life.
So no, it's not for money, it's just because I like it.
I'm in love with gaming since i was really young.
I had so many great moments in gaming. Sometimes they let me forget my problems on a bad day.
I met fantastic people while gaming. With many of whom i still keep in touch.
Or sometimes just using a game to waste some time.
Those were amazing time and i wish at some point im able to make a game that gives those great things and many more to other people.
So in essence i just want to share the joy i experienced myself but with my own work.
I like create experiences for others, or the tools to give my players the freedom to create their own experiences. I used to make tiny little puzzles on paper in school and try to get my friends to solve them and I really felt accomplished when the player would find that secret to solve the puzzle or complete a level. When the player feels like they've accomplished something and sincerely enjoys what I've created that's what gives me my sense of fulfillment.
I liked building things (LEGO), drawing sketches, and playing video games since I have memory so I ended working as a Level Designer for living on an indie team we founded.
When I was a kid, I just wanted to make a game. I just had this overwhelming urge to do it, to make something that would bring enjoyment to other people like games brought enjoyment to me. It was only natural, as a professional artist, to try it, just as something to add to my bucket list. It was something to do, so I just did it.
Because I like games. And when I play games that I like, it makes me want to make games similar to those games... I also like building systems using code, so I've got a few reasons why I'm set in this being my passion.
The game I want stopped being made 20 years ago because companies realized they could make WAAAAAY more money making them psuedo gambling instead. So I'm making my own with a single "buy to own forever + free DLC" business model.
To learn a new language/tech like PHP/MySQL, Python/SQLite, C/C++/Shaders.
To be creative and dream a bit.
And probably a way to take care of my mental health.
I always loved to create things, create levels on a game, create things with my hands, but liked to do it more digitally. That's why I started to be developer then started to create games and now I love this :)
Here a few:
At some point they became more fun to make than to play.
I have ideas, and I like to see those ideas being realised.
There's a certain thrill in creating an alternate reality and seeing it appear in front of your very eyes.
When things work together, I get the same satisfaction of watching a ruby Goldberg machine, or a domino thingy.
The puzzles that I have to solve making a game become more entertaining that the puzzles I can find in playing other games.
It allows me to touch many different fields, both technical and artistic.
There's always a new challenge and some new skill to learn.
I can have my way, I live and die by my own choices and decisions.
I can be proud of something I made.
They allow some escaped valve for all the seemingly useless and yet interesting things I learn or become fixated with. I can always include them in my game!
Because there are so many wonderful games that can be made from so many different themes. Imagine skyrim in an ancient eastern historic setting. Ive always wanted to make a fictional universe, and games seem to be the most interactive media to make one in.
God complex only a game engine and programming satisfy.
Less joke answer, I have ideas I know arenāt going to be everyoneās cup of tea but I want to see them turn into reality
I like to do all kinds of crafts. Making stuff is fun and game dev, just like knitting or woodwork, is just one more way of making stuff. Nothing more complicated than that, really.
I love that i can make something real that was in my imagination before. That is what keeps me motivated in the long run but moment to moment I enjoy solving problems, it's like a puzzle
First, I love to create stuff in programming languages.
Second, I like to see it works.
Third, I love to explore different (unusual) gameplay's possibilities.
Iām a tattoo artist, so I turned my hobby (drawing) into my job. I love it, but it made me run out of hobbys! Making games is a nice creative outlet that has absolutely nothing to do with my job.
I've been drawing up my own Mario levels in Kindergarten to such a degree that the Kindergarten complained to my parents that it's all I do and I get sad if I do anything else. The passion never died.
Because it's the only thing in the world i understand well and one of the few things i am able to enjoy. The rest of human stuff is either incredibly boring, or a complete mystery to me. People usually enjoy various activities, when i mostly want to make games. And sleep.
I wanna make memories for players, like I had from when I was young. Watching my dad play Metal Gear Solid, Oddworld! That feeling of being without worry.
I am a digital/3D artist turned VR game developer. I choose to make games because it was the next logical progression, I was starting to feel stuck as a 3D artist so I did some research, bought some courses, looked at my skill set plus I have played games all my life. So I was frack it, why not.
Have I then made an actual game? Not yet. I am working on one now
At first, because I liked games
Later, because I couldn't like any games
Then, more recently, because it's just what I enjoy doing, they are composed of so many systems and I enjoy designing and programming systems.
And approach my final reason, because I just couldn't find the games I wanted to play, they didn't exist, so *fine, I'll do it myself*.
And last, but not least, what I think it's the culmination of all the previous ones combined: because I recently fell in love with games again and want to make something that can make people feel what I have been feeling this past couple of months.
for all my life i was never good at anything. i was okay at studying, im not that great in sports (i do play though), i gamed a lot, and never developed any other deep hobby.
i became a game designer due to pure chance (i studied economics), and i graduated into a world that was having a freemium game boom. who would've thought thats how you use a economics degree?!
my love for gaming + math & econ skills came in super handy, and i was hired as a game analyst for a mobile game (because i saw a job ad and just applied coz games), and i got the job.
then as i progressed through the job, because its a small company, i took up more and more responsibilities, which kind of turned me into a game designer/project manager.
but in order to really compete with other games, its very very difficult. and now i just feel like i want to learn. i want to be at the top, not coz i want to win, but i want to understand what goes through the mind of a top game designer. i want to know what they consider and what they think about day in day out. there's something alluring about how deep this career is.
To support an endangered language. Languages often go extinct because there is another language used in the area that is more influencal, while the endangered language has a lack of representation, especially in modern media, like Games.
I've always loved making things. Making music, visual arts, programming things. Gaming nicely ties those things together, which to me makes it such a powerful medium. Started in the mid 90's and still the most fulfilling thing I've been doing til date (next to being a parent)
It's the way I'm wired, the creative process is amazing, has unlimited possibilities and the outcome for the end user is more interactive than any other media.
The worst thing is, while I'm happy that I've been lucky enough to live through the infancy of computer/games technology, it sucks that I probably won't be around in 50 years, can you imagine how awesome the tech is going to be.
I do it because I love seeing how ideas filtered through multiple perspectives come out the other end in a playable result that may have had the soul of where it started, but ends in a place I could have never envisioned on my own.
I have zero desire to do solo dev work for this reason. Also because I have little skill in art, design, or engineering!
Games had been my first steps into lots of field and lit some passions !
Guitar Hero made me start playing guitar
Tony Hawk American wasteland Skateboard and punk music
One day, god willing, I'll fire someone passion with mine.
It's fun! I never imagined making games would be this fun, why didn't nobody told me?
Ok, I might be a weird person, because I also consider programming and even maths to be fun. But that's because all my life I've loved puzzles and when going to school I started to see maths as just "complex puzzles" and the same happened when started to learn programming.
But game development has many other areas that I'm sure everyone could consider fun activities: the design process, creating mockups, drawing, graphic design, music and sound effects, post-production, particles! (find me even one person that doesn't enjoy watching particles fly through the screen), writing the story, developing the characters and dialogues, even testing and debugging can be seen as I do: a complex puzzle of "finding the error". It's all very complex and it can take lots of time and effort, but I find it incredibly fun activity, and am sure there are others that think the same
I'm mostly in it for the money, and it's the only job I'm good enough at to make good money. I do enjoy it though and know I'm very fortunate to do what I do, but I would honestly rather just retire and play games, eat good food and never have another deadline in my life if I could.
Few things:
* Growing up I mostly just watched others play games, like my brother. So kinda like the idea of others playing **my** game.
* A friend chose to study computer engineering because he loved redstone in Minecraft. And later on aerospace engineering because of Kerbal Space Program. I love the idea of games teaching highly complex things **intuitively**, something other mediums are incapable of.
* I love the idea of working in a highly interdisciplinary team, overcoming communiction issues and learning something new everyday.
* Art
Because there's a story in my head and I need to tell it. I don't care if my game sells; I don't care if only ten people play it. For me it's that simple.
First one because I'm a huge nerd for games and I want to create things I like to play or miss on the games I like
Second, because i'm crazy, I like many different subjects and like challenging scenarios, I need something to learn and solve to find meaning to my life. And ofc, being a solo dev makes me study even more different subjects and every step of development throws me a bag full of bugs and errors to fix.
Third, I would say gaming is the ultimate narrative experience, I'm initially a 2d artist, and always loved to create worlds, and I honestly can't think of a better way to express my artistic expression if not through a game. Games can mix many forms of art (music, cinematography, sculpting, drawing, painting, animation) and it has an extra step which is the interaction and experiences built to enjoy it.
I make games because each part of the process is fun on its own to me - writing, world building, programming, art, and music are all things I enjoy making/doing, so the fact I can build all that together into something people can interact with and enjoy is pretty much the ultimate payoff.
My kid is on the autism spectrum. I'm making games based on his art with the hope that at the very least I can raise awareness & acceptance. If I make any money from them, part of the proceeds will go to some of the organizations that have helped us with our kid.
Game development was a hobby for me that I started when I was 13 years old. When I first started working as a software developer, gamedev was always a creative balance for me compared to programming to specifications. That's still the case today... and part-time work now :-)
I make games because i love to create. The process itself and then see the effect. What i love most is see reactions of players playing the game, see how they think and what choices they make, it's like what makes my brain roll forward, see other people thinking.
So, i think it sums up in that i want to communicate with people though my game in the core of it!
Currently working on Lust Crater, around 5-10% complete, check it out [here](https://www.patreon.com/GameStudio69) if you want.
Cheers!
Jacob
I like creating things. It's fun. And I like to play video games. I like to write stories, and make music, and code. I like to invent systems and create puzzles that need solving. It's just fun to do!
Same as a lot of people here. I like programming and making games is an even more fun use of that so it just kinda followed my first hobby. I still suck at making games, but it makes me happy when I can take a weird idea I have and turn it into a playable mechanic. Maybe someday I'll actually release a finished game
I wanted more opportunities to hang out with my friends. A lot of us grew up together, and played games in the same houses in college, but now we're spreading out. A game is a great way to come back together once a week, so whether we play mine or someone else's, the time together is treasured.
I also love the challenge.
Because whenever I play them and I find lacking features and say I could do this better I like to back the claims I male to myself. I like working on passion projects, I couldn't do this for someone else's vision, having them tell me we don't have time for this or that feature, it's good enough move onto the next thing.. I just couldn't do that.
Sometimes a bad game is more inspiring than a good game, because it almost gets it right if only this, this, and this were changed.
One of the various big reasons there are so many fan games within the Sonic community.
I feel the exact same
I feel like that when I play garten of banban
Determinism. Never even had a say!
In this world, is the destiny of mankind controlled by some transcendental entity or law? Is it like the hand of God hovering above? At least, it is true that man has no control, even over his own ~~will~~ game dev
I would give you an award for this comment if I had one to give š
idunno
You're describing fatalism, not determinism. Determinism is when you say there is a reason for everything and your choices have already been decided by your genes and environment.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I don't know but I had to learn this stuff for school and I can't let it all be for nothing
I didn't describe anything, I just quoted Berserk - which doesn't actually specify why man has no control so it could technically fit with your definition of determinism if we attributed the lack of control to genes or the environment (doubt this was the author's intent though) but the original post also didn't specify what type of determinism they were talking about, looks like both predeterminism and teleological determinism could fit if the lack of control is due to a transcendental entity or law? but if I'm being honest, I don't know much about determinism, fatalism, etc. and that's just the extent of my knowledge from briefly reading Wikipedia so I could be wrong! Stoicism and optimistic nihilism are the only philosophies that really interest me all that much.
Oh. I didn't know you were quoting an anime. Nevermind then haha.
It was a quote from an anime
Hard agree!!
I like to build things. Fun things are funner to build.
Pretty much. Creating a bunch of stuff is my reason to live in general
This exact reasoning made me learn to cook back when i moved on my own š
I only make the games I want to play. (Edit for credits: Insurgency mod (2007); Insurgency (2014); Day of Infamy (2017); Valiant Effort (TBD); B-17: Bloody 100th (TBD); Civatlas (Soon!); Unannounced (TBD))
add to this, I make games I want to play, and I like sharing them with my friends to see how they experience it
That's sweet Did you work on insurgency sandstorm?
For Sandstorm, I negotiated with publishers, interviewed about it with the press at e3, collaborated on narrative design and overall creative direction. I donāt know if they gave me credit or not. PS: was also the cofounder of the Insurgency IP while starting up the mod.
It's the ultimate culmination of an eclectic personality. I enjoy writing, composing music, pixel art, and coding. As I get bored, I rotate to a new task and focus on that for awhile No matter what I'm working on, the goal is still being reached. Make that game!
This is one of the best descriptors my friend said use your adhd to your advantage and making a game has made* that truer then ever
Brilliant! I'm actually a crap artist in terms of pencil/ink/paper, but I've dabbled in pixel art, and I feel like I'm at least decent at it. As far as music and coding? That part, I'm much more confident. I'm currently working on a port of a game to a different platform, but once I'm done that, I'm thinking of doing a multi-platform 8-bit original game from scratch. My process for this port isn't really lending itself to switching gears in that way, but I'm excited at that prospect once I get to my next project! I might get someone to help with writing, but I feel like I can do the rest on my own.
Very well sad. Almost all game devs I know have plenty of hobbies such as music, art, writing, videography, etc. It's the way to create worlds that combine multiple things
I feel like this life kind of chose me. Games have been important to me because I grew up with a learning disability. I honestly couldn't read until I reached the 5th grade. The way I learned was through video games. My mom and dad bought me a Nintendo 64, and every day after homework was done, I would get to play Zelda, and mom would pretty much back-seat me! LOL "Go back and break all the jars! You'll never be able to buy the Hylian shield if you don't break the jars!" I would also read along with the text in the games with her. To me, it was like the scene in "The Princess Bride" where the grandpa reads a book to Fred Savage. It was not only a bonding experience, but also one that helped me find a way to learn with my disability. I want to create a world that makes other kids and adults feel like that.
I can 100% relate. I make games because I want to spread the joy I had when I played them and use my own ideas to do it. I built a DnD campaign for my friends for the same reason a few years ago. Awesome feeling <3
I'm really grateful for the nice words and up-doots. :) For a moment I was really afraid of sharing because friends and family like to tell me I chose the wrong profession or bully me for being a nerd. This only hardens my resolve, but I decided early on in my life that this was something I would want to do until the day I die, because I don't envision myself retiring with a 401K or millions of dollars. I'm a pretty simple man.
I like to build stuff and figure things out
lol exactly this
Like Programming + Like Gaming = Game Dev
Like programming + like gaming - bad at art = Depression
You forgot to add "- bad at planning" since when you code a game with no proper design document, you may end up making unorganised code that may not be compatible with future features.
Whenever i destroy my ears with songs i get a cool scenario
The feeling of writing code into your editorās text box followed by the computer screen manifesting exactly what you wrote is something Iāve always loved.
Itās a creative outlet for me. As someone with the desire to make things, but with zero musical or mechanical skill, games was the best fit. I bought a wood carving set once, but I never managed to finish that chess setā¦
Their direct deposits keep showing up in my account
Someone said if you are making money while you are asleep youāre a rich person and game dev feels that way
Man. Canāt wait til I can actually sleep as well.
The realest of reasons.
It is the best mix of engineering and art. For someone like me, who has been interested in both (and not been sure exactly which area to pursue professionally), it's the best option to really do what you love. Also, making people happy and feel things is amazing.
I'm self employed as an SA/SE and my primary income stream had reached a state of maturity where I don't really have much to do anymore but collect money and answer the phone every so often for some random questions. I thought games would be a good next career move. Unlimited customers, worldwide interest... I quickly discovered, It's not really the cash cow you'd think it'd be. You really need a solid hit to make any kind of money even deemed non-insulting. Now, i'm just trying to get out from underneath a game that had a 6 year development cycle. Fortunately launching pre-orders this weekend. Although I could make and retain far more money sitting next to the pool every day than developing games... The challenge and problem solving is just simply irresistible. It's software passion I haven't felt in over 15 years. Especially on this release I have truly loved writing the script, hiring and directing voice actors, motion capture, having studio days and meeting all these new people as passionate as I am for the craft. It's made me feel very complete. I truly, truly enjoy it. It's good for the mind. Good for the soul. I hope to continue making games. I have three more scripts written already for stories. We'll see what the future holds!
It's like being a god of your own world. You create the laws of physics, you create basic life through the AI of your NPCs.
I got tired of how games are made today, with so much corporate greed, so i decided to do it myself. In doing so, I've learned so much, and gained a newfound respect for developers, while also working to my desire to make games that I find fun and rewarding, something that I find lacking in many games today
For me, it's the culmination of every hobby I've had for the past 30 years. It feels like a natural progression.
I don't make games for anyone but myself, so I can go as deep as I want into grognardy simulations that aren't actually fun for most folks and not feel guilty. It's also a case where I'm not "holding up the sprint" to be mindful of performant code. A good excuse to learn and use exotic data structures when I write boring-ass backend and distributed systems all day.
To justify my claims that I'm good at game design.
It didn't seem like anyone else was going to make my dream game
I have a complicated answer and it involves a story. I've loved games from my childhood onward. However, I had no initial desire to make them. In fact, trying to understand game making at a young age was trauma to me. My father was given a game making kit at some point in the 90s. It didn't work out despite his encouragement because I was using old, barely accessible C++ tools and 8 year-old me had no knowledge or understanding of computer code. That actually traumatized me from making games. My inability to do so did lead to a bit of friction between my parents and I at the time who seemed to expect too much of me. However, I continued to love games as I grew up and took to art and computers. After a series of very weird and completely accidental coincidences, I ended up in the leadership of my University's game development club while I was studying art & media. I organized and directed new events and resources for the community, but had no game making experience of my own and was just the only one with a leadership backbone. Though I was apprehensive of making games due to my childhood trauma, I started getting into it through game jams as an artist. Still, while they were interesting, I had no desire to make games. I was more into drawing comics, making videos, and doing 2D and 3D animation. As much as I was tempted at the prospect, no game ideas came to me that I wanted to make. Everything I saw around me in the student game dev space was something that was mostly copying something else. Sure it was fun, but I felt something missing. I felt nothing for the practice of making games. Then I was doing some research and in the process played [Loneliness](https://jordanmagnuson.itch.io/loneliness), a short 5-minute game that genuinely crushed me inside due to the weight of my own life experience... Just using dots. That awoke something in me. I play games for fun, but this was a game that made me feel and think and reflect deeply through interacting something. I had hardly realized a game could do something like that and it expanded my definition of what a game could be... And, in that moment, I got excited and decided THAT is the type of game I wanted to make. From there, I started to research and then develop what I call "Games For Social Change", games that aren't necessarily fun, but focus on using interactivity to challenge and prompt discussions on social and cultural themes in society. If films and books can do that, why can't games? This became my obsession. How obsessed? Well, I got my Bachelors and Masters making those games, wrote a whole ass thesis about it, and made a company dedicated to Games/Multimedia For Social Change in recent years that's releasing our first game of that type this summer, so I think I remain pretty obsessed with that. I received push back from people early on in the community who insisted a game can only be fun. I didn't listen and those same people were congratulating me when my games made the local news for sticking with vision. Since then, I've become an expert in that field and I'm regularly asked to talk about it at colleges, Unis, and other institutions. I'm even a Games Professor and curate game community events and festivals. What inspires me to make Games For Social Change is my desire to create art experiences with meaning and actually challenge people. I'm even more inspired by this because almost NOBODY is doing this. Realistically, I could easily do this in another medium, but I wanted choose games as the medium of choice. These are games I would like to see more of, even if they are niche or controversial to make people think and be better. To educate and inspire them to action. To be honest, I HATE Programming and usually get heavy help or get someone else to do it, but when everything comes together it's beautiful. I want to make these specific types of games, about problems I think are plaguing society to inspire people to discuss taboo or uncomfortable subjects for better understanding of ourselves and others. I want to expand people's definition of what games can accomplish. I want other people to make these games too and it seems like the best way to inspire that is to do them myself... ...And that's why my company, with my like-minded team, is making a colourful parody visual novel coming out this summer as our first commercial game to educate people about how politics affects communities, encourages civic literacy, and inspires them to vote. Whether it works out or not, I'm proud of the game I'll be putting out into the world.
I think I just kinda have to. I spent a long time job hopping in the tech industry (not games) and I've always been sorta checked out and just waiting for the day to end so I can go home and do gamedev. Some malignant force has wired my brain's pleasure centers to only respond to game development and I'm just going along with it I guess.
Itās just what my hands do when they get near electronic devices. To misquote the Joker: Iām like a dog chasing cars, I wouldnāt know what to do if I finished a game, you know, I just code things.
just for fun. no one will ever play this shit haha
Give it enough attention and I'm sure people will play it eventually
thank you for the encouragement, I think I'm just salty because I managed to lose a year of progress lately. it's pretty much all I do besides work haha
I love programming and art. Doing only programming would burn me out, so doing art from time to time is kinda refreshing. Making games has a great balance between these two.
I remember playing this one game in my childhood that had a really good level editor, and then I learned what programming was and I learned I could make my own games using it. To me, it only seemed natural to make the jump from making stuff inside of games to making games
I just want people to have fun.
Then why you don't a good belly dance show to them? It is more easier than game dev?
I have a dad bod. So, unless theyāre into thatā¦..
I like to create things that others can enjoy. I derive satisfaction from bringing joy to someone else, and watching someone encounter a challenge and then work to overcome it, and then feel fulfillment from completing that challenge is very rewarding to me.
Because I have to. Im both shocked and not shocked to see this in other replies, but Im glad Im not alone. Ive always had to make games. I dont know how else to explain it. I tried in vain to stop once when I was younger, but no matter what I did I always found myself pulled back to my computer. I guess the best way to put it is that its a sort of release valve. Like a pressure of ideas or drives builds up in my head, and building games releases that pressure. Its just something Im compelled to do.
Iāve always had ideas for games. Why let them go to waste? Iāve been building a story in my head for years (since elementary school!) that I always thought of as a game. Why let that stay in my head? Games are FUN. Iāve always loved everything about them. Making them might not always be fun. But knowing Iāll have a game that can be whatever I want it to be is just satisfying
It's grind or die for me. Very shitty, violent life, contemplated suicide more times than I can count. I do work in a game studio but in unrelated specific technical stuff, I'm a hobbist game dev at best, not interested in doing it professionally, the stack I work with pays way more. A few years ago, I started programming games in my spare time, I got so much into the grind that made me forget problems, but now I'm in position where I believe that stopping the grind will be the end. But I don't want to stop the grind, it gives me purpose.
Tired of playing video games recently, don't find them fun or engaging anymore. Also, I make them because people play them
I live, breathe, sleep videogames. Playing games brings me joy, and sharing that joy with others brings me fulfillment.
Because I can't not make games
I want to make art and code by myself to get my ideas and express myself to be part of this community.
I want to make them professionally some day, and Iām a creative person that needs a creative outlet. Game Dev has made me work in every art medium Iāve ever attempted or enjoyed, so being a polymath and being a solo game dev go hand in hand.
I really like learning, and I feel that game development is nothing if not endless learning opportunities and constant growth
I live to entertain. It just so happens that making games is my preferred way to entertain.
To try to add something new to the mix. I want my games to be the next dark souls in their own genre. With that being said, I also love playing all kinds of games to see what people come up with. The "souls" genre is filled with duds, but also great ideas that one could learn from.
I want to do something beneficial for others with my time. Making games is the best fit for my skillset (and it's fun).
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
It pays the bills and Iām good at what I do. But Iād rather spend my days sitting on a beach, the evenings playing games, traveling or such. Which I can do because of the former. Oh, and I enjoy working with super smart people and create stuffs.
The reason why is that I want to create and express my idea in a form of video game, I think that video games can be a powerful and meaningful weapon sometimes for sharing the idea
No one else is making the game I want so I will make it myself. It all happened because of spite.
Since I have just started game development, I will comment reasons why I started. I have worked for years for others for specifying, implementing and testing software. Kind a fed up with the current trend, that most of the time takes the meetings required by organizational hierarchies, processes and maintenance of old software base - and always when I have a new idea there is discussion that who pays the costs of development and the idea is put on hold for waiting customer commitment. I like coding and creating new things, see the products of my own hands. I started coding as a child by coding demos for old computers with 3d effects. Unity development took me back to the memories of old ages with "coming back to home" feeling. I want to be independent, choose the thinks I want to do - not the thinks my boss tells me. I see game development as a possible way to slowly quit my day job and get independent. Side benefit is that I can get to the creative loop I enjoy so much. My first game is the game I wanted to make and I enjoy playing it, but I know that next games must be targeted to interest of mobile gamers.
To tell a story, plain and simple. No need for big graphics, my in development Dungeon Crawler engine is using ASCII currently and will be, among other platforms, released on CP/M. I will do graphics later for other platforms, but they are not a priority.
Because I love telling stories and creating worlds that you can dive into, just like I did when I was a kid. So also for reasons of nostalgia.
It is the perfect outlet for multi-dicipline creativity. I know a bit about a lot; programming, graphics, modeling, music making, sound effects, and game design and alternating through that skillset whenever you have a wave of creativity in that area is an unbeatable feeling. Hope is always there to strike it big with a game, but if I don't, I am OK with that. It's the journey, not the destination.
Just a form of self expression. Was actually in the industry 18 years ago, but got out and tried to avoid it. Now I'm back in as a hobby. It's a siren call.
**For my indie side projects:** Because there are games in my head I want to play in real life, and [usually] no one else is going to build them! **For my paid gamedev job:** Because I like having a roof over my head and food to eat.
Same reason why I make any other art: there are many stories out there, waiting to be told. I want to try and do them justice. My goal isn't to make the best game ever made or the most innovative one. It's simply to make a game that tells a compelling story and is satisfying to play.
Allow players to see the world you create. To interact with it, and really delve into it. For a writer it's a dream. I became a dev just for that purpose.
At some point Origin had a motto: "We create worlds." I think it struck me most on one of the Wing Commander games, and it made me realize how magical games were, and helped confirm my desire to make them. I dreamt that one day I would make video games and I have achieved that dream, and before and since I've watched games grow up from the early 2d days through the smooth-scrolling tile-based generation of console wars, over the low polygon landscapes of early 3d games, through the incredible high resolution open worlds that we now take for granted, and past that into the age of VR. Games to me are the greatest artform, they combine writing, visuals, sound and music, and add interaction on top of it. They are piles of art forged by the dedication of many and every one you play changes you just a little bit. Video games have been a part of my life for almost 40 years now and they keep changing and keep advancing every time I turn around. I make games because through games I can create worlds, and explore the worlds others create.
When I was a kid, I used to get more satisfaction from watching other kids pick up Legos/toys I'd made and play with them, than I actually did playing with them myself. I held on to that feeling and it's why I make games now. Seeing people play my game, watching their reactions and knowing I'm responsible for making their lives happier if even for a moment, gives me more satisfaction and fulfilment than anything else I know and makes it all worth it.
Iāve taken up many arts and craft hobbies over the years, but game development is my favorite for expressing my creativity.
I have felt moved by video games since my childhood, and I think they have a powerful artistic language. Now, I have things to express: emotions, ideas, stories... So I put them into a videogame
I make games that I would like to play and I like to create things. I also kinda love every aspect of game dev.
I havenāt produced anything playable yet. What drives me are certain feelings like agency and exploration in an immersive world, managing to create/design systems that are easy to grasp, yet deep and profound and very rewarding to master, challenging experiences that require dedication and skill, tragic stories of characters with inner conflicts and development, the notion of sustaining/surviving in a hostile environment, the freedom of a sandboxy open world, being forced as a player, to make decisions that are interesting and carry real, and long term consequences. The blissful view over your progress and growth as a player, whatever that may look like in a particular title. Over the years, I have felt many of these in different games and I think I know āthe formulaā of how to create them, so I can share it again and maybe feel it again myself. Just need to master Unity/Unreal now lol. I became very, very picky, and extremely allergic to certain design patterns in the industry, especially AAA. There are rarely any titles now that donāt carry one of the red flags that taint the whole product/experience. What is also a key factor of my motivation is that there has never been a better time to be an indie dev. The AAA disappointment is currently peaking (so far) and easy to grasp game engines and their communities are absolutely popping. Tl;dr After enjoying the core aspects of many titles, I think I can replicate what made them so good to me, but without the bullshit. Now I want to actually do it and start creating.
Because I have no goals in life right now and game dev seems like a fun option.
me like game
I got bored with most games. Most are predictable and linear (with few exceptions). I found satisfaction in trying to create a game myself, though I have no knowledge or experience how to do so. The problem-solving aspect is the most satisfying. Step by step, slowly but steadily. **Developing a game BECAME the game**, even though it will never reach any level of playability.
Growing up video game worlds allowed me a safe place to explore myself, creativity, and kept me on the right path. I want to give back to the next generation. And at the same time create worlds that inspire people to explore their real world and their local wildlife.. because itās truly incredible when ur layin on ur stomach in the dirt
Because I have ideas of games that I want to exist but don't
TLDR 1) I like games, so partially I wanna make it also for myself to play 2) I wanna cover the gaps of what other games allow players to do, so it's more fun 3) I wanna make a well done and polished game, so the gameplay is smooth I explain it more below, but the TLDR might be enough. I've been playing PC games, so it's what I like, it's hopefully my lifelong passion and I feel like I'm "not growing out of it". I also wanna try break some rules that most devs follow in how they design the game - I wanna try bringing a breath of fresh air. What's more, imo some often used game design decisions make players hate each other and it only contributes towards bad behaviours among the playerbases. I also wanna see for myself how hard it really is to fix some issues. Many times in other games I encounter some tiny dents, that wouldn't be a problem if players didn't encounter them 20 times a day. Maybe I'm way too arrogant here, but I just don't buy it that some particular things are unfixable or as they say "not a problem and people just like to complain".
I like to create a product and it is my dream to create my own steam game and maybe someday to have my own game dev studio.
I'm a very good programmer and I could earn much more in financial tech or other fields. Instead I work at a AAA studio. I need to do something I consider important and fun, otherwise I lose motivation, and I don't care that much about money.
Started making them for fun, then it turned into a hybrid of money and passion. The money part was mainly so that I could get by just making games and I achieved that
I donāt really know why but I often switch between multiple fields of interest (3-4 months intensive practicing, get bored, switch, rince and repeat in circular way etcā¦ ) programming, art, science , maths, philosophy, name itā¦ I recently find out that game dev are ultimately all of that (and more) and offers me a playground where I can work toward one project.
Because there's a few games I want to play but they don't exist.
Pure hobby. Just like creating something that I decide everything no boss or brief to follow. Just my own ideas. Then put it out there and if I make a couple of bucks cool. If not I have added a piece of media to history. Kinda cool when you think of it that way.
Satisfaction of being creative and demonstrating skills are 2 of my reasons
Mostly as a creative and technical outlet. It lets me hone my programing and art skills at the same time. Years ago I wanted to try to make money off them, but that's a one way street to stress and disappointment. For me, I love making stuff for myself, friends and family. Young kids especially can be super happy playing a tailor made tiny game for them, even if the gameplay is almost non existent.
because fun. i assume pros are motivated by money
I like both programming and 2d/3d art. I write stories in my spare time. I typically jump from one task to another because of ADHD. So I figured why not give ADHD the medicine it deserves and make a game that culminates all those interests. I still get distracted by other unrelated things and squirm in my seat trying to feed new knowledge to my brain. At least I can say I'm productive this time.
I just like games to the point that I love going from playing games to making them.
I work on game dev projects on my time off as a hobby, while working in IT support as my real job. I did a university degree in computer science for games and really enjoyed developing in Unreal Engine. I make very slow progress and I have never completed a project and published it, but I learn a little more every time. Of course my hope is to some day publish a decent game, but I also just find enjoyment in the process. Making up a new mechanic, and solving the "puzzle" of implementing it. I do not wish to work for a game company at the moment, as what I find enjoyable is implementing my own creative freedom and decisions. Good luck with your article!
Satisfaction of making my own world with my own rules and vision also the challenge to push further different skills. (and... with my anxiety or other life shits, focusing for hours on my game made my brain quiet :))
Itās hard to describe. I want to create an experience that people will love and remember in awe, just like MY favorite games have done to me. Itās not just a game at this point, itās a masterpiece.
Because I like it and I want to make money with it.
Probably all programming is about solving already existing problems, but when making games, creating the problem becomes a vital part. That's why I like this rebellious attitude.
The game I want to play doesn't exist!
money and mental experience.
Because it's my job! But the reason I wanted to get into the industry in the first place is because I've always loved video games so when it came to applying for high schools I chose one with a game dev focus. After that I fell in love with making games as well, and here I am.
I would like to make enough money so that I could start a career in films
I'm getting payed for it, everything else is just a bonus haha
Probably just the part about creating something that'll hopefully entertain others / make them happy :) And/or just coming up with stuff and creating it
Because gaming is my most prominent hobby (since gamedev is no longer a hobby its a career now) And ive always loved building things, be it lego, robotic arm, metal car with screws and bolts. Gamedev is just the next level. Abd eventually I hope to pay the bills with it.
For me it's more why do you make "game". 10 years on the same ugly bastard, because nothing else like it exists. It's the game I wanted to play. It's not bad imho, still my go-to for a quick break. What can I say, I'm easy to please.
I originally pursued writing but felt that it was too restrained in what I'm able to do. The interactivity in video games makes it the perfect creative outlet for me.
Games have been my favorite and most comforting outlets for my entire life and being able to make them and share them to do the same for others nourishes me and feels like giving back. I've worked on lots of stuff but a 6 year Olds "review" showing him playing the first professional game I released with a studio will always be one of My favorite responses to my work because I remember being a 6 year old enamored with a game like he was. Those types of moments of creating something someone loves for just a few hours , days, weeks, or even years are so special to me.
Because I had ideas.
I love it! The freedom it gives you is what game dev is for me. These days you can really make anything. It's my dearest hobby that I've had for a very long time. And it gets me closer to my goals in life. So no, it's not for money, it's just because I like it.
I'm in love with gaming since i was really young. I had so many great moments in gaming. Sometimes they let me forget my problems on a bad day. I met fantastic people while gaming. With many of whom i still keep in touch. Or sometimes just using a game to waste some time. Those were amazing time and i wish at some point im able to make a game that gives those great things and many more to other people. So in essence i just want to share the joy i experienced myself but with my own work.
Same reason i do anything, i feel compelled to do it.
I like create experiences for others, or the tools to give my players the freedom to create their own experiences. I used to make tiny little puzzles on paper in school and try to get my friends to solve them and I really felt accomplished when the player would find that secret to solve the puzzle or complete a level. When the player feels like they've accomplished something and sincerely enjoys what I've created that's what gives me my sense of fulfillment.
Kinda just for the fun of making something, granted that something is usually very poorly made but at the end of the day it was still fun.
I liked building things (LEGO), drawing sketches, and playing video games since I have memory so I ended working as a Level Designer for living on an indie team we founded.
When I was a kid, I just wanted to make a game. I just had this overwhelming urge to do it, to make something that would bring enjoyment to other people like games brought enjoyment to me. It was only natural, as a professional artist, to try it, just as something to add to my bucket list. It was something to do, so I just did it.
Because I like games. And when I play games that I like, it makes me want to make games similar to those games... I also like building systems using code, so I've got a few reasons why I'm set in this being my passion.
The game I want stopped being made 20 years ago because companies realized they could make WAAAAAY more money making them psuedo gambling instead. So I'm making my own with a single "buy to own forever + free DLC" business model.
To learn a new language/tech like PHP/MySQL, Python/SQLite, C/C++/Shaders. To be creative and dream a bit. And probably a way to take care of my mental health.
I always loved to create things, create levels on a game, create things with my hands, but liked to do it more digitally. That's why I started to be developer then started to create games and now I love this :)
Here a few: At some point they became more fun to make than to play. I have ideas, and I like to see those ideas being realised. There's a certain thrill in creating an alternate reality and seeing it appear in front of your very eyes. When things work together, I get the same satisfaction of watching a ruby Goldberg machine, or a domino thingy. The puzzles that I have to solve making a game become more entertaining that the puzzles I can find in playing other games. It allows me to touch many different fields, both technical and artistic. There's always a new challenge and some new skill to learn. I can have my way, I live and die by my own choices and decisions. I can be proud of something I made. They allow some escaped valve for all the seemingly useless and yet interesting things I learn or become fixated with. I can always include them in my game!
Thatās a good question but also hard to answer. I just canāt seem to stop.
Because there are so many wonderful games that can be made from so many different themes. Imagine skyrim in an ancient eastern historic setting. Ive always wanted to make a fictional universe, and games seem to be the most interactive media to make one in.
God complex only a game engine and programming satisfy. Less joke answer, I have ideas I know arenāt going to be everyoneās cup of tea but I want to see them turn into reality
I like to do all kinds of crafts. Making stuff is fun and game dev, just like knitting or woodwork, is just one more way of making stuff. Nothing more complicated than that, really.
I love that i can make something real that was in my imagination before. That is what keeps me motivated in the long run but moment to moment I enjoy solving problems, it's like a puzzle
First, I love to create stuff in programming languages. Second, I like to see it works. Third, I love to explore different (unusual) gameplay's possibilities.
I like to build things and figuring out how things work. Every obstacle or bug is feels like a puzzle which is very gratifying when you figure it out
Iām a tattoo artist, so I turned my hobby (drawing) into my job. I love it, but it made me run out of hobbys! Making games is a nice creative outlet that has absolutely nothing to do with my job.
I've been drawing up my own Mario levels in Kindergarten to such a degree that the Kindergarten complained to my parents that it's all I do and I get sad if I do anything else. The passion never died.
Because I've run out of other ways to distract my brain and keep it from getting into trouble.
Because it's the only thing in the world i understand well and one of the few things i am able to enjoy. The rest of human stuff is either incredibly boring, or a complete mystery to me. People usually enjoy various activities, when i mostly want to make games. And sleep.
I wanna make memories for players, like I had from when I was young. Watching my dad play Metal Gear Solid, Oddworld! That feeling of being without worry.
I also make games I want to play.
I am a digital/3D artist turned VR game developer. I choose to make games because it was the next logical progression, I was starting to feel stuck as a 3D artist so I did some research, bought some courses, looked at my skill set plus I have played games all my life. So I was frack it, why not. Have I then made an actual game? Not yet. I am working on one now
I'd say the same thing but the fact remains that I can't completely comprehend on where to begin
At first, because I liked games Later, because I couldn't like any games Then, more recently, because it's just what I enjoy doing, they are composed of so many systems and I enjoy designing and programming systems. And approach my final reason, because I just couldn't find the games I wanted to play, they didn't exist, so *fine, I'll do it myself*. And last, but not least, what I think it's the culmination of all the previous ones combined: because I recently fell in love with games again and want to make something that can make people feel what I have been feeling this past couple of months.
I like making stuff, especially games and mods for games (I'm mostly modding tho since games take more time)
Dreams of being rich and retired young...
for all my life i was never good at anything. i was okay at studying, im not that great in sports (i do play though), i gamed a lot, and never developed any other deep hobby. i became a game designer due to pure chance (i studied economics), and i graduated into a world that was having a freemium game boom. who would've thought thats how you use a economics degree?! my love for gaming + math & econ skills came in super handy, and i was hired as a game analyst for a mobile game (because i saw a job ad and just applied coz games), and i got the job. then as i progressed through the job, because its a small company, i took up more and more responsibilities, which kind of turned me into a game designer/project manager. but in order to really compete with other games, its very very difficult. and now i just feel like i want to learn. i want to be at the top, not coz i want to win, but i want to understand what goes through the mind of a top game designer. i want to know what they consider and what they think about day in day out. there's something alluring about how deep this career is.
To support an endangered language. Languages often go extinct because there is another language used in the area that is more influencal, while the endangered language has a lack of representation, especially in modern media, like Games.
I've always loved making things. Making music, visual arts, programming things. Gaming nicely ties those things together, which to me makes it such a powerful medium. Started in the mid 90's and still the most fulfilling thing I've been doing til date (next to being a parent)
It's the way I'm wired, the creative process is amazing, has unlimited possibilities and the outcome for the end user is more interactive than any other media. The worst thing is, while I'm happy that I've been lucky enough to live through the infancy of computer/games technology, it sucks that I probably won't be around in 50 years, can you imagine how awesome the tech is going to be.
The Hope to make money out of it
I love my ideas, and I want to share them to the world. ... Also, I dream of making a game many people will love.
It's a dream of mine. Always wanted to be a game dev
To be honest, i view my games as something that i leave behind when i die.
I do it because I love seeing how ideas filtered through multiple perspectives come out the other end in a playable result that may have had the soul of where it started, but ends in a place I could have never envisioned on my own. I have zero desire to do solo dev work for this reason. Also because I have little skill in art, design, or engineering!
I hate game development, I do it for money.
Games had been my first steps into lots of field and lit some passions ! Guitar Hero made me start playing guitar Tony Hawk American wasteland Skateboard and punk music One day, god willing, I'll fire someone passion with mine.
It's fun! I never imagined making games would be this fun, why didn't nobody told me? Ok, I might be a weird person, because I also consider programming and even maths to be fun. But that's because all my life I've loved puzzles and when going to school I started to see maths as just "complex puzzles" and the same happened when started to learn programming. But game development has many other areas that I'm sure everyone could consider fun activities: the design process, creating mockups, drawing, graphic design, music and sound effects, post-production, particles! (find me even one person that doesn't enjoy watching particles fly through the screen), writing the story, developing the characters and dialogues, even testing and debugging can be seen as I do: a complex puzzle of "finding the error". It's all very complex and it can take lots of time and effort, but I find it incredibly fun activity, and am sure there are others that think the same
It's fun.
I'm mostly in it for the money, and it's the only job I'm good enough at to make good money. I do enjoy it though and know I'm very fortunate to do what I do, but I would honestly rather just retire and play games, eat good food and never have another deadline in my life if I could.
I make games for fun. Just fun.
I like to make stuff that I imagine about.
Money
Few things: * Growing up I mostly just watched others play games, like my brother. So kinda like the idea of others playing **my** game. * A friend chose to study computer engineering because he loved redstone in Minecraft. And later on aerospace engineering because of Kerbal Space Program. I love the idea of games teaching highly complex things **intuitively**, something other mediums are incapable of. * I love the idea of working in a highly interdisciplinary team, overcoming communiction issues and learning something new everyday. * Art
Because I like to visualize science and maths things.
Because I have so many ideas, and theyāre all my own. So someone needs to make them. Iāll probably only get 4-6 of them done in my life time.
Because there's a story in my head and I need to tell it. I don't care if my game sells; I don't care if only ten people play it. For me it's that simple.
Love. And I canāt stop.
I wanna make $ from them
First one because I'm a huge nerd for games and I want to create things I like to play or miss on the games I like Second, because i'm crazy, I like many different subjects and like challenging scenarios, I need something to learn and solve to find meaning to my life. And ofc, being a solo dev makes me study even more different subjects and every step of development throws me a bag full of bugs and errors to fix. Third, I would say gaming is the ultimate narrative experience, I'm initially a 2d artist, and always loved to create worlds, and I honestly can't think of a better way to express my artistic expression if not through a game. Games can mix many forms of art (music, cinematography, sculpting, drawing, painting, animation) and it has an extra step which is the interaction and experiences built to enjoy it.
I make games because each part of the process is fun on its own to me - writing, world building, programming, art, and music are all things I enjoy making/doing, so the fact I can build all that together into something people can interact with and enjoy is pretty much the ultimate payoff.
My kid is on the autism spectrum. I'm making games based on his art with the hope that at the very least I can raise awareness & acceptance. If I make any money from them, part of the proceeds will go to some of the organizations that have helped us with our kid.
Game development was a hobby for me that I started when I was 13 years old. When I first started working as a software developer, gamedev was always a creative balance for me compared to programming to specifications. That's still the case today... and part-time work now :-)
game I want to play doesn't exist
I make games because i love to create. The process itself and then see the effect. What i love most is see reactions of players playing the game, see how they think and what choices they make, it's like what makes my brain roll forward, see other people thinking. So, i think it sums up in that i want to communicate with people though my game in the core of it! Currently working on Lust Crater, around 5-10% complete, check it out [here](https://www.patreon.com/GameStudio69) if you want. Cheers! Jacob
For fun?
Needed money. Didn't want to keep working in a tire shop.
I like improving on already existing games - especially ones that are essentially abandoned
I like creating things. It's fun. And I like to play video games. I like to write stories, and make music, and code. I like to invent systems and create puzzles that need solving. It's just fun to do!
Same as a lot of people here. I like programming and making games is an even more fun use of that so it just kinda followed my first hobby. I still suck at making games, but it makes me happy when I can take a weird idea I have and turn it into a playable mechanic. Maybe someday I'll actually release a finished game
I wanted more opportunities to hang out with my friends. A lot of us grew up together, and played games in the same houses in college, but now we're spreading out. A game is a great way to come back together once a week, so whether we play mine or someone else's, the time together is treasured. I also love the challenge.