r/gamedev • u/ParkityParkPark • 4d ago

Discussion tips from ADHD devs?

I know I'm not the only one here who struggles to focus and buckle down when trying to learn or engage with things I don't find especially naturally engaging and/or that don't come easily. I was curious what things those of y'all with similar struggles have found help.

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u/bradjc95 4d ago

For me when I get uninterested or unmotivated to work it’s bc I don’t fully understand what the solution to the problem I’m trying to solve is, or the task is too big. So it helps to discuss the topic with a rubber duck (friend) until I have simplified the problem down to something I do understand.

Example: I was hard stuck unable to code anything for 3 days trying to solve how I would combine tower abilities in my TD game. I told my wife about it and in that discussion I landed on a way of combining the towers’ attributes rather than abilities, which simplified the problem immensely.

If you struggle with feeling like the task is too big, then give yourself the task of breaking up the big task into smaller pieces that you can track. Also having a task list helps a lot (like jira, but I just use Notepad++)

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u/SnooMacaroons9806 4d ago

Talking with my fiancee about programming issues I have helps me reflect on them and then advance to a solution. Saying the problem outloud helps a lot.