Is it possible to finish a game on nights and weekends, while working a full-time job?

You will need to define "decent indie game" carefully.

Yes, it is possible to make a game rather quickly. As an individual you shouldn't be trying to make a AAA game.

An individual could make a fairly simple game rather quickly by leveraging existing tools and technologies.

The very popular game 2048 was created by a 19 year old over a weekend just to see if he could do it.

Cubistry was a game put together in about a month by a single programmer.

Flappy Bird was made over just a few days using existing assets the developer had on hand from a cancelled project.

The biggest thing is to think small. However small you are thinking, think smaller. Then reduce it some more. You may be able to only devote 30-40 hours on a project. That is about one work week every month. Then consider many major commercial projects have a few hundred thousand hours invested, plus six figures or seven figures invested in tools and technology.

There are a bunch of YouTube videos from Extra Credits; over the past few months they have released a series called "making your first game" that talks about many of the pitfalls of building your own games, such as how to think small, picking realistic rules sets, and launching a product.

People do it quite often.

http://ludumdare.com/compo/

Sure it's possible. Pretty much anything is possible (except time travel to the past, and the Star Trek holodeck).

except time travel to the past, and the Star Trek holodeck

Totally possible.

I am in the same boat as you and I manage to make games and release them. I also have a wife and kids which means I have very little spare time. My gamedev time comes whenever I can get it. Lunch breaks when I am working from home, late nights, a few hours here and there when the family have gone out someplace where I'm not needed, etc. Carefully managed you find free time for your hobbies, the trick is to find that time and not let it take over from the important things in your life.

You shouldn't need to get A less demanding job to pull it off, I work as both IT manager and software developer for a company full time and gamedev is still possible. Get to it! :)

I do that basically... without the finished part, yet, of course. Working part time, devoting my 1 day off, plus 1-2 hours free time every work day, plus some time on the weekend to my game project.

Worked well so far as I was able to learn a lot about game programming, 3D modelling and using game engine editors in the 5 years since I started. And if I would be more reasonable in picking my debut game project, I most probably had a finished game by now

One thing to be careful about when working part time on a project like this, especially as a lone wolf, is that of feature creep, to high expectations, biting off more than you can chew, whatever you want to call it.

It is amazing sometime how much time some simple tasks take you to complete. It is even more amazing how much time the less simple tasks take. And it is very easy to fall prey to the "Oh, the expierienced 3D Modeller has completed a 3D character in a month, I can do that too" misconception... when you have 10 hours to work on it per week, and the 3D Modeller works full time and might do some overtime to boot.... lets say 50 hours per week. You already reached 5 months to complete. Now add to that the fact you are at least only half as effective as the 3D modeller, as even an expierienced hoobyist just lacks the expierience of the pro, and most probably never had to work to a deadline... now it will take you almost a year to finish your one single character sculpt!

So plan your project with care, and make sure to put your hours to good use...

Also, make sure you do not plan in every waking hour of free time for game dev... you will burn out quickly that way. Find a regular time schedule that works for you, but leaves plenty of time for other hobbies, friends, family, or just relaxing... and then stick to it for some time.

Is it possible, yes !

Is it recommendable, hmmm....

I'm doing this for several years now (software dev at day, rest of the time game dev+husband+father). I'm not really a lone wolf, because I develop the game with a friend who do art (~50%), but nevertheless it is very stressful (I'm happy when I'm able to sleep more than 5 hours) to do all the coding, 50% art including rigging, animation,modeling,texturing, sound mixing, game design, level design, media management....

I had to cut off lot of features, art requirements over the years, just to keep sanity. The art part is killing you ! If I would be able to turn back time, I would never develop a hobby-indie-game beyond pixel art again!

Whatever you do, heed Antoine de Saint-Exupery advice:

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

This helped me a lot to keep away from burn-out, but it still a thin line which could be crossed easily.

@frob,

I am definitely not shooting for a AAA game, that'd be crazy, not to mention impossible. I do, however, want to make something bigger and a bit more involved than 2048 or Cubism. When I first started out learning about game development, I made a clone of Tetris, then a clone of Snake, then a simple space shoot them up, ala Galaga. Later I got a job as a game programmer at a local studio and in my free time I started messing with XNA. I spent about a year on that and the end result was a very simple third person shooter, but the more important lesson I learned was that I didn't want to be an engine or tools programmer, I wanted to be a gamplay programmer and, ultimately, a game designer. It was around that time that I discovered Unity, which gave me the freedom to delve into gameplay programming without having to worry about the low-level stuff.

Anyway, the point is, I've gone through my small-game and implementing-somebody-else's-vision-for-a-game phases. Now I want to implement my own vision for a game. I've reduced the scope of the game significantly from what I really want to make, but I am sure there are more features I can cut. I like your advice about thinking smaller and then reducing some more.

@braindigitalis,

Yup, it does come down to proper time management and giving yourself time to relax. That has been my game plan and it's been working well so far.

@Gain-Reto,

Sounds like we are pretty much in the same boat. The animated 3D models thing was also a big hurdle for me, until I discovered Mixamo Fuse, that is. I love that product, I can now create my own models, rig them, animate then, and export them into FBX for Unity in very small amounts of time. I would highly recommend it. Plus, they have an All Access license for Indie developers for only $400 a year. It has made a big difference for me.

@Ashaman,

5 hours sleep time?! Yickes! That cannot be good for you. Take care not to burn yourself out. You wouldn't be very productive if that happened. And that's an awesome quote. Thanks! Also, see my earlier statement about Mixamo. It might be possible to greatly cut down the amount of time and work spent on art resources if you make use of it.

Thanks all for the encouragement and sharing your game development stories. It's helped inspire me to keep doing what I am doing and do it more efficiently.

to get a decent indie game done and have it released on a PC, while also working a demanding full-time job?

Define: Decent?

It seems possible. For example, I work two day-jobs (one as a video game producer, the other as a consultant) and still managed to hold the 5,1,1 dev schedule for several months despite also having a wife, 2 kids and health issues. Of course, that came at the price of me falling significantly behind on TV shows, and general knowledge. It takes a toll on one's morale as well but it is not impossible to ship (I made 2 small releases during that time).

If your question is whether you can turn up a profitable title shipped within that time (and by profitable, I include paying yourself a salary for dev) then I'd say it might be a tad more tricky. As your dev time is diluted over several weeks, it is harder to remain 100% focused at all times, which in turn means you'll spend more time doing things that could've been done more quickly when dedicated to this project specifically. The end-result is that your 'hourly value' will greatly diminish.

But if your intent is to have some fun and learn from the experience before delving fully into that lifestyle, it seems like a palatable avenue.

@Orymus,

By decent I mean a game of quality that is good enough for it to be released on something like Steam (most likely). I am not shooting for consoles or mobiles, just PC, as it seems the easiest to publish a game on. The scope of the game is not too large, I think. It's basically a 3D fighting/action-adventure (as in, you walk around the environment, talk to some NPCs, fight some baddies, and eventually there are some harder, boss-type, battles) with 2-3 levels. As stated above, I use Mixamo Fuse for the animated 3D models which makes it very easy and much faster (not to mention cheaper) than hiring a 3D artist.

To answer your last question, it's not a criterion for me for the game to be profitable. I am not counting on any potential income from it to pay my bills, etc. At this point I plan to keep my day, bill paying, job. So basically, I just want to finish the game, have it released on a PC, and if somebody buys it, that's fine. If not, that's fine too. I look at it more as an artistic venture than a business one. I want to implement my vision for a game and put it out there and see what people think. Making any profit from it would be a secondary bonus.

@Orymus,

By decent I mean a game of quality that is good enough for it to be released on something like Steam (most likely). I am not shooting for consoles or mobiles, just PC, as it seems the easiest to publish a game on. The scope of the game is not too large, I think. It's basically a 3D fighting/action-adventure (as in, you walk around the environment, talk to some NPCs, fight some baddies, and eventually there are some harder, boss-type, battles) with 2-3 levels. As stated above, I use Mixamo Fuse for the animated 3D models which makes it very easy and much faster (not to mention cheaper) than hiring a 3D artist.

To answer your last question, it's not a criterion for me for the game to be profitable. I am not counting on any potential income from it to pay my bills, etc. At this point I plan to keep my day, bill paying, job. So basically, I just want to finish the game, have it released on a PC, and if somebody buys it, that's fine. If not, that's fine too. I look at it more as an artistic venture than a business one. I want to implement my vision for a game and put it out there and see what people think. Making any profit from it would be a secondary bonus.

Hey, from your answer up there, why are you even asking if it is possible?

If its just a hobby for now, forget about what is possible or not. Find out yourself!

To make this post maybe a little bit more helpful:

From what you write, that sounds quite doable... I never really used Fuse, but I know Mixamo (tried their online service way back), so I am sure they can deliver. IF these character models will then be unique enough to still look interesting is something I would question, so you certainly might need to invest some more down the line to make sure your mixamo characters fit in with your game, either time or money to create or buy the needed props and outfits, hair and body parts. Even so, with the animation and rigging taken care of, you are right, a good portion of the character 3D modelling woes are gone.

There is still a very good chance you completly underestimate the amount of work the level design for your game is... if your action-adventure has at least a normal length, that is an awful lot of content needed. You might be able to buy most of the models (though for a large world with many different zones, you will need a lot of different models, or you need to be good with modifying the models you bought).... still, creating the levels from all that will take quite some time, not to mention scripting events, enemies, coming up with a story and the dialog system, and so on...

But in the end, nothing of it sounds really like uncharted waters. You will most probably find help without problems online if you get stuck. So yes, very doable until releasing the game...

Then you have to manage to get on Steam, which is more a marketing and community building feat. Others have managed it before, so not out of reach clearly, though different skills are needed for that.

So if you have a day job that pays the bills, and are not too fussed about being successfull, or how long it takes to release it... just do it! Give it a try... worst that can happen is you give up on this game idea of yours after a year, having learned a lot, most importantly that Indie dev-ing is not for you. Which is something that nobody can tell you, you will have to try out yourself.

And even if you do not manage to release this game in a sensible time, maybe continuing building it is still fun 5 years down the line, maybe you start a new game project after a year that IS successfull... as long as you have a blast along the way, why not?

I did it, although it's an android games and decent is a matter of perspective.

Working on it on week-ends and coding it in native language, beside my full-time contract.

It should be even more possible now since I switched to unity. So, go for it men, and create something awesome !

3D fighting/action-adventure

3D can be overwhelming on your own.

If you are to use 3D, may I recommend focusing on an arena-like level (enclosed) as opposed to actual levels?

A lot of recent games have minimized scope while retaining a good core experience by doing so.

To answer your last question, it's not a criterion for me for the game to be profitable. I am not counting on any potential income from it to pay my bills, etc. At this point I plan to keep my day, bill paying, job. So basically, I just want to finish the game, have it released on a PC, and if somebody buys it, that's fine. If not, that's fine too. I look at it more as an artistic venture than a business one. I want to implement my vision for a game and put it out there and see what people think. Making any profit from it would be a secondary bonus.

It can be frustrating to work on it alone, but given the right level of motivation, this sounds like a somewhat realistic end. Just need to consider any tool license you might acquire and try to break even on sales if you can, so that you're left with the experience of the process and no debts.

From personal experience, it is easy to start, it gets harder as you go, and the final stretch to complete it has absolutely nothing to do with game development (and this is a part where a lot of indies fail and die hard). Putting a game on the market (even without marketing effort) can be tiring, and often involves you learning a bunch of stuff about a bunch of things the very hard way.

Best of luck though!

(am perhaps you should really take a look at my article on Getting Games Done, as this references a fairly similar setting as yours).

Yes, it's possible. In fact, I just made a game over the weekend.

How do you do it? You have to be very careful about what you work on and how you do it.

1. Scope is your ENEMY! If you have a weekend to put out a game, your game needs to be super simple. Almost a tech demo / prototype.

2. You're going to have to spend money. I spent $110 to make my weekend game by purchasing assets from a market. It took the creators weeks to make these assets, so if you want to create them yourself... you're not going to finish in a weekend.

3. Build the CORE game play first, then add on to it. Don't invent the core game play in your head and add on to it in your head. Add, test, iterate.

4. You should use Unity or Unreal Engine. It's going to take you several months to get proficient enough to bust out a game in a weekend. DO NOT build your own game engine.

I'm going to spend a day or two more to polish my game, then release it into the wild and see how people like it.

3. Build the CORE game play first, then add on to it. Don't invent the core game play in your head and add on to it in your head. Add, test, iterate.
4. You should use Unity or Unreal Engine. It's going to take you several months to get proficient enough to bust out a game in a weekend. DO NOT build your own game engine.

Yes and yes.

I just made a game over the weekend.

What about the big project now? I probably need to catch up on your journal...

I just made a game over the weekend.

What about the big project now? I probably need to catch up on your journal...

I'm still working on it :) The weekend game was just a tech demo / MVP to get some quick lessons learned and a feasibility assessment for implementing a virtual reality game with hand gestures -- ie, fail faster. I'll use these notes as design considerations for the main game we're working on.

My share, it's possible if you keep yourself motivated and define a game feature set that's realistic.
I've done it myself, took me 4 and a bit months (using a GDD with a smart planning and everything wrote out on forehand).

http://www.gamedev.net/blog/2036/entry-2261126-booh-released-lessons-learned-and-more/

And on the day job I'm a project manager on non-gamedev IT software and a father of a 2.5 year old daughter.

4. You should use Unity or Unreal Engine. It's going to take you several months to get proficient enough to bust out a game in a weekend. DO NOT build your own game engine.

I don't think there is anything wrong with making your own tech.

I saw this talk referenced many times over the last few weeks:

With all these tool suddenly available for free, there will soon be a flood of games that all look the same, use the same assets from the same stores, have all used the same 3d party libraries, and are all terrible games. If you are making a small, simple game (which should be the goal if you're doing it yourself nights and weekends) then these tools can actually hinder the process.

Forcing yourself to only use what you make forces you to focus on the fun, not the graphics/sound/animations/UI/etc. This isn't the popular viewpoint but still worth considering.

I don't think there is anything wrong with making your own tech.

The only thing wrong with making your own tech is if you are trying to do so without the past experience to do it right, or without significant amounts of your own tech you've already created.

If you've been developing games for years and have tons of prewritten 3D routines for directX or opengl, why not use them? You'd be much more productive than trying to learn something like unity or unreal engine.

Again, If you've been developing games for years and your concept is small enough that you can produce the game using nothing but programmer art, and simple shapes, then why bother with a huge engine? It would be akin to a boat anchor you're forced to lug around whilst you're just trying to walk across town.

For the absolute beginner who's only just cutting their teeth on C# or such, then unity etc are a good choice. Personally i've never had the urge to learn them for the two reasons above... YMMV.