Lack of motivation in the game development process

[OldSailor]

Hello friends I want to tell you about a problem I've been having for a long time. I'm currently developing a game based on HTML. I started developing this game with such a high level of motivation that for the first month I spent almost 8 hours a day coding (and learning). I created a million scenarios in my head for the characters of my game, made character choices carefully, etc.

But there came a time when I put the development process on hold because I had a very busy schedule, and since then I never wanted to work properly again. I open Visual Studio and write some text, add some code and then say “Fuck it.” I really visualize the coding process. How do I deal with this, does anyone have any advice?

 

[woody554]

sit your ass back down and write. it's the only way.


that said. most of my breaks and getting stuck have eventually turned out to be some big structural problem in the story, something that feels 'too big to change now'. invariably I've used months trying to fix the old way so I wouldn't have to do the big rewrite, but I never get it to work or progress.

then I finally bite the bullet, plan out that big change, and it only takes like 2-3 weeks to finish because suddenly writing is easy and even tons of rerendering goes surprisingly quickly. you know every day what you need to do next, and it's just clear the new way works 100x better.

 

[Insomnimaniac Games]

Here's my saying. Motivation starts projects, discipline finishes them. Motivation isn't enough to finish a project. Chip away at it. Break down the things you need to do. Make big tasks into smaller ones, etc.

 

[SweatyDevil]

I’ve been there too when making music, mixing, or writing. The best thing you can do is step away for a bit and give yourself some break. Take the time to create a clear plan, what you want to achieve, your goals, and how you’ll get there, etc and etc. One of the lessons I’ve learned is the importance of time management. Having a structured approach can help reduce stress and even prevent burnout, making the whole process more enjoyable in the long run!

 

[Lerd0]

..invest in cocaine.....

..dats what keeps me goin......

 

[orellion]

Having the scenes play out in your head - fun. Doing the 1000+ hours of work to bring it to fruition - work.

 

[asen-de]

I see no real solution for it. Powering through it will not work, especially if you will have to do it for a long period of time. Do something new and learn from your past project, think about what caused the lack of motivation. To big of a scale? Lack of structure? And many other reasons.

 

[gunderson]

As somebody who's done quite a lot of for-fun writing (not so much game designing, though I've dabbled in that too), I'd suggest this: try making something else for a while. It doesn't sound like you're beholden to patrons/subscribers, so they're not holding you to some kind of schedule. Put your creative energy somewhere else, see what happens.

Hell, you might consider writing some fan-fiction for your own HTML game. Write a story about an upcoming scene, but cut out all the code and the choices. If that gets you motivated, modify the story to put into the game. If not, write other stuff. Considering how little money most people on this site make from their games, it's not like you're losing out on a huge windfall or something if you let your hobby just be an actual hobby. You might even enjoy said hobby!

 

[NeonSelf]

Try to skip the boring stuff and focus on what you like in your game.

I've usually stopped making a game when it came to making user interface: showing some boring tutorial, where most actions should be disabled and shown one by one or adding some piece of story to tie everything together. You know, I've made roguelikes because I liked to learn procedural generation of dungeons or collision detection for projectiles, not because I wanted to tell some story.

So, remember why you liked making your game in the first place. Maybe skip some boring character choices, walls of text, or music (if you prefer playing without sounds anyway). You're making this game for yourself first, you dont have to please investors or customers with some expectations differing from your own.

 

[♍VoidTraveler]

Chug down some booze and get the buzz going, work while maintaining the buzz.
I noticed that monke brain is less likely to feel bored when buzzed.

 

[DumpTruckLover]

Studying people who have already done what you want to do and succeeded can be a source of motivation. This is a method that works for me.

 

[ciaqoo]

Convert your game to RenPy you will learn new stuff.