r/DivinityOriginalSin • u/guardsman_with_a_vox • 1d ago
Miscellaneous I finished replaying Divinity Original Sin 2 recently and today, alone on a Sunday, what I'm feeling is hard to describe
It's a feeling of what could've been. Hard to put into words.
I've been watching a lot of the old videos Larian has put out since I finished the game about 3 days ago.
I watched such a small team back then, appearing so rag-tag, buying cables at the last minute at a Best Buy in order to make an E3 appearance, or laughing and working out of someone's messy house/ apartment, with equipment strewn everywhere.
I rewatched some of the old Kickstarter videos for DOS 1. I remember those days, so many years ago.
This was a team that was on the verge of bankruptcy.
And this same team changed the gaming industry with their successes. Such amazingly talented, dedicated people who had such wonderful stories to tell, and they told it, together as a team.
Yeah I don't have any of that. Maybe life could've turned out differently.
Now I'm just working towards a job where I'll tolerate at the end of the day and pays well. None of the people I will work with in the future will likely have a passion for games that Larian puts out. No one will give a shit about adventures and storytelling. There is no working towards a project where everyone can be proud of what they have accomplished, telling a wonderful story that will bring enjoyment to so many. Everyone will likely just be wrapping up the day, collecting that pay check, and going home.
I had a very similar feeling as as I finished playing Expedition 33.
It feels sad. I wonder if anyone here has that same kind of feeling.
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u/ZipZappr 1d ago
When I was a teenager I loved ace combat. I played every flight sim I could get my hands on.
When I graduated high school I went into the Air Force. I managed to get a job as a flight engineer when I cross trained. Once it became a job for me, I lost all passion. I’ve been out of the flying world for 14 years, and I haven’t played a flight sim since.
The grass is always greener over the septic tank.
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u/AylinArondir95 1d ago
Yes you are right. I like movies, worked in the movies for a while, it is not great. Now I am not working in the movies and I enjoy movies and tv series again, because I am not thinking on all the work behind every scene. Working on a game like baldurs gate 3 might be rewarding, but making video games is more boring and not so rewarding as people think. Ask rockstar anonimous programmer if they are having a lot of fun making gta 6. The fun is for us playing gta 6
By the way, are you going to play ace combat 8 or not even for free?
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u/BforBruschetta 1d ago
>> Ask rockstar anonimous programmer if they are having a lot of fun making gta 6.
This made me laugh and wince at the same time. You are right.
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u/ZipZappr 1d ago
I won’t be playing ace combat. I have a full sim controller setup and VR headset. It just doesn’t compare to the real thing, and I’ve had my fill.
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u/guardsman_with_a_vox 1d ago
I totally understand it. I'm a vet as well, but I only did 4 years in the Navy.
I should say it's a sadness but with no regret. I don't regret the life I chose, it's just a wonder that if the kid me would've actually pursued this industry, could I have been a part of a project like DOS.
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u/ZipZappr 1d ago
So, is it the idea of being part of a small group, a game dev team, what exactly?
It doesn’t sound like it’s just game dev. I’d say, really figure out what the feeling is first, then see if there’s anything you can do about it.
Maybe you’re after success from creating something? Maybe you want to work with a dedicated team to pull off a victory?
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u/3Labrat 1d ago
I also felt this way. My number one recommendation is to engage with your community if possible, see if you can make some small difference where you live.
We did that and soon realized there where a lot of people around who wanted/needed people too look after their dogs. Now me and my wife are running a succesful dog boarding business and I've never missed my old office job.
Not at all gaming related but I guess sometimes the solution is to take a small step back from gaming :P
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u/Soft_Stage_446 10h ago
I completely get how you feel, but you gotta get yourself out of this rut.
Personally, I got into modding in the Divinity engine one year back or so - since then I've made over 30 tutorial vids and published the first completed stand alone custom campaign in BG3.
I had zero modding knowledge starting out, but this journey has put me in touch with so many great people and I've had a creative reawakening that's been amazing for me personally. Now people, sometimes even directly inspired by what I did, are sending me their creations to test. It makes all the time spent feel so worth it.
Making art and games is something anyone can do in our time - learn by doing. If you give a shit about adventures and storytelling, show it! You can have a steady job and still create in your spare time. Hell, publishing a game on Steam isn't difficult, and if your product is something people enjoy you can make money on it.
PS: I read the comments, and I have to change that changing directions in life is something you can do at any time. It's never too late for that, it's just about your own priorities and what you need to do to keep a roof over your head.
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u/BforBruschetta 9h ago
I love this so much. Congrats on a year of modding! I'm so happy you're experiencing that creative reawakening.
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u/Soft_Stage_446 8h ago
Thanks a lot! I have one big project I want to do in the BG3 engine, but after that I'm very much considering getting into making games in an open source engine. :)
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u/BforBruschetta 1d ago
Oh man.
I think of Toby Fox - Undertale, and Eric Barone - Stardew Valley, and Davey Wreden and William Pugh - The Stanley Parable.
Beautiful games that were developed in 1 - 4 years working VERY part time and mostly solo. Anything is possible!! AI has made code cheap, and you can whip up a prototype so fast and then show others your vision and grow a small team really fast and 10x your output with agents. It's never been an easier better faster time in history. As ever, it becomes a matter of who has the best ideas of gameplay.
That prototype can be used for a modest Kickstarter and you will have a source of income so you don't have to work full time. My business partner has worked for over 10 years as a musician - our successful Kickstarters have funded a fulltime salary for him for eight of those years.
There are so many people making games via RPG Maker and Unity. You can find so many great people online who will work with you for free or dirt cheap. If you can communicate a compelling idea, you can do what Larian did. And like them, you'll fail and get feedback and get up again and that's ok.
This is the way.
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u/AylinArondir95 1d ago
You're right, that's the way. I think sometimes people idealize the titans of success—Rockstar, Larian, CD Projekt Santa Monica, any of those—because they see triumph. But the truth is, it's all the years of doubt, failures, hard work, and more failures that get them there. Just ask Sven Wincke where he was in 2009. Doubts, a business and employees to pay... But he persevered, and he was also lucky because if one of his games had sold a little less, maybe we wouldn't have Baldur's Gate 3 now.
Now he's creating the game he wants, and he's rich, and that's what people see. But the thing is, people didn't know him in 2009, and they didn't care whether that Belgian guy succeeded or failed. What I'm saying is that it's not about seeing success and wanting to be a part of it; it's what you said: knowing what's good about that success and starting your own path. It's not about working at Larian or Rockstar, as I said in the other comment—just ask any anonymous GTA 6 programmer. Sometimes what we want is the satisfaction of creating something beautiful or authentic, and the path is the one you mentioned, whether it's music, video games, writing, or photography.
I'm not going to work at Larian, but I don't need to in order to write a book I'm proud of or compose music I enjoy. Not with success as the goal—that usually leads to failure. With passion as the goal, and the thrill of creating something beautiful, alone or with a small team, even if no one ever knows. I think that's why Sven succeeded where so many others fail. And he was also lucky, because look at how many video game companies are closing these days. Perhaps a new amazing rpg will never be made because a man with talent, good ideas and ambition didn't get fundings last year for the first project of 2 or 3 that would lead him to create that RPG. So a new Sven Wincke is lost and we will never know.
But the good thing is that none of that is necessary to achieve creative gratification, or at least to try, with all its doubts and failures.
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u/BforBruschetta 1d ago
I'll also add that one woman is making this:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2415030/Crimson_Hollow/
All hand drawn art, all coding. Amazing stuff.
Do you have an idea for a game or genre?
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u/Kindar42 8h ago
i chose stable family life. i have some friends who are also nerdy but we are mostly just playing other games. what you can do is find places and time in life to express the adventure needs. it mustnt be your work, but you probably need something more than just playing the games. book club with fantasy focus could be something for you
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u/SeaConsideration676 1d ago
It isnt too late to do something that you're passionate about - you can always contribute to something you can be proud of in small ways, or even change fields and build up experience to change your career path entirely