Saturday 5 December 2009

I will not make your game for you

Someone posted a link to this story - which is funny, and anyone who's a professional in some sort of writing can probably relate. :)

I have not yet gotten to the stage of being that traditionally harsh, and I don't really mind people telling me their ideas. Once in a while, I work with other people. Sometimes this is a mistake, other times it isn't.

Regardless, I will not make your game for you. Even if it's the coolest idea ever. (And some of the ideas I get handed are at least somewhat cool.)

I will point you in the direction of tools you can use to make it yourself.

If you can get your game at least to playable demo stage, then come and talk to me again. IF I like your game and IF it's well-matched to my audience and IF there's something I think I can offer you to make your game more successful, then maybe we make a deal... but I still won't make your game for you. I just might be able to give you some advice or other help.

Not getting my help doesn't necessarily mean your game is crap, it just means that I don't think my help would be a productive use of my time. If you're writing an FPS, you seriously don't want my help. My help wouldn't do you any good.

2 comments:

GDI said...

"He was way more interested in telling his one story than in being a writer."

Actually that's similar to my wanting to make this one game rather than being an indie developer as a profession. I'd rather not be spending time on the essential but boring aspects such as marketing, maintaining customers, or even a studio.

Josh Olson's advice is to work with a writer who had years of training to assist in pulling forth that vision. Actually I'm willing to do that (definitely going to cost thousands of dollars though), the dilemma comes in the form that...

well, the tools are free! And I actually know how to use them! Though it might take me 5 years!

So it's my choice... waste my money on a potentially unsuccessful project, or waste time instead. Though I am gung-ho about ideas, one has to minimize the risk, it's simple business.

Rio said...

Nice article papillon! It holds many truths. You can even move this idea forward and relate it to people making suggestions that you do XYZ game or go into ABC portal. They mean well but they're not the ones who will be doing the work, research, time, or the risk.