Lost in Development: The Vanishing Dreams of Promising Porn Games

[Cortex Cognito]

Throughout my extensive experience with gaming, I find myself perplexed by the idea that some games never make it out of the hole they’re stuck in. Often, it’s due to budget constraints or the fading spark that initially ignited their creation, those burning passions extinguished by deadlines, shifting priorities, or unforeseen obstacles. Now, all that remains are promising games long gone, their development halted, leaving a house empty with echoes of future ambitions cast into the abyss we call memories.


According to Lyubomirsky (2024), “Hedonic adaptation means we tend to adjust to the good stuff, a new job, a promotion, a new love, or home. Since we are wired for novelty, after a certain period, excitement and pleasure wear thin.” In simpler terms, when we continuously experience the same positive thing, we tend to enjoy it less over time. However, if we think creatively, by viewing it differently or discovering new aspects, we can sustain that pleasure longer. This idea has profound implications for creative fields like game development and storytelling, where maintaining passion often depends on consistently introducing new challenges and fresh perspectives to keep that cognitive spark alive.


While I enjoy my Saturday afternoons not just gooning but appreciating the artistic novelty and storytelling woven into modern games, because honestly many games today seem to forget the core principle of user experience, I can’t help but reflect on the countless abandoned projects. Some of these are eventually resurrected or leaked to eager fans, but many remain as haunting reminders of what could have been. These stories serve as a testament to the unpredictable and fragile nature of creative endeavors in the gaming industry—dreams left in limbo, worlds never fully realized, and the lingering hope that someday, somehow, these visions might find their way back to life.

 

[Vanaduke]

Dual Family by far is the most promising. Lo and behold, it then turns into one of the most resented.

 

[Crimson Delight Games]

Gamedev is hard. And water is wet.

Seriously tho, making even a small game is a huge undertaking.

 

[Snooley]

Eventhough developing games nowadays has been "easier" than ever thanks to the modern tools we have (and AI now being a thing), it is still pretty damn difficult indeed.

I forgot where I read this many years ago, but someone once said that your first 10 games will be bad, which is an incredibly disheartening thing to hear, of course, but then again, there aren't many skills / trades one will be great at from the very start I suppose.

I think one of the biggest challenges is it to stay motivated and to keep the scope realistic. You have this amazing idea for a game you'd love to make and are fired up to start developing it. But how are things going to be 6 months from now? Or when it's time to make those boring, mandatory features your game needs?
Even if you manage to actually get things done then there's all that other stuff you need to worry about (if you're a one man show), like having your game actually get noticed for example.

With all of that being said though, I still think developing games is great fun because when you start seeing your ideas come to life it is truly a special moment! Just getting there first is the problem. ( ◜◡‾)

Regards,
Snooley

 

[olaf_yaddax]

I can only imagine how difficult it must be to develop a game. I would never put myself under such a burden.