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Motivation and Amateur Game Development
MOTIVATION AND AMATEUR GAME MAKING
Hello! While I was studying motivational theorists in Business Studies the other day, I thought to myself, 'Well, this could be somewhat applied to game development also!' So I decided to get off my lazy ass and write this article on how to motivate yourself into making (and completing!) an RM - or pretty much any type of game, applying modern motivational theory AND my own ideas, not to mention common sense.
STEPS TO MOTIVATION
1. Do you really want to do this?
Ok, so you've just scrapped your 4th project and are feeling quite dejected. A few days later, you think to yourself, "Wow, I just got a great idea!" You immediately set to work, and an hour or two later you start to slow down and think, "Well, I don't think this will come out very well."
Has this scenario ever happened to you? If so, maybe you want to firstly, SIT DOWN AND THINK, saying "Do I really want to make a game?" Keep in mind that there are other things in the world besides RM, like sports! And art! And music! Etc. etc.!
However, if you're sure you want to make a game, go for it! The rest of this guide will teach you how to be motivated to make a game the next The Way.
2. Inspiration!
When you want to work on a game, you might be a little short of ideas. So go get some! Watch a movie, play a game you liked, read an interesting book. All these things will give you ideas for stories and, in the case of games, gameplay ideas.
3. Set goals!
Keep this in mind while you're working on your game; you're only human. Working 5 hours a day on an amateur game is pretty tiring ( I doubt you'll be working that much but ANYWAY), and once in a while you're going to feel low. To counter this, set yourself goals in your progress of your project. Divide the creation of your game into STEPS, in a way like the following:
SUPER DUPER RPGMAKER2003 PROJECT EXTRAORDINAIRE!
Step 1: The Story
Step 2: The Characters
Step 3: The Battle System
Step 4: The Mapping
Step 5: The Mini-Games
Then, divide those steps into smaller PARTS, for example:
Step 1: The Story
Part A) The World
Part B) Background Information
Part C) The Ongoing Situation
Step 2: The Characters
Part A) Character Biographies
Part B) Character Weapons/Fighting Style
Part C) Relationships With Each Other
You get the idea. In some cases, you might even decide to split the parts into even smaller parts; take Step 2, for example:
Step 2: The Characters
Part A) Character Biographies
- Lana
-Joe
-Jess
-Benjamin Polkiss
Part B) Character Weapons/Fighting Style
-Lana - Black Magic
-Joe - Swordsmanship
-Jess - White Magic
-Benjamin Polkiss - Polkissing
Part C) Relationships With Each Other
-Lana and Joe
-Jess with Long Lost Love
-Benjamin Polkiss with....poles.
Keep in mind that this is an article on motivation to create a game, not a game development tutorial, so some things might not be right in that point of view.
OK, so you should get the idea by now. Setting goals allows you to make a checklist on the things you need completing, and even allows for:
4. TREATS!
As stated earlier, you're only human. Therefore it's necessary to reward yourself now and then. When you complete a certain Step or Part, treat yourself to a strawberry sundae, a night at the movies, etc. Make yourself feel good about accomplishing your task, to get yourself motivated to complete the next task!
5. Working Conditions
Would you feel motivated working in a small, cramped dark room with pieces of paper and half-empty Doritos packets lying everywhere? Face it, you wouldn't. That's why it's important to work comfortably. Make sure your heating or cooling systems (depending on the weather or location) are working, use an ample amount of light, stuff like that.
6. Group Work
Research has shown that working in a team can produce better results than working solo. That really could apply to the case of game development. For example, the tasks can be divided among the individuals in a group; one person can make the storyline, another can make the graphics, someone else can make the sound etc. However, some people prefer working alone so in the end, it's all in your personality.
Now, the last, and most important step!
7. STAY FOCUSED!!1!1!!one!11!!
I CANNOT stress this enough. You want to make a game? Then get yourself in the ruddy mood!! Personal problems keeping you down? THEN DON"T BOTHER MAKING A GAME! Sometimes, you're going to have to achieve the height of motivation by sheer motivation, so GO! FIGHT THE LAZINESS INSIDE!
And that does it for my steps for getting motivated.
So long, and good night!
Vale
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Details
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Tutorial:
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Motivation and Amateur Game Development |
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Date Listed:
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Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:37:00 -0700 |
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Author:
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Vale
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2554 |
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