2026-11-13
Lecture Friday: How to Survive in Gamedev for Eleven Years Without a Hit
There's solid advice here for anyone, not just those trying to make it on their own. Easily the biggest mistake is thinking you're going to succeed. You've got almost no chance, and it's a destructive way to think. You're almost certainly going to fail. Every overnight success is at least ten years in the making. Everyone's first few attempts fail. The key is being able to weather the failures before you start to break even. You need to look forward to the journey, not the destination. Don't look forward to being a rock star. Look forward to playing every day for the rest of your life.
Start small! If it really is a huge success, you can always make it bigger later. If it's a flop, you'll be glad it flopped earlier rather than later.
His advice to spend money on art and audio is also important. Not specifically those two, but that people engage based on easily perceived markers of quality. They come to view you with a bunch of biases informed by prior experiences. Things they think tell them whether it's high quality or not before they invest their time and money. Contrary to the saying, people absolutely judge books by their cover. Hire a great cover artist if it's not your specialty.
Ownership accrues money over time. It's why he talked about keeping your games alive. When you leave your job or contracting gig, you get nothing. Things you own hold their value long after you stop working on them. To that end, only choose cool contract work. Take jobs that don't just get you money but also help you practice specific skills or work with specific people. It's a big part of learning to say no. Sinking time into the wrong opportunity is worse than spending that time chasing leads on better opportunities.
Don't network. Make friends. This is how I've gotten where I am. I see way too many yahoos trying to catch 'em all on LinkedIn. Stop trying to network. What you think networking is has nothing to do with networking. Try making friends. That's all networking is. It's the same delusion I see people fall into when dating. Stop trying to date and start trying to make romantic friends. That's all being married is, anyway—getting to share the rest of your life with your best friend. Networking in business is basically no different. Make professional friends. Friends in the same or similar lines of work. People are incredibly lonely. Be the one to reach out and organize something light and casual.
Same goes for helping people out. Human psychology makes us each remember the people who've helped us in some way, even if that person doesn't remember helping us. People feel the need to repay people who help them. Help them feel needed or included. Help them learn something. Help them meet a deadline. Help solve a problem they've been having. Help them when burdens are heavy. So find a way to help people.
Last but not least, do not make decisions out of desperation. Desperate decisions reek of desperation and fear. No amount of machismo or false confidence will help, and most of the actions you take when desperate will actively make things worse. It's like the body's desperate, natural attempt to breathe underwater when drowning. It only serves to destroy the lungs in a last-ditch attempt to survive. It's better to give up and try something else than to try the desperate option. Bide your time.