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Today I would like to talk about how to make a game as a solo developer in the spare time.
If you follow my channel, you know I started learning Unity in Jan 2019 and making my first
game, which is a turn-based strategy game - Dungeon Slayer.
I made this game in my spare time, and it is still under development.
I made a recap video about my first year of game development and show you what I have
achieved.
You can find the link on the right corner.
Making a game is a very time-consuming job, especially for a solo game developer.
I have to take care of almost everything — coding, marketing, building the audience, interacting
with the community, and learning the new technologies.
So if you don't like what you are doing, you properly cannot stick too long.
When it comes to making a game, the idea is not that important.
The more important thing is that we need to keep improving our skills and the quality
of the game.
Another concern people may have is that we don't have enough time compare to the full-time
game developer.
So some people consider quitting the current job to make games.
If you are an experienced game developer, who wants to live a life by making games,
choose it as a full-time job is ok.
But if you start learning game development and hope one day you can deliver a commercial
indie game, I don't recommend you do it.
I do admire people who are full of passion about what they are doing.
But sometimes people ignore the difficulties in real life, e.g., can you support your life
and family by making games?
How long can you survive by your savings?
What if the game you are working on is not a commercial success in the future?
Yes, there is nothing wrong with pursuing our dream.
I just wanted to point out that sometimes it takes longer for us to get there.
A lot of people decide to quit their current job to work on the indie game.
Yes, it looks pretty cool when people have the guts to chase their goals.
But I also respect the people who work a full-time job, but still make progress every day and
keep working on the game in their spare time.
If we know how to work efficiently, making a game in our spare time is still possible.
I made a video about how to work productively; you can check it out on the right corner.
One big challenge for a solo game developer is marketing.
If you start making the game, the easy way to let more people know is to use all the
social media you have.
I don't use social media too much before.
Now I started making weekly videos on YouTube for a year, and I will keep doing the same
this year.
I don't try to sell the game to the audience.
I more prefer to treat it as a pillar platform that I can connect with more people, share
the progress, and get feedback.
Then I can improve the game quickly based on the input from the community.
So the purpose here is not to sell the game, but to make a better game quickly.
The other fact is that many of the people who follow your YouTube channel may not be
your target customers.
Some of the audience is the indie game developer as well.
Some of them could be a gamer who may prefer other types of games, they enjoy the content
you created, but it doesn't mean they will buy the game you create in the future.
But I still think it is worthy of doing it.
I have received a lot of valuable feedback from the community, youtube audience.
We need to know how to manage our expectations here.
If you have any other good idea of marketing, please leave a comment and let me know.
Another good place to get feedback on your game is to set up a discord server.
Then people can hang around and chat about game development.
I always encourage all the members to share and promote their content and games they are
working on.
One reason is that I like to see other game developers' project; the other purpose is
that I don't want to make my discord server is all about my game.
That's just boring.
More people, more games, more fun!
The other good channel to share my work and progress is on Reddit.
These are the reddits I usually visit weekly.
Just read the rules before posting anything, or you may be kicked out by the admin.
Another reason that I like game development is that I can see a lot of cool game mechanics
and effects created by other talented developers.
These are the Facebook group I visit a lot.
You can share and get inspired by other people's work.
One good thing to work as a solo developer is that I can make changes quickly.
If you follow the channel, you know I have tried many game mechanics.
I can also remove or delete the features if I think it doesn't work as my expectation.
I can make the decision quickly without holding back from other people.
Another good thing is that I don't have any financial pressures when I work on the game
in my spare time, which means I don't need to please anyone or comprise to change the
game if I don't want to.
I am open to any suggestions and ideas, but being financially independent means, I don't
need to rush my work.
If you are wondering if you can make a game as a solo developer in the spare time, all
I want to say is that yes, you can.
Just get started and work on it.
Being humble and improving your skills every day.
As they say, strive for progress, not perfection.
Every day is a good day when we start making games.
If you like this video, don't forget to LIKE, COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBE.
Thanks for watching, this is Lee.
I will see you next time!