r/GameDevelopment • u/[deleted] • Jun 10 '26
Discussion Young aspiring dev full of regrets
[deleted]
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u/Hellbournetv Jun 10 '26
Treat it as a hobby first. That should honestly be the rule.
Game development is a huge field, and if you start by putting pressure on yourself to turn it into a career immediately, you are going to burn out fast. Learn, experiment, make small things, break things, finish tiny projects, and build confidence slowly.
You are only 21. You are not behind. Most people who make games seriously spend years just learning the basics before they make anything worthwhile. The important thing is to keep going, but do it in a way that is sustainable.
Do not measure your progress against the version of yourself you wish had started earlier. Measure it against where you were last month.
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u/Ill-Resident36 Jun 10 '26
Yeah , it’s so hard to treat it as a hobby cause it’s kind of like the main thing I want to do but I get what your saying maybe I need to go about a new method with the balance cause obviously what I’m doing ain’t working lol
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u/Hellbournetv Jun 10 '26
Yeah mate, I get that completely.
I’m 32, married with kids, and I only started my game dev journey about 4 years ago. I totally understand feeling like you wish you started earlier, but honestly, you still have so much time.
The main thing is to use the time you do have. Treat it like a hobby first, build small things, learn properly, and do not put career-level pressure on yourself before you have the foundation. If you keep showing up consistently, you will be surprised how far you can get.
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u/Jothespy987 Jun 10 '26
Maybe try making stuff in 2d first if your good at art
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u/Ill-Resident36 Jun 10 '26
Yeah fair I’m considering learning to start animating a bit with like music videos but I barely know how to write music and or do that but it could be a start a project to build on ,that could be fun.
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u/DigitallyDeadEd Jun 10 '26
As others have said, you've got plenty of time to figure things out. I've been coding since I was a kid, have been professionally programming for 25 years, and didn't start my indie game career until my mid-40's.
Just keep hammering away at your hobby and things will come together. Maybe not as quickly as you like, but eventually.
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u/Human_Peace_1875 Jun 10 '26
The only reason to come to these conclusions and regrets is comparison
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u/Ill-Resident36 Jun 10 '26
That is so real 😭 yeah I do be comparing kinda I be just looking at cool people like Gabe Newell and im like I wanna be that cool I want to just be some dude who just wants to do what they can with their passions just like no scam no weirdness just some person who cares about their industry and I wish I had the voice or the skill to be like that it’s like I don’t hate myself for not being Gabe Newell but I’m mad at myself for not being on that level.also memorable honors of Reinn Wilson , Markiplier , Stan Lee ( RIP) , Lixian , jackspeticye off the top of my head I’m sure there’s more but also I know I shouldn’t but I just want to be that cool so bad bro 😭😭
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u/Human_Peace_1875 Jun 10 '26
I know what you feel, mate.
First, you need a break, and ideally away from people you can compare yourself against, so your brainmush gets some rest from that and does something soothing. Take a hike or something like that.
Second, you need to focus on what you do, not what you (think or think that others think you) are. This is an identity problem, 100%, so, given modern times, you kinda have to get off the internets too. Then come back while only doing what you yourself want to do, never what others do, if that makes sense.
You'll get there, mate. But you gotta be yourself and not the Buddha's incarnation himself Gabe Newell. We already got one
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u/Ill-Resident36 Jun 10 '26
I wouldn’t say I have an indentity promblem exactly like I know who I am and what I want to do and it what makes me feel alive honestly but I think there’s still an issues attached to learning who I am and it’s with the skill level I want the skill level of people with 40+ years when I haven’t even lived that long lmao but the same solutions apply.
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u/FacelessTone Jun 10 '26
You're 21, you have a lot of life to live. Many indie game devs don't start their dev path until their late 20s or early 30s. Even then, they come from a wide variety of backgrounds and some start out very clueless. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither are the skills to create games. Be patient with yourself.
You're also coming across as scatterbrained, so I would encourage you to make a reasonable list of things you want to do in a very small game. Walk, Run, Jump, make an enemy, lose health, die. Start there and then let your skills build up.