Just read this article and thought it was oddly appropriate for this topic and ISDCaptain01.
Whats the point in hobby game programming?
Author
Actually Im doing a lot better now. I tend to think too much and bust my brain at times. Still continuing to work on my current project.
When I started to make games, this was my thought process "I just want to see how all of this works, it seems like magic"
Now when I have a handful of games under me, that thought quietly switched to this: "I wish I could do this for a living instead".
its because I enjoy it so much.
Just the thought of anything taking it away from me depresses me. Also ive worked really hard to get to the point i am, i dont want to just drop it and leave it.
When I started to make games, this was my thought process "I just want to see how all of this works, it seems like magic"
Now when I have a handful of games under me, that thought quietly switched to this: "I wish I could do this for a living instead".
its because I enjoy it so much.
Just the thought of anything taking it away from me depresses me. Also ive worked really hard to get to the point i am, i dont want to just drop it and leave it.
i dont want to just drop it and leave it.
You don't have to "drop it and leave", it's not like this is a club where you are only allowed to do this and only this or not this at all.
I don't code at lot/at all at home right now (although plans for UE4 experiments might change that, but that's also work related so...) but even when I did I had other things to do as/when I didn't feel like coding; be it going to the gym, watching some TV, working on some (bad) music or writing some fiction. And I know I'm not alone in this way of dealing with things.
If game dev isn't doing it for you right now then take a break, do something else for a bit, if nothing else it'll relax your brain a bit and then when you return you'll be fresher.
I totally emphasise with feeling like I "should" be working on stuff even when it's not that enjoyable. Of course, even with hobby projects there will be bits which are dull - if you want to make a playable game let alone a finished game there will be some points you have to knuckle down,
Well, first of all, it's fun.
Second, you might actually turn it into a game people like.
Third, it's not exactly true that it is useless as a portfolio piece: I don't have my CS degree yet either(way overdue due to...,well, not attending lectures and exams), but my own game project is probably what helped me land an interview and then the job I have now, at Bohemia Interactive Simulations(still not out of my trial period though, so fingers crossed!). It shows you can do things and it's a talking point in the interview, and that's a good thing.
Lately, I've been getting the feeling that all the hobby work I do is pretty much for nothing. Why spend the countless hours learning the material, making a kick ass portfolio, and improving the skills when there is no potential career or income in this field? Hell, I don't even have the relevant degree, that alone automatically kills majority of my chances of turning this into career. Why do you continue programming games when there is no future or payoff? I feel like ive been living a double life, due to my failure in college CS which led me to this path. I never should've put this effort when there is nothing to gain other than "fun". I don't know, maybe im getting depressed and need to take a break.
When I hear 'hobby' I usually associate it with 'fun', and fun is a good reason to do something in itself. Personally, I like making games and simulations because they are the most fun way for me to learn new things.
For me, hobby programming lets me unwind from work. I love helping to make big games during the day, and when I come home I love using my own creative projects to take my mind off of work - otherwise my mind seems to stay at work 24/7, stressing me out and making me less productive overall.
Also - what makes you think there is no potential income in the field? There is. Your lack of a degree doesn't have to be a roadblock. If you're only working on hobby projects as a way to get a job in games while at the same time feeling that this is an impossible goal for you of course it's going to seem pointless.
It led into a career for me, and it was fun even before that. As the others said, if that's how you feel then there's no real reason to continue.
Same for me!
If its not something you enjoy, you are probably better off finding something that you do
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