From Player to Creator: Balancing the Challenge and Joy in Game Development

By: Ulises Rubino

Hello there!

A lot of us who have played games for most of our lives have had a moment such as this: You’re sitting on your couch, controller in hand, fully immersed in a game that you just found out about, and you have played it at least 5 or more hours a day in the past week. The graphics might not be mindblowing, but you are captivated by the gameplay, you picture yourself inside the game’s world and suddenly, a spark ignites in your mind. “I want to do this!” you declare, as you envision bringing your game ideas to life.

When we are just teenagers there’s nothing to stop us, besides well, having to study and all that. But when you are to the point where you have to juggle a 9-to-5, spending quality time with your family, having a hobby and also trying to get into game development, that’s when things get complicated. 

Before you start dreaming up the next Crusader Kings or how would you make a narrative-based Clash Royale clone, let’s talk about the journey you’re about to embark on. Transitioning from a game player to a game creator is no easy feat. It’s a whole perspective shift from what we are already familiar with, but a thrilling transition nonetheless.

The Daunting Start: Embracing the Learning Curve

Let’s acknowledge the monumental task ahead of you. Shifting from a consumer mindset to a creator mindset can feel overwhelming, and it is completely normal to feel a bit crushed when you finally have a personal perspective on the amount of work you’ve got ahead of yourself if you want your game idea to become an actual game. You might find yourself staring at a blank canvas, wondering how on earth you’ll ever bring your vision to life, or wondering what the heck is a Rigidbody or a Finite State Machine. But fear not, for this is where the magic begins.

It’s completely normal to face fears and insecurities during this transition. Will your ideas be good enough? Will you be able to learn the necessary skills? These doubts might creep into your mind and make you feel like you are just wasting time you could be using to do something else but do not let yourself be consumed by those thoughts. Perseverance is your superpower here friend. Embrace the learning process, gather your courage, and take one step at a time.

The first time I got into game development was when I was around 18 (between 2011 and 2012), and I started with RPGMaker VX Ace, the latest at the time. I had seen some promo videos about RPG Maker and loved the style of the games done in it. I remember I asked my grandpa to buy it for me because at the time it was the only way I could have access to digital USD, and he saw how passionate I was about it that he bought it for me almost without the need of convincing him. I worked on the mechanics and basic game design of that first game without any idea of what was waiting for me down the line. I got pretty far into that game, which was an adaptation of a fantasy world that I’m still working on to this day, but eventually, I figured out that what was on my mind would not be able to be done in RPG Maker without a deep understanding of code because of all of the modifications I would have to do. 

After researching game engines for the first time, I concluded that the best match for my idea would be Unity, and then I got into it. Without any training or reading beforehand. Big mistake. It felt like I overcame a small bump in the road only to be faced with a steel-reinforced concrete wall. What were all these script files? What was a polygon collider? What did I get myself into?

I tried watching some tutorial videos but at the time there wasn’t really enough free content out there to easily understand all of the basics, most of the playlists on YouTube were incomplete, and paying for an online course was out of the question due to how expensive they were compared to what my family could earn in a month. Then, I learned about Playmaker and how people were using it to make games without coding, then after a day of watching videos about it, I once again asked my grandpa about it and once again he helped me, $99 it costed, still remember that price tag. I started creating the world I had done in RPGMaker and started learning how to handle Playmaker… and I stumbled upon the biggest roadblock yet: Playmaker is a very powerful tool to make games with as little coding as needed, but that does not mean that you’ll do a game without ANY coding. 

I was in university at the time, learning a whole different set of programming languages, and learning C# was cool and all, but it felt overwhelming to me to add another thing to learn, and it wasn’t fun. Yeah, what I was doing as a hobby for the first time didn’t feel fun to do, and it took all the joy out of it. Quickly I let that project die, and even though I never forgot about it because I continued developing that fantasy world (still do, that thing has gotten massive), I didn’t touch anything related to gamedev until around 5 years later. 

But that time was very short-lived: I updated Unity, went into it, learned a bit about Playmaker as well and how it had changed during the years, and felt confident about starting a new project. But, I needed to watch a lot of tutorials again, and it took a lot of time. So much time that if I had wanted to make it work, then I would have had to stop playing games because at that moment I was already working in my first job at a marketing agency as a web analyst, and I took very seriously my gaming time, which was mainly just playing League of Legends with friends, we even took part in the first Latam qualifier for Worlds back so it wasn’t all just fooling around (well, it mostly was, but we sometimes took it seriously). So in the end I decided, once again, to leave it for later. 

There were a couple more similar instances between then and now that I won’t spend another paragraph narrating, but this is just to give a real-life example that you are not alone in this, there are thousands of people who want to get into this industry by making the games that they’ve dreamt of creating but stop themselves, like I did, because of… life. Sometimes it’s just not the right moment, sometimes it’s because it doesn’t feel like a thing you’ll enjoy, sometimes it’s just hard to find the right motivation for it, and it’s fine if you are getting into this because it’s your passion and because you want to do it, its also fine to stop if you are not enjoying the process. 

Some people say that you shouldn’t quit, that the way to success is to be able to do things that you don’t want to do, and I agree with that, but one also needs to understand that for something that you are starting as a hobby, that you are not yet sure if you want to do this for a big part of your life, it’s ok to try it before committing to it wholeheartedly. Just because you learned how to play guitar doesn’t mean that you have to strive to be the second coming of Jimi Hendrix.

But if you at any time get to the point where you find yourself thinking “I really want to do this, for real”, then let’s get to it! Thankfully, the industry has gotten big to the point where resources are everywhere, both paid and free, and tutorials of anything and everything are everywhere, and there are massive communities choked full of people who will help you. 

It will be hard, it will take a lot of time, and it will need a lot of dedication, but you will be able to do it. The key is considering the time you spend making games as part of your recreational time during the day: Find a way to make game development as fun as playing games, a way that fits you personally, and you won’t worry about wasting time ever. 

Unlearning and Relearning: Rediscovering the Joy of Learning

There’s something called “un-learning”, and it’s something you should apply to your own process. We have been coded by the education system to learn stuff in a certain way, but for you to be able to get into game development in a way that is fun for you, you need to let go of what you think you know and open yourself up to new learning techniques that cater to your individual preferences and learning styles. Maybe watching tutorial videos gets your creative juices flowing, or perhaps you prefer hands-on experimentation. Whatever works for you, embrace it with open arms.

And guess what? Through this process of unlearning, you’ll rediscover the joy of learning itself. No longer bound by a structured and inflexible environment, you’ll have the freedom to explore and experiment, paving your path in the world of game development. By doing this you will also start building your own style, the thing that will make you a unique figure in the industry.

For me, it’s a mix of short video tutorials on YouTube, from how to handle a Cinemachine to creating a combo system for a 2D platformer, and asking AI for help with certain roadblocks. Github’s Copilot AI has been my coding guide during most of the times when I’ve struggled to understand how to handle something code-related, for example, to understand how Dictionaries and Enums work in Unity. And I’ve dabbled a bit with Unity Muse to ask for more general questions on structure and debugging things. 

For example, I was practicing my skills by making a metroidvania game and I got a functional player character with all movement set up, enemies, traps, level design, and all, but I ran into a problem where my player character died immediately after I hit play mode. I spent 3 days trying to find the problem (Also, 3 days because I had to distribute my time between working 2 jobs, spending time with my wife and son, and taking care of the house). After an hour of chatting with Muse, I was able to figure out that I had unintentionally checked the “Destroy if not emitting” on a trail renderer that was attached to the player game object. It was frustrating to spend so much time on such a dumb mistake, but it also felt rewarding being able to solve it, much similar to playing any Souls game: It’s hard, but part of what makes it fun is the struggle, then the rush of dopamine after being able to overcome it. 

Find your way to learn, practice, and work on game development fun, it will make the difference between struggling to actually enjoying it.

Navigating the Struggles and Ideas: A Community of Support

Creating games can be a rollercoaster ride of emotions. You’ll encounter imposter syndrome, self-doubt, motivation issues, and creative blocks that feel impossible to overcome. But fear not, for you are not alone.

Online communities are your secret weapon in this quest. Remember that you are not alone, and you are not the first to have these same troubles. Surround yourself with fellow game developers who understand your struggles and can provide support, guidance, and endless inspiration. Share your ideas, ask for feedback, and bask in the warm glow of a like-minded community cheering you on.

Reddit and Discord have been my personal places to find such groups, and among them, being able to work as part of the core team at the Indie Game Academy has been my main motivator to continue pursuing this path. There’s something magical about being part of a place that influences the careers and lives of people in such a meaningful way, and being able to see those changes personally, makes you feel capable of anything. 

But wait, there’s more! 

Seek out mentorship and collaboration opportunities, networking is the name of the game. Find a seasoned game developer who can guide you through the treacherous terrains and share their wisdom. Collaborate with other aspiring creators to bring your ideas to life, join game jams to practice your skills, and collaborate with new people. 

The Triumph of Creation: The Reward of Perseverance

Now, picture this: you’ve conquered countless challenges, overcome fears and insecurities, and poured your heart and soul into creating your very own game. It may be small. It may be simple. But let me tell you, my friend, that sense of accomplishment is like reaching the highest score on an arcade machine.

When you’ve conquered the initial challenges, and not only found your personal way to move forward into this industry but also overcame all the inevitable blocks that you’ve stumbled upon along the way and finally, after pouring your heart and soul into creating your very first game, the sense of accomplishment is one of the best feelings in the world. The game may be small, and simple, but that’s not relevant. If you enjoyed the process, then that is literally all that matters. Remember that what matters is that you continue doing this over and over (No master was born in a day after all) and with time and practice you can be the best that ever was. 

Perseverance and dedication are key. In the beginning, you’ll feel like all of your time gets consumed by learning how to do every little thing, and with how many things you will have to learn before you become an expert, it is natural to feel like you’ve undertaken a daunting task, but even before you get there, you will get that feeling of accomplishment when you create something that you feel satisfied with the additional satisfaction that you did this in your own terms, not subjected by a stiff syllabus. 

You’ve embraced the learning process, you’ve sought support from your game development comrades, and now you stand proudly as a game creator. Whether your game is played by millions or enjoyed by a small circle of friends, celebrate the journey you’ve undertaken.

And don’t forget to revel in the small victories along the way. Every bug fixed, every level designed, and every line of code written is a step closer to your ultimate goal. Toast to your achievements, big and small.

Pick up your tools, sharpen your skills, and create the game you’ve always dreamed of, you are now in the best era that there ever was to get started. 

You won’t be alone in the process: Like you and me, there’s also a whole lot of people that are right in the middle of it (Like, what is a Scriptable Object supposed to be?). 

Let’s get started, my friend.