Honestly i Don't know you but i'm already missing you i don't know why i just feed bad🙁 i watched your last video( didn't completed full video because of less time)
Very interesting. I'm currently building a course and honestly didn't even think about the constant upkeep. Something I need to keep in mind... EDIT: Regarding the viral topics, I completely agree with you.
I watched that vid, when he said "I feel like I have set my self on fire to keep everyone else warm" that hit deep. I started streaming not too long ago and have quickly realized, while it can be fun, it is taking away my energy for the project I want to work on (which is building my own games and creating/growing a studio). There's only a finite amount of energy and it is up to us to choose where to spend it.
Hi, i have been watching this channel almost a year and feel like I should say that i'm grateful for your content. it helped me a lot when I started making games. i also joined the lost relic discord and people are very kind to offer help. thanks ^^
I'm really happy to hear that, i'm so proud of the discord group. I made efforts early on to make sure the culture took a positive direction. Grateful for all those that made it what it is now.
This situation has been a firm reminder of those safeguards. Many times I have been careless and let things get away. Like David, i'm drawn to making videos from a position of enjoying 'passing the baton of knowledge'. There is a lot of hidden work that many don't realise until they fully step onto this path. Appreciate you
Not a gamedev , just a software dev here. Like you say, I do hope your channel doesn't explode since I love your down to earth and realistic inputs and that sudden burst in views will probably take that essence from you . RUclips and social media in general (which I'm away from) project these irrealistic scenarios where everything is so glamorous and easy to attain. Your content is different and it's the voice that a lot of people need to hear: "success" is not granted, guaranteed and easy. Also success is an utopian idea: you're never gonna be satisfied with whatever goal you set for yourself. My mantra is to just enjoy the moment, enjoy the process, enjoy the ride with little to no expectations. What better feeling can you have than producing beautiful art . Making games, painting, playing instrument. I write code , that's how I like to express my art. And that's all there is, we don't control anything in this life so all we got left is enjoying life, doing what you love without necessarily getting anything in return (hopefully you monetize your passion) . Your project didn't work out? Doesn't matter, you learned with it, you had an enjoyable time with it. Just dance like the world is not watching you
I am glad I’ve found a lot of channels that have helped me on my game making journey, but I’ve often wondered why they are not using this time to make their own dreams come true. Time is so incredibly limited.
Because, as you said, it's a journey.. some people like to make videos... As a journey ! "Life is about the journey, not the result" somes says. Nevertheless, what you create in your life is doomed to be sucked up in the void.. so the only left reasonable thing to do is to enjoy your life :)
@@skymer7471 I agree, you have to enjoy the process as much as possible. I play GW miniature games and I have spent much more time building and painting than playing. But it’s my time to relax, listen to music and forget the bills and other annoying things. The goal is to play, but often the journey there is even more rewarding.
It only takes me an hour or 2 max to put out a 10 minute video tutorial. So if I can't find a tutorial and do figure it out myself i tend to make a quick tutorial of it. I also get better at video editing each time which is super usefull in general. And lastly it also selfishly serves as a reference for myself for the future if i forget something. Shrugs... that's why I do it.
John I always love your insight, you fill a critical niche in the game development space. With that said, I think its inevitable for you to "blow up" or reach a greater success than you already have, and I hope for you that when the stress of expectations comes too great you end up creating things that you want to do, not what we expect from you. At the end of the day many of us enjoy your content for you, not so much the subject matter. That's the beauty of RUclips!
This little video was just what I need this morning as an aspiring game maker that’s coming to game dev a bit later in life. I feel behind, and often feel a lot of pressure to get better and juggle everything at once like learning to code, learning to make art and learning to market, learning level design… and have a life too! Thanks for the reminder for balance and good routine and for keeping things in perspective. I have thought of starting my own dev log for marketing, but the time commitment worries me. When you get a chance, I’d love a video going through some good ways to market other than RUclips dev logs. Many thanks for your contribution to the community already and the entertainment you’ve created.
I really needed to hear this. My channel is just starting out, and I'm already feel everything you discussed. As I'm preparing my next tutorial series, I often find myself wondering if I'm spending my time wrong because progress on my own game has completely stalled. Thanks for the honest perspective on this stuff, John.
I watched his vid earlier today. I had mixed and confused feelings about it all too. I get his viewpoint but I couldn't help but have these "Yes but" moments while he was explaining the situation. But at least from what I saw, he's just not really into continuing youtube but still more than willing to continue his dev journey.
As a content creator online you really have to be aware and prepared for parasocial relationships. Viewers have certain feelings and feel a connection to the creators they like and some folks have a hard time understanding that it’s a one way relationship. The content creator doesn’t know the viewers as intimately as they know the creator, so it’s impossible to feel the same connection
I definitely relate to this man! I have a single video on my channel and it kinda blew up without me wanting it to. I realize that sounds ungrateful but I just wanted to help a couple of people make some 3d art. Now I have people emailing me constantly to either help them with their projects or they want me to join their weird NFT scams... And I just made the one video because I was like "maybe a 100 people will watch this and that will be a good day". So yeah RUclips just takes way too much away from my gamedev time to be sustainable.
Great insight. In regards to creating a course... It is absolutely one of the hardest things I've done. I've partnered up with two other artists, and even with the 3 of us working on it everyday for close to 2 years, we're still not done, and will for sure force one if not two of us to go Full-time to support the course and its students once fully released. It's a time sink like no other.
Really enjoyed this. Sounds like you have a really good sense of your own personal boundaries to ensure you don't get overwhelmed by your workload. That's really wise, and I think what you said here could help a lot of people. Keep doing you my man! You're one of the most authentic RUclipsrs I've seen in the gamedev space.
Some of the points you touched on reminds of when I see a devlog take off from time to time due good editing and algorithm picking it up, I always scroll through the comments to read all the laundry list of suggestion from commenters and I wouldn't call it a stretch to say some of them are demands that involve changing the core system of your game that has been established. I believe it's exactly as you mentioned "give them an inch", I believe it's the kind of entertaining or educational tone that would entice the majority of viewers. I get it nobody wants to watch a vid of someone reading a list of their trello board task completions for the week, but I think it's worth managing people's expectations and relying that message to the community, you simply cannot bombard a creator with a workload on top of their workload. There has to be a balance and developing good community building skills will solve that overtime whether it be asking for features on features or being a helpdesk support.
I was lucky with my first youtube video and it reached 10k views, it was about something people were looking for and I didnt know about, but it was meant to be a practice test video, so it's kind of bad. Now I'm making videos about what I really want to make and they only get hundred of views and it is hard to have tasted undeserved success and then being unable to go back to that success cause you were just lucky. I make those to talk about my games, making the games and getting people to play my games is the ultimate goal, but there is that tough in the back of my mind, to play the youtube game and I feel it's dangerous to shift my focus on the wrong thing, I want to make games, not youtube videos, my youtube videos are there to serve my games, to talk about my games not the other way around.
I hope the algo doesn't punish people too hard for being infrequent or intermittent because I as a consumer of said infotainment, I don't want the creators to get burnt out either... Either way I appreciate your vids at the pace you set for them and if you post a quick update on discord when you make your vids, I'm notified directly so I don't have to rely on the algorithm to keep up with your preferences! Could be once a week, could be once a year and I'll still enjoy these updates :)
John, that was really helpful as always!! I'm learning that to prioritise what is best (e.g. having fun making games/spending time with family) needs to be Core and not let other things eat into the time too much for the sake of 'success' or other things.
I appreciate your take on this and I also appreciate the evolution of your channel. I definitely noticed the change in your content but I still appreciate your content. I think your new content makes you stand out a bit.
I'm glad that I came across your channel a while back and subscribed as well. I didn't know what content to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. You seem to speak from the heart and I appreciate that. As a family man, myself, I can relate to the daily grind of juggling personal and professional presence first, while placing myself second..if the 24hrs allows a second for a second. Thank you for your content. I'm sure it will be/is already valuable to aspiring devs, RUclipsrs, or really just anyone. Regarding yourself, sir--whether you post a vid tomorrow or never again, I'll still be here coding, gaming, and waiting. Cheers!
awesome video that would help alot of upcoming youtubers in all feels, i really like how this is is like a prevention, letting others know what will thin them out or prepare them for the hurdle
Nice talk! I listen to lots of dev channels, Game Dev Unlocked included. I'm always inspired by everyone, yet understand people that have channels have lives and feelings, and can really do whatever they like. There is a point to be made about providing regular content for you tube and focusing on your game. I feel working on the game or whatever you do, should be the prioritized along with mental respite!
Hey John. I have only just stumbled across this and will watch David’s video in a bit too. I do relate to the point you’ve made, and my RUclips channel hasn’t exploded … It’s just a way of getting dev log content out which shows current work on Neyyah each week, or perhaps every two weeks. While the quality is ok, I don’t put a massive amount of energy into them, as I do prioritise development on my game, but as long as I get some content out showing visually (and audibly from my own perspective of the matter at hand) then I believe it’s enough. Thoughts are with yourself, David and any other game dev / RUclipsr who may be struggling a bit right now! Follow your heart :)
Thank you for an objective, real talk on this whole thing. I’ve been preparing to stick my toe into my channel to share my project but am taking seriously the implications. Far too many hats do indie devs wear. I have David’s course as well as Thomas Brush’s course…there’s just not even enough time in a day without careful deliberation on how to spend it wisely.
I agree, you have to know how to understand to use time wisely each day. For me I want to work on my social media more and at the same time I want my game to keep moving forward. It is challenge because lets say you get good at social media then it takes work to maintain that while you work on your games. It is something I started noticing early so I decided to go full on working on my game and having it grow naturally instead of spreading out to much and only little things really get done as a whole. Thank you for talking about this, its good to hear it coming from you. I really enjoy your videos, it help me start my Kickstarter for my game and I use the tips you showed us but it didn't get funded for me but I use that as motivation and not to give up and keep pushing forward. Since then my game has become a way better game then when it first started on kickstarter. I was able to get my game on Steam and the release date is next month I'm a bit nervous and at the same time excited! I'm going for it, the journey has been long, and at the same time it also feels like the journey has only started. It's nice to hear other game devs like yourself talk about different things because sometimes you guys are what I have as social life, hearing someone else talk, so it feels like your right there as a buddy talking to me. You have good advice and thanks again for the work you do for the community.
Sometimes life gets in the way, it's hard. I had to scale back making videos for a bit and it's rough because I miss it and I will get back to it. In the end it is about choosing what is important to you. Is it the interaction with your community, is it teaching people skills, is it finishing that indie game you're working on, is it work or is it family (family always comes first off course). From there flows how much time you're willing to dedicate to all the stuff that comes with putting yourself out there. I have found it difficult to deal with people who seem to think you owe them something. It's in my nature to be very free with giving my time to help someone, but there are only so many hours in a day you can dedicate to doing stuff for the benefit of others and I can't stand entitlement. But you have to stay tactful. The flip side of that argument for me is that they are the exception to the rule. Most people are understanding when you can't go in depth to help them out with a problem and are more then happy for any thing you provide, even if its no more then words of encouragement. Last thing, RUclips.. RUclips youtube youtube... PLEASE fix your comment system for us content creators! Seeing my content is mostly tutorials, and some of my tutorials from years ago remain popular, people still comment on those videos, and especially reactions on older comments, you just can't find them. If you miss the notification, their gone...
Creating and teaching is challenging to maintain if you have other things in your life. Even after not making videos consistently for 8 months I still feel like I’m “Not making videos” and sometimes feel guilty about it. I am taking a different approach to videos when I start again. I want to share, I want to teach and that’s what I’ll focus on. I have built 2 companies off the back of my channel, I also have to maintain that. It’s a different type of battle trying to help but also needing to put time and effort into the rest of your endeavors. Love the video. It’s great to see the topic being discussed even amongst our “smaller” channels.
I watch your videos in and out, I've never asked you for help or anything, I just like seeing someone making a game and talking about it while they do it. It's cool. And the philosophical chats too. Honestly, as long as you just keep making games you love and then talk about em, I think you can continue YT as long as it works for you and is interesting for you.
You got good quality content, dense, full of experiences, good pieces of advice, and hard to swallow pills, it's hard for this content to blow up and get viral, but it's the way to build a strong community, take your time when needed cause I know it's not an easy task to keep going on the good path, I really appreciate your work thanks a lot
A very sincere and reflective video, as usual. A few thoughts: 1. There's never any need to apologize for making money for your efforts doing something positive in the world, for providing genuine value to others. We all need to eat. You didn't directly reject that position, and I'm sure you'll agree with it, but this did feel like an undertone to some of your comments, so maybe it's worthwhile to openly acknowledge it. I always assume that most game dev RUclipsrs are intending to make money - whether by advertising, or Patreon, or selling courses, or simply as a marketing tool for their indie games. And that's awesome - you and they _deserve_ to make money for your efforts. As always, how much effort you're willing to invest, for how much money you'd generate for that effort level, are an individual matter of a person's situation and values. 2. Having fun and making money aren't mutually exclusive. I understand your concern how "the fun" could suffer once you start making some money from it, but "the fun" is guaranteed to suffer if you simply cease to do this thing that you actually enjoy (enjoy so long as it remains within your personal feelings about its reasonable limits and boundaries). 3. As it's your channel, your efforts, you can and should unapologetically lay down whatever boundaries you've decided that you're comfortable with. There's never a need to apologize to anyone for having a job, a life, and family responsibilities. 4. There are many exceptional game dev RUclipsrs, and there's a fair amount of overlap in their efforts. Some kind of formalized collaboration - maybe even a consolidated channel - might actually create more value for the viewers while creating more payoff for less work for the content creators. I'm not sure that would work, but it's possible, and if you're feeling overwhelmed, that might be something to at least consider.
I went from small tutorials and showcases using invector to trying to do a more focused build an rpg tutorial. I started in amidst my own learning, because I found that I was able to simplify some of the more complex stuff for others who like me were chasing this as a hobby. I even got to the level of releasing my own rpg kit and trying to keep up the video content. But im reality I am a hobbyist dev, i have a family with special needs and full time employment that sees me travel a lot, and on top of that I had my own games I wanted to put out. Unfortunately all I have to show for it is 100 started prototypes, video series that cut off too short and less and less time for my family. I've now changed track and started focusing more on a devlog style for presenting info to an audience, as it helps me manage my time so i can actually follow what I want in my hobby. But good timing, my pc is dying so I can't work on my project until it's replaced. As an alternative, I am contemplating going the patreon route to support creating content, as sadly enough money buys time :/
Thank you, this is very sincere and deep from one's heart content. Really touched by your honesty, openness and caring for balance and not for the money. Good luck with your great life and game!
Your content is extremely helpful, we (the community) owe you so much in respect points. I believe good things will come to you in time, what goes around comes around! I left the discord group last year but still follow you here. It seems the more people there are on the discord server, the harder it is to find valuable conversations. Atleast here on the RUclips I get to hear you and your sincere thoughts uninterrupted. -I pray to Odin for a successful Blood and Mead launch!
I am a big fan of David Wehle. Watching his latest video was truly heartbreaking.💔💔 An important reminder and a warning for both viewers and aspiring "RUclipsrs"
It's great to hear your thoughts about stuff like this, love your transparency, integrity and content. Hope you keep it up and best of luck on your journey.
you are one of my main motivations to keep working on my game and stay consistent. just wanted to say thank you, and i wish you all the best sir. this job does indeed takes a lot of courage and commitment. i could not be possible by you and other channels.
I started doing some videos myself nowhere near your quality and it's a real challenge. Game dev is challenging enough and much more rewarding IMHO. I will still practice video making since it is an interesting skill and some of the effects and things help with particular aspects of game development there are these interesting crossovers. I hate that melancholy feeling whereby you get yourself into this mental depressed state. It's nice to have ways of getting out of it and for those that cannot I feel for you deeply.
As a Unreal Dev, even with a very small channel, I started to see this path ask more and more of your time, the bigger you get. I just wanna make games and share my experience and knowledge with others. My goal now is to strive a balance between making content for my RUclips channel, and actually working on my Projects.
Hello, your video is very interesting! we are 2 developers from Mendoza Argentina. On August 2nd our first video game "Spiriat" comes out on Steam. Everything we learned was through RUclips! Thank you very much for sharing your experiences! Greetings!
I like how you pointed out that the game dev journey is for fun and not about the money. Its about the experience we can give and gain in return. Great content.
Setting boundaries is something I wish more youtubers would do. Scope creep is something we have to watch carefully in our lives and work. It can get out of hand if you never reel it back in. The frustrating part is knowing when it's going out of scope in the moment. Sure hind sight is always clear but it can get difficult. That's why the boundaries and expectations should be talked about more in content creation.
Great video! As a youtube developer myself, this is very true, and I’m even a super small youtuber, but that feeling has already hit me many times already. I don’t want to get big, and I hate when I have to engage in things I feel like I have a responsibility for. Like answering a ton of questions, and turn people down who just want to help me.. This video hit all the right spots. Thank you for reminding me to take it easy, and do things at you own pace 👌
This really resonated with me as I published NFT related tutorials and was flooded with dev support questions and video requests. I have, since then, added a voting system for the next video topic and acces to my scripts for holders of my collection which helps support my work. It's hard to find to time to work on my game though. I allocated a specific time in the day for that. I should learn not to look at discord around that time...
Just watched Davids video and then yours. It definitely seems like success on RUclips seems to be a treadmill that keeps increasing in speed. You want it to slow down but the only real way is to jump off, which seems risky but often is better for them.
I dont do game dev currently anymore to follow more lower level programming skills, but i highly appreciate your nuanced talks about these various topics.
You have to protect your mental health. The internet can become very overwhelming and I'm learning that myself. When you have fans that are crazy about you, it puts you in a situation where you don't want to stop creating. But, as you said, if you give them an inch, they WILL take a mile and this mile will have it's own toll on you.
really interesting video. i'd never really thought of youtube channels/game courses as a commitment to managing a community, but it makes a lot of sense
I appreciate your candor in speaking about this. These videos are fun, but when they become a chore than it becomes something else. Also that support tale is insane. Thanks for sharing today
This video is spot on. When you start creating instructional videos on RUclips, the students will come. However, a plan for support should be in mind. I do get comments from viewers want everything handed to them because it would be FREE support and that can be dangerous. Thanks for sharing.
The problem is, when you're not running the show, but, the show is running ' you ', or, it's so much about the money, fame, or status, one can't say no . . . That's the big fall, where people can get seriously hurt, or, risk losing stuff, over sort-of celebrity, or sudden power, seen it happen, to some famous people, it was sort-of obvious they a. wanted it too much, or b. couldn't handle it ( well ) . . I think it's important to have some sense, of when that happens, and, be able to say no, I think that's what David finally did, and, maybe for him, it was a good thing, or, it wasn't the time, or, stuff in his life, so he couldn't do it, etc . . . I think he's one of the few smart people I've seen, in the sense, he got out, when it started to hurt, or, fall apart, in his life, etc . . Ton of people keep going, to their own detriment, or, loss, of succes . . :-)))
As a classroom teacher (day job) and a minor content creator it's a huge load to help others. Folks really under estimate the work. Pretty frequently I get the question "can't you just make a video on X or Y?" Most often the answer is no. No I can't. I've been asked frequently to create a course I don't do it because of the up keep and the work required. It really doesn't take many views for a channel or course to start owning you.
Great video, great insight. Thank you. Edit : I genuinely believe that you are extremely content and honest in your words. It's a great position to be in :-)
These courses are great and I think if you don't have a great discord with talented programmers to help answer questions it can get rough. I don't think updates are necessary if you label the course to only work for that version. New programmers have to learn to try without knowing because a lot of them will have other people build the whole thing. I see it all the time on discord.
I totally agree with all this. I've been in the industry for a decade and decided to do marketing because indies really needed it and there still aren't enough good resources. After working at several companies I decided to become a consultant so I am not tied to any one studio and can help more developers with exactly this problem. Thank you for having this conversation. I hope this industry learns better ways to be more sustainable so we can keep doing what we love.
Great point, it can get hard if you go on with a sense of obligation in the creative fields they are supposed to be different from the day to day job but if you focus too hard on them they can end up being even harsher to manage
I think the problem David had, is that he's not really that skilled a game dev. Don't get me wrong, i don't mean that as an insult, just as a fact. He created a game based on Unity's node based scripting, the game was very buggy and janky, and it was released in that state but sold reasonably well nevertheless. His game gained a lot of traction based on the look of it (which consisted entirely of Asset store assets). It looked nice because he used nice assets and that's why it sold. The reviews of the game make this very clear. So on the back of that, he decides to make a course teaching people game dev, and that becomes an issue when David doesn't know how to code himself, and only has one single game under his belt which was created in a very haphazard, and sometimes non-standard way. I think this is a lesson to all 'devs' who have a game that has success. That does not mean you have the skill, ability, resources or time to start teaching people how to do what you did, because in order to teach, you need to be very well versed in the subject that you're teaching, and I think that's where David fell short, alongside his issues with not being able to support people. I know this might sound harsh, but it's just the truth. There is a growing number of people who have a tiny bit of success then go straight into creating courses and classes when they just aren't ready for it yet, both from a resources and skillset standpoint.
Interesting video, yeah I would totally imagine that doing youtube streams and devlogs and all, can really burn people up. What started like a desire to share knowledge might end up like a prison. And yes RUclips algorithm is built for constant content creation. And that can burn people if they try and follow it.
As a former RUclipsr, I completely understand. I was doing 5-7 videos a week, and after a year I completely burned myself out. I had to stop to get my mental shape back. I love watching DevLog's but people have to understand that 1 video of DevLog content could take 1 week to 6 months of development time. It all depends on what they are working on. :) Nothing but the best for DevLog RUclipsrs.
I have my own online course, Media Masters (For Kids), and it's a nice little side hustle. Took me three months to make. It's doing okay. I wouldn't say it's demanding of my time, but it takes time to respond to every single question, or every query. I have a life. lol
You have to hire people. Especially after major success. The worst thing you can do when trying to maintain or scale a business is to do it all yourself. Game developers and musicians are the only ones who seem obsessed with being one man studios. The film industry is not like this. Even authors understand having editors, and a team around them to make their art lol. As the personality and the face of a buisness, you should really only being doing that. At his level he should have someone managing his socials full time, have someone editing his videos for him, etc. When you have money, use it to only focus on what you want, and outsource the rest. It shocks me when devs allow themselves to get burnt out. I used to, and now I have five people I work with non stop for the music we create. All I do is post it and link it up and get it traction. A majority of the work with my name on it, was not made by me these days. It's a business. People, successful or otherwise, need to ask themselves what they want, and get in line with how things simply are.
good job on the video! Always enjoy your content. One thing i want to say though is that developers usually say that if you want to make a game, its easy to get started with todays tools. But if you want to make a game that people actually play it doesnt matter how good it is, if they dont know its there they cant play it. So to make early advertising youtube devlogs is a great thing for several reasons.
Maybe I have a different POV, but I never really liked the myth of the "solo creator". I'm not calling out any one person for it, but in game dev & tech in general there's this sense of the rugged lone genius, starving & struggling alone to make their game a reality. But that's nonsense - even, maybe especially, as solo devs, we have support systems that help us on our journey. Whether that's family, spouses, or friends, fellow-traveler game-devs, or even RUclips tutorial creators & conference panelists who may never meet us, but whose videos shape our work or speak to us at critical junctures. I agree wholeheartedly with anyone who needs to take a step back to reevaluate or reenergize, and obviously if you've had success before, that door, that ability remains in future. But I keep seeing this same tragic arc play out where devs assume they have to go it 100% alone, or undervalue the support they have [often a wife/partner], and then look back from a position of total-burnout, that was very possibly avoidable. Even if you can't pay people to literally help build your game, having people to bounce ideas off of, or perk you up when you're down, or just have a chill moment with away from the game, is worth gold, and nearly always free (or maybe the cost of a pizza LOL).
I was following Piokou, and was sad that they discontinued their game...but it seems to be a very common fate for indie developers, for one reason or another. I'm guessing that a lot of people start game development for fun, but don't realize how much tedious work there is in actually completing one, and once that realization sets in then they lose all motivation and momentum.
I think formal courses are a trap. There's more obligation there than a YT tutorial, especially if you change hundreds. It'll quickly, as you pointed out, shift your identity from being a game dev to being a teacher of game development. We only have 24 hours in a day.
I totally understand the idea of not wanting to take money for something or charge money for something because then you're also signing an unwritten agreement that there's a quality level, or commitment that comes with it. If it's free, then people can't complain when you forget to follow up with Part 3 of your tutorial or the next piece of content or what have you. lol
I respect you for turning down the offer of Raid: Shadow Legends. The mobile game. That's the full name. I have heard it too many times. In case you haven't come around to notice, it's infamous for being a super generic greedy mobile game and being advertised by oh so many youtubers. Thank you.
Yeah I have added a number of tutorials on my gaming channel and at times you get a lot of requests for help. And with too many of the tutorials and other content it has at times been overwhelming. Yes you have to keep making stuff all the time. If your lucky you can make some evergreen content to get you through a slow week. Lately though Real life overwhelmed me and my channel tanked and not sure I can or will restart it. Its tough at times.
inches and Miles SOO true. I have also had people ask to have a live chat with me and then it goes on and on and I'm trying to help them but they are no where near the level of skill to do what they want. They started to not listen and insisting I do more and eventually I basically just had to say got to go and hang up on them. Not what either party wanted but that's what it came down to. On the topic of doing to much, there is also the thought of a buffer and if your going full out burning the candle at both ends and then life comes at you, you don't have the buffer and then something will have to give. Your health, family, or channel. seems good to work to make a certain buffer space in it all, add resiliency.
I really enjoyed this, I appreciate your thoughts and support John!
You did a Wehle good job (I couldn't resist) on RUclips David. I hope you have a good rest and destress.
We are all with you my brother,stay strong,it is gonna be okay in the end,you are perfect,you are enough and Don't be hard on yourself 🥺💖🤗☺️☺️😀🙂🙂🥺💖
Honestly i Don't know you but i'm already missing you i don't know why i just feed bad🙁 i watched your last video( didn't completed full video because of less time)
Very interesting. I'm currently building a course and honestly didn't even think about the constant upkeep. Something I need to keep in mind...
EDIT: Regarding the viral topics, I completely agree with you.
I watched that vid, when he said "I feel like I have set my self on fire to keep everyone else warm" that hit deep. I started streaming not too long ago and have quickly realized, while it can be fun, it is taking away my energy for the project I want to work on (which is building my own games and creating/growing a studio). There's only a finite amount of energy and it is up to us to choose where to spend it.
Hi, i have been watching this channel almost a year and feel like I should say that i'm grateful for your content. it helped me a lot when I started making games. i also joined the lost relic discord and people are very kind to offer help. thanks ^^
I'm really happy to hear that, i'm so proud of the discord group. I made efforts early on to make sure the culture took a positive direction. Grateful for all those that made it what it is now.
Can I say something too. You are the MOST honest, sincere and pure game dev RUclipsr I’ve ever seen. Keep up the positive vibes!
I hope you will say the same about me some day 🙂
Completely agree. Pretty much the only game dev channel I can stand XD
6:35 "One who is drowning is in no position to be helping others swim."
Love that quote!
Hope you keep your safeguards in place so that you can work sustainably and at the rate you find comfortable. Family and your life is most important!
This situation has been a firm reminder of those safeguards. Many times I have been careless and let things get away. Like David, i'm drawn to making videos from a position of enjoying 'passing the baton of knowledge'. There is a lot of hidden work that many don't realise until they fully step onto this path. Appreciate you
Not a gamedev , just a software dev here. Like you say, I do hope your channel doesn't explode since I love your down to earth and realistic inputs and that sudden burst in views will probably take that essence from you . RUclips and social media in general (which I'm away from) project these irrealistic scenarios where everything is so glamorous and easy to attain. Your content is different and it's the voice that a lot of people need to hear: "success" is not granted, guaranteed and easy. Also success is an utopian idea: you're never gonna be satisfied with whatever goal you set for yourself. My mantra is to just enjoy the moment, enjoy the process, enjoy the ride with little to no expectations. What better feeling can you have than producing beautiful art . Making games, painting, playing instrument. I write code , that's how I like to express my art. And that's all there is, we don't control anything in this life so all we got left is enjoying life, doing what you love without necessarily getting anything in return (hopefully you monetize your passion) . Your project didn't work out? Doesn't matter, you learned with it, you had an enjoyable time with it. Just dance like the world is not watching you
David's Goodbye vid, go show some love: ruclips.net/video/Rxn66BKnCIU/видео.html
I am glad I’ve found a lot of channels that have helped me on my game making journey, but I’ve often wondered why they are not using this time to make their own dreams come true. Time is so incredibly limited.
Because, as you said, it's a journey.. some people like to make videos... As a journey !
"Life is about the journey, not the result" somes says. Nevertheless, what you create in your life is doomed to be sucked up in the void.. so the only left reasonable thing to do is to enjoy your life :)
Support is addictive.
@@skymer7471 I agree, you have to enjoy the process as much as possible. I play GW miniature games and I have spent much more time building and painting than playing. But it’s my time to relax, listen to music and forget the bills and other annoying things. The goal is to play, but often the journey there is even more rewarding.
It only takes me an hour or 2 max to put out a 10 minute video tutorial. So if I can't find a tutorial and do figure it out myself i tend to make a quick tutorial of it. I also get better at video editing each time which is super usefull in general. And lastly it also selfishly serves as a reference for myself for the future if i forget something. Shrugs... that's why I do it.
John I always love your insight, you fill a critical niche in the game development space. With that said, I think its inevitable for you to "blow up" or reach a greater success than you already have, and I hope for you that when the stress of expectations comes too great you end up creating things that you want to do, not what we expect from you.
At the end of the day many of us enjoy your content for you, not so much the subject matter. That's the beauty of RUclips!
This little video was just what I need this morning as an aspiring game maker that’s coming to game dev a bit later in life. I feel behind, and often feel a lot of pressure to get better and juggle everything at once like learning to code, learning to make art and learning to market, learning level design… and have a life too! Thanks for the reminder for balance and good routine and for keeping things in perspective. I have thought of starting my own dev log for marketing, but the time commitment worries me. When you get a chance, I’d love a video going through some good ways to market other than RUclips dev logs. Many thanks for your contribution to the community already and the entertainment you’ve created.
It's good that people are talking about this, I have experienced exactly the same things. Thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts!
I really needed to hear this. My channel is just starting out, and I'm already feel everything you discussed. As I'm preparing my next tutorial series, I often find myself wondering if I'm spending my time wrong because progress on my own game has completely stalled. Thanks for the honest perspective on this stuff, John.
I watched his vid earlier today. I had mixed and confused feelings about it all too. I get his viewpoint but I couldn't help but have these "Yes but" moments while he was explaining the situation. But at least from what I saw, he's just not really into continuing youtube but still more than willing to continue his dev journey.
As a content creator online you really have to be aware and prepared for parasocial relationships. Viewers have certain feelings and feel a connection to the creators they like and some folks have a hard time understanding that it’s a one way relationship. The content creator doesn’t know the viewers as intimately as they know the creator, so it’s impossible to feel the same connection
I definitely relate to this man! I have a single video on my channel and it kinda blew up without me wanting it to. I realize that sounds ungrateful but I just wanted to help a couple of people make some 3d art.
Now I have people emailing me constantly to either help them with their projects or they want me to join their weird NFT scams... And I just made the one video because I was like "maybe a 100 people will watch this and that will be a good day".
So yeah RUclips just takes way too much away from my gamedev time to be sustainable.
You are the proof that good content is above everything else. It is apparent that you put a lot of effort in making your video. 🙂
Great insight. In regards to creating a course... It is absolutely one of the hardest things I've done. I've partnered up with two other artists, and even with the 3 of us working on it everyday for close to 2 years, we're still not done, and will for sure force one if not two of us to go Full-time to support the course and its students once fully released.
It's a time sink like no other.
Really enjoyed this. Sounds like you have a really good sense of your own personal boundaries to ensure you don't get overwhelmed by your workload. That's really wise, and I think what you said here could help a lot of people. Keep doing you my man! You're one of the most authentic RUclipsrs I've seen in the gamedev space.
Some of the points you touched on reminds of when I see a devlog take off from time to time due good editing and algorithm picking it up, I always scroll through the comments to read all the laundry list of suggestion from commenters and I wouldn't call it a stretch to say some of them are demands that involve changing the core system of your game that has been established. I believe it's exactly as you mentioned "give them an inch", I believe it's the kind of entertaining or educational tone that would entice the majority of viewers.
I get it nobody wants to watch a vid of someone reading a list of their trello board task completions for the week, but I think it's worth managing people's expectations and relying that message to the community, you simply cannot bombard a creator with a workload on top of their workload. There has to be a balance and developing good community building skills will solve that overtime whether it be asking for features on features or being a helpdesk support.
I was lucky with my first youtube video and it reached 10k views, it was about something people were looking for and I didnt know about, but it was meant to be a practice test video, so it's kind of bad. Now I'm making videos about what I really want to make and they only get hundred of views and it is hard to have tasted undeserved success and then being unable to go back to that success cause you were just lucky.
I make those to talk about my games, making the games and getting people to play my games is the ultimate goal, but there is that tough in the back of my mind, to play the youtube game and I feel it's dangerous to shift my focus on the wrong thing, I want to make games, not youtube videos, my youtube videos are there to serve my games, to talk about my games not the other way around.
I hope the algo doesn't punish people too hard for being infrequent or intermittent because I as a consumer of said infotainment, I don't want the creators to get burnt out either...
Either way I appreciate your vids at the pace you set for them and if you post a quick update on discord when you make your vids, I'm notified directly so I don't have to rely on the algorithm to keep up with your preferences! Could be once a week, could be once a year and I'll still enjoy these updates :)
John, that was really helpful as always!! I'm learning that to prioritise what is best (e.g. having fun making games/spending time with family) needs to be Core and not let other things eat into the time too much for the sake of 'success' or other things.
I appreciate your take on this and I also appreciate the evolution of your channel. I definitely noticed the change in your content but I still appreciate your content. I think your new content makes you stand out a bit.
I'm rooting for you mate. I'm just getting back at it after 4 years of traveling.
I'm glad that I came across your channel a while back and subscribed as well. I didn't know what content to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. You seem to speak from the heart and I appreciate that. As a family man, myself, I can relate to the daily grind of juggling personal and professional presence first, while placing myself second..if the 24hrs allows a second for a second. Thank you for your content. I'm sure it will be/is already valuable to aspiring devs, RUclipsrs, or really just anyone. Regarding yourself, sir--whether you post a vid tomorrow or never again, I'll still be here coding, gaming, and waiting. Cheers!
I love this. Some absolutely golden advice here. I’ve found myself in a similar situation so this hit me right in the feels! 😅
awesome video that would help alot of upcoming youtubers in all feels, i really like how this is is like a prevention, letting others know what will thin them out or prepare them for the hurdle
Nice talk!
I listen to lots of dev channels, Game Dev Unlocked included. I'm always inspired by everyone, yet understand people that have channels have lives and feelings, and can really do whatever they like. There is a point to be made about providing regular content for you tube and focusing on your game. I feel working on the game or whatever you do, should be the prioritized along with mental respite!
Hey John. I have only just stumbled across this and will watch David’s video in a bit too. I do relate to the point you’ve made, and my RUclips channel hasn’t exploded … It’s just a way of getting dev log content out which shows current work on Neyyah each week, or perhaps every two weeks. While the quality is ok, I don’t put a massive amount of energy into them, as I do prioritise development on my game, but as long as I get some content out showing visually (and audibly from my own perspective of the matter at hand) then I believe it’s enough. Thoughts are with yourself, David and any other game dev / RUclipsr who may be struggling a bit right now! Follow your heart :)
Thank you for an objective, real talk on this whole thing. I’ve been preparing to stick my toe into my channel to share my project but am taking seriously the implications. Far too many hats do indie devs wear. I have David’s course as well as Thomas Brush’s course…there’s just not even enough time in a day without careful deliberation on how to spend it wisely.
Thanks for your videos and for being honest and transparent with us
I agree, you have to know how to understand to use time wisely each day. For me I want to work on my social media more and at the same time I want my game to keep moving forward. It is challenge because lets say you get good at social media then it takes work to maintain that while you work on your games. It is something I started noticing early so I decided to go full on working on my game and having it grow naturally instead of spreading out to much and only little things really get done as a whole. Thank you for talking about this, its good to hear it coming from you. I really enjoy your videos, it help me start my Kickstarter for my game and I use the tips you showed us but it didn't get funded for me but I use that as motivation and not to give up and keep pushing forward. Since then my game has become a way better game then when it first started on kickstarter. I was able to get my game on Steam and the release date is next month I'm a bit nervous and at the same time excited! I'm going for it, the journey has been long, and at the same time it also feels like the journey has only started.
It's nice to hear other game devs like yourself talk about different things because sometimes you guys are what I have as social life, hearing someone else talk, so it feels like your right there as a buddy talking to me. You have good advice and thanks again for the work you do for the community.
Sometimes life gets in the way, it's hard. I had to scale back making videos for a bit and it's rough because I miss it and I will get back to it. In the end it is about choosing what is important to you. Is it the interaction with your community, is it teaching people skills, is it finishing that indie game you're working on, is it work or is it family (family always comes first off course). From there flows how much time you're willing to dedicate to all the stuff that comes with putting yourself out there.
I have found it difficult to deal with people who seem to think you owe them something. It's in my nature to be very free with giving my time to help someone, but there are only so many hours in a day you can dedicate to doing stuff for the benefit of others and I can't stand entitlement. But you have to stay tactful.
The flip side of that argument for me is that they are the exception to the rule. Most people are understanding when you can't go in depth to help them out with a problem and are more then happy for any thing you provide, even if its no more then words of encouragement.
Last thing, RUclips.. RUclips youtube youtube... PLEASE fix your comment system for us content creators! Seeing my content is mostly tutorials, and some of my tutorials from years ago remain popular, people still comment on those videos, and especially reactions on older comments, you just can't find them. If you miss the notification, their gone...
Creating and teaching is challenging to maintain if you have other things in your life. Even after not making videos consistently for 8 months I still feel like I’m “Not making videos” and sometimes feel guilty about it. I am taking a different approach to videos when I start again. I want to share, I want to teach and that’s what I’ll focus on. I have built 2 companies off the back of my channel, I also have to maintain that. It’s a different type of battle trying to help but also needing to put time and effort into the rest of your endeavors.
Love the video. It’s great to see the topic being discussed even amongst our “smaller” channels.
I watch your videos in and out, I've never asked you for help or anything, I just like seeing someone making a game and talking about it while they do it. It's cool. And the philosophical chats too. Honestly, as long as you just keep making games you love and then talk about em, I think you can continue YT as long as it works for you and is interesting for you.
You got good quality content, dense, full of experiences, good pieces of advice, and hard to swallow pills, it's hard for this content to blow up and get viral, but it's the way to build a strong community, take your time when needed cause I know it's not an easy task to keep going on the good path, I really appreciate your work thanks a lot
A very sincere and reflective video, as usual. A few thoughts:
1. There's never any need to apologize for making money for your efforts doing something positive in the world, for providing genuine value to others. We all need to eat. You didn't directly reject that position, and I'm sure you'll agree with it, but this did feel like an undertone to some of your comments, so maybe it's worthwhile to openly acknowledge it. I always assume that most game dev RUclipsrs are intending to make money - whether by advertising, or Patreon, or selling courses, or simply as a marketing tool for their indie games. And that's awesome - you and they _deserve_ to make money for your efforts. As always, how much effort you're willing to invest, for how much money you'd generate for that effort level, are an individual matter of a person's situation and values.
2. Having fun and making money aren't mutually exclusive. I understand your concern how "the fun" could suffer once you start making some money from it, but "the fun" is guaranteed to suffer if you simply cease to do this thing that you actually enjoy (enjoy so long as it remains within your personal feelings about its reasonable limits and boundaries).
3. As it's your channel, your efforts, you can and should unapologetically lay down whatever boundaries you've decided that you're comfortable with. There's never a need to apologize to anyone for having a job, a life, and family responsibilities.
4. There are many exceptional game dev RUclipsrs, and there's a fair amount of overlap in their efforts. Some kind of formalized collaboration - maybe even a consolidated channel - might actually create more value for the viewers while creating more payoff for less work for the content creators. I'm not sure that would work, but it's possible, and if you're feeling overwhelmed, that might be something to at least consider.
I went from small tutorials and showcases using invector to trying to do a more focused build an rpg tutorial. I started in amidst my own learning, because I found that I was able to simplify some of the more complex stuff for others who like me were chasing this as a hobby. I even got to the level of releasing my own rpg kit and trying to keep up the video content. But im reality I am a hobbyist dev, i have a family with special needs and full time employment that sees me travel a lot, and on top of that I had my own games I wanted to put out. Unfortunately all I have to show for it is 100 started prototypes, video series that cut off too short and less and less time for my family. I've now changed track and started focusing more on a devlog style for presenting info to an audience, as it helps me manage my time so i can actually follow what I want in my hobby. But good timing, my pc is dying so I can't work on my project until it's replaced. As an alternative, I am contemplating going the patreon route to support creating content, as sadly enough money buys time :/
Thank you, this is very sincere and deep from one's heart content. Really touched by your honesty, openness and caring for balance and not for the money. Good luck with your great life and game!
Your content is extremely helpful, we (the community) owe you so much in respect points. I believe good things will come to you in time, what goes around comes around! I left the discord group last year but still follow you here. It seems the more people there are on the discord server, the harder it is to find valuable conversations. Atleast here on the RUclips I get to hear you and your sincere thoughts uninterrupted. -I pray to Odin for a successful Blood and Mead launch!
I am a big fan of David Wehle. Watching his latest video was truly heartbreaking.💔💔 An important reminder and a warning for both viewers and aspiring "RUclipsrs"
i have not seen something this value adding RUclips .. honest from the heart and insightful .. thank you and keep the good moral
I totally feel you...Subbed...And I wish you only the best !
It's great to hear your thoughts about stuff like this, love your transparency, integrity and content. Hope you keep it up and best of luck on your journey.
Thanks for your insights! As a starting dev who has a family, it's good to hear this perspective.
you are one of my main motivations to keep working on my game and stay consistent. just wanted to say thank you, and i wish you all the best sir. this job does indeed takes a lot of courage and commitment. i could not be possible by you and other channels.
This is really powerful stuff and very true. Thank you for sharing!
I started doing some videos myself nowhere near your quality and it's a real challenge. Game dev is challenging enough and much more rewarding IMHO. I will still practice video making since it is an interesting skill and some of the effects and things help with particular aspects of game development there are these interesting crossovers.
I hate that melancholy feeling whereby you get yourself into this mental depressed state. It's nice to have ways of getting out of it and for those that cannot I feel for you deeply.
As a Unreal Dev, even with a very small channel,
I started to see this path ask more and more of your time, the bigger you get.
I just wanna make games and share my experience and knowledge with others.
My goal now is to strive a balance between making content for my RUclips channel, and actually working on my Projects.
Hello, your video is very interesting! we are 2 developers from Mendoza Argentina. On August 2nd our first video game "Spiriat" comes out on Steam. Everything we learned was through RUclips! Thank you very much for sharing your experiences! Greetings!
I like how you pointed out that the game dev journey is for fun and not about the money. Its about the experience we can give and gain in return. Great content.
Setting boundaries is something I wish more youtubers would do. Scope creep is something we have to watch carefully in our lives and work. It can get out of hand if you never reel it back in.
The frustrating part is knowing when it's going out of scope in the moment. Sure hind sight is always clear but it can get difficult. That's why the boundaries and expectations should be talked about more in content creation.
Great video! As a youtube developer myself, this is very true, and I’m even a super small youtuber, but that feeling has already hit me many times already. I don’t want to get big, and I hate when I have to engage in things I feel like I have a responsibility for. Like answering a ton of questions, and turn people down who just want to help me..
This video hit all the right spots. Thank you for reminding me to take it easy, and do things at you own pace 👌
This really resonated with me as I published NFT related tutorials and was flooded with dev support questions and video requests.
I have, since then, added a voting system for the next video topic and acces to my scripts for holders of my collection which helps support my work.
It's hard to find to time to work on my game though. I allocated a specific time in the day for that. I should learn not to look at discord around that time...
I love this channel. Keep things at your own pace John
Just watched Davids video and then yours. It definitely seems like success on RUclips seems to be a treadmill that keeps increasing in speed. You want it to slow down but the only real way is to jump off, which seems risky but often is better for them.
I dont do game dev currently anymore to follow more lower level programming skills, but i highly appreciate your nuanced talks about these various topics.
You have to protect your mental health. The internet can become very overwhelming and I'm learning that myself. When you have fans that are crazy about you, it puts you in a situation where you don't want to stop creating. But, as you said, if you give them an inch, they WILL take a mile and this mile will have it's own toll on you.
really interesting video. i'd never really thought of youtube channels/game courses as a commitment to managing a community, but it makes a lot of sense
Wow man. I never thought of such consequences on those success traits. Thank for valuable insights again.
New to programming and learning game dev your channel has some great insights
I appreciate your candor in speaking about this. These videos are fun, but when they become a chore than it becomes something else. Also that support tale is insane. Thanks for sharing today
You have an admirable approach. As ever some incisive insights, and a commitment to integrity. Thanks John, you're building steadfast support here. 👍
This video is spot on. When you start creating instructional videos on RUclips, the students will come. However, a plan for support should be in mind. I do get comments from viewers want everything handed to them because it would be FREE support and that can be dangerous. Thanks for sharing.
His video was Super Unique and inspired me more, than indie game the movie 🍿
The problem is, when you're not running the show, but, the show is running ' you ', or, it's so much about the money, fame, or status, one can't say no . . . That's the big fall, where people can get seriously hurt, or, risk losing stuff, over sort-of celebrity, or sudden power, seen it happen, to some famous people, it was sort-of obvious they a. wanted it too much, or b. couldn't handle it ( well ) . . I think it's important to have some sense, of when that happens, and, be able to say no, I think that's what David finally did, and, maybe for him, it was a good thing, or, it wasn't the time, or, stuff in his life, so he couldn't do it, etc . . .
I think he's one of the few smart people I've seen, in the sense, he got out, when it started to hurt, or, fall apart, in his life, etc . . Ton of people keep going, to their own detriment, or, loss, of succes . . :-)))
As a classroom teacher (day job) and a minor content creator it's a huge load to help others. Folks really under estimate the work. Pretty frequently I get the question "can't you just make a video on X or Y?" Most often the answer is no. No I can't.
I've been asked frequently to create a course I don't do it because of the up keep and the work required. It really doesn't take many views for a channel or course to start owning you.
Great video, great insight. Thank you.
Edit : I genuinely believe that you are extremely content and honest in your words. It's a great position to be in :-)
These courses are great and I think if you don't have a great discord with talented programmers to help answer questions it can get rough. I don't think updates are necessary if you label the course to only work for that version. New programmers have to learn to try without knowing because a lot of them will have other people build the whole thing. I see it all the time on discord.
Very interesting video on a topic not many people talk or even think about, thank you for this video!
Thanks for sharing your wise words. It certainly made me think about whether I should get into the RUclips game or not.
I totally agree with all this. I've been in the industry for a decade and decided to do marketing because indies really needed it and there still aren't enough good resources. After working at several companies I decided to become a consultant so I am not tied to any one studio and can help more developers with exactly this problem. Thank you for having this conversation. I hope this industry learns better ways to be more sustainable so we can keep doing what we love.
This a great digest of the situation and some great advice.
Man should charge money for the support , it will be honest and high quality.
Soo much wisdom here man. Cant thank you enough!
We do live in the devlog times. So this video is right on schedule! Wise words
Great point, it can get hard if you go on with a sense of obligation in the creative fields they are supposed to be different from the day to day job but if you focus too hard on them they can end up being even harsher to manage
I think the problem David had, is that he's not really that skilled a game dev. Don't get me wrong, i don't mean that as an insult, just as a fact. He created a game based on Unity's node based scripting, the game was very buggy and janky, and it was released in that state but sold reasonably well nevertheless.
His game gained a lot of traction based on the look of it (which consisted entirely of Asset store assets). It looked nice because he used nice assets and that's why it sold. The reviews of the game make this very clear.
So on the back of that, he decides to make a course teaching people game dev, and that becomes an issue when David doesn't know how to code himself, and only has one single game under his belt which was created in a very haphazard, and sometimes non-standard way.
I think this is a lesson to all 'devs' who have a game that has success. That does not mean you have the skill, ability, resources or time to start teaching people how to do what you did, because in order to teach, you need to be very well versed in the subject that you're teaching, and I think that's where David fell short, alongside his issues with not being able to support people.
I know this might sound harsh, but it's just the truth. There is a growing number of people who have a tiny bit of success then go straight into creating courses and classes when they just aren't ready for it yet, both from a resources and skillset standpoint.
That made perfect sense and I could totally see that being the case with David.
Thank you Sir. This was an eye opener.
Interesting video, yeah I would totally imagine that doing youtube streams and devlogs and all, can really burn people up. What started like a desire to share knowledge might end up like a prison. And yes RUclips algorithm is built for constant content creation. And that can burn people if they try and follow it.
As a former RUclipsr, I completely understand. I was doing 5-7 videos a week, and after a year I completely burned myself out. I had to stop to get my mental shape back. I love watching DevLog's but people have to understand that 1 video of DevLog content could take 1 week to 6 months of development time. It all depends on what they are working on. :) Nothing but the best for DevLog RUclipsrs.
I have my own online course, Media Masters (For Kids), and it's a nice little side hustle. Took me three months to make.
It's doing okay.
I wouldn't say it's demanding of my time, but it takes time to respond to every single question, or every query.
I have a life. lol
You have to hire people. Especially after major success. The worst thing you can do when trying to maintain or scale a business is to do it all yourself. Game developers and musicians are the only ones who seem obsessed with being one man studios. The film industry is not like this. Even authors understand having editors, and a team around them to make their art lol.
As the personality and the face of a buisness, you should really only being doing that. At his level he should have someone managing his socials full time, have someone editing his videos for him, etc. When you have money, use it to only focus on what you want, and outsource the rest.
It shocks me when devs allow themselves to get burnt out. I used to, and now I have five people I work with non stop for the music we create. All I do is post it and link it up and get it traction. A majority of the work with my name on it, was not made by me these days. It's a business. People, successful or otherwise, need to ask themselves what they want, and get in line with how things simply are.
Very good perspective and I could not agree more.
good job on the video! Always enjoy your content.
One thing i want to say though is that developers usually say that if you want to make a game, its easy to get started with todays tools. But if you want to make a game that people actually play it doesnt matter how good it is, if they dont know its there they cant play it. So to make early advertising youtube devlogs is a great thing for several reasons.
Maybe I have a different POV, but I never really liked the myth of the "solo creator". I'm not calling out any one person for it, but in game dev & tech in general there's this sense of the rugged lone genius, starving & struggling alone to make their game a reality.
But that's nonsense - even, maybe especially, as solo devs, we have support systems that help us on our journey. Whether that's family, spouses, or friends, fellow-traveler game-devs, or even RUclips tutorial creators & conference panelists who may never meet us, but whose videos shape our work or speak to us at critical junctures.
I agree wholeheartedly with anyone who needs to take a step back to reevaluate or reenergize, and obviously if you've had success before, that door, that ability remains in future.
But I keep seeing this same tragic arc play out where devs assume they have to go it 100% alone, or undervalue the support they have [often a wife/partner], and then look back from a position of total-burnout, that was very possibly avoidable. Even if you can't pay people to literally help build your game, having people to bounce ideas off of, or perk you up when you're down, or just have a chill moment with away from the game, is worth gold, and nearly always free (or maybe the cost of a pizza LOL).
6:22 regarding that in french there is a saying that translate roughly by "you give them a helping hand and they ripe off your arm"
When i hit 10k subs, I burned out a little. Always trying to get the motivation to make more content, but feel like i need to diversify more.
I was following Piokou, and was sad that they discontinued their game...but it seems to be a very common fate for indie developers, for one reason or another. I'm guessing that a lot of people start game development for fun, but don't realize how much tedious work there is in actually completing one, and once that realization sets in then they lose all motivation and momentum.
I think formal courses are a trap. There's more obligation there than a YT tutorial, especially if you change hundreds. It'll quickly, as you pointed out, shift your identity from being a game dev to being a teacher of game development. We only have 24 hours in a day.
Thank you for the sound advice
1:18 and that's how Mandella Effects get started.
9:40
Reminds me of Proverbs 13:11, which says "Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it."
I totally understand the idea of not wanting to take money for something or charge money for something because then you're also signing an unwritten agreement that there's a quality level, or commitment that comes with it. If it's free, then people can't complain when you forget to follow up with Part 3 of your tutorial or the next piece of content or what have you. lol
I respect you for turning down the offer of Raid: Shadow Legends. The mobile game. That's the full name. I have heard it too many times. In case you haven't come around to notice, it's infamous for being a super generic greedy mobile game and being advertised by oh so many youtubers. Thank you.
Oh working in a vacuum is definitely not healthy. Im glad he did address his concerns.
Good stuff, thanks for input.
Yeah I have added a number of tutorials on my gaming channel and at times you get a lot of requests for help. And with too many of the tutorials and other content it has at times been overwhelming.
Yes you have to keep making stuff all the time. If your lucky you can make some evergreen content to get you through a slow week. Lately though Real life overwhelmed me and my channel tanked and not sure I can or will restart it. Its tough at times.
inches and Miles SOO true. I have also had people ask to have a live chat with me and then it goes on and on and I'm trying to help them but they are no where near the level of skill to do what they want. They started to not listen and insisting I do more and eventually I basically just had to say got to go and hang up on them. Not what either party wanted but that's what it came down to.
On the topic of doing to much, there is also the thought of a buffer and if your going full out burning the candle at both ends and then life comes at you, you don't have the buffer and then something will have to give. Your health, family, or channel. seems good to work to make a certain buffer space in it all, add resiliency.
Ultimately what you do or do not do is your choice, you don't owe anyone anything. Exercise your freewill and know when to say no.