Yesterday I had a day off work. I decided it was a PRODUCTIVE day. I made a todo list, cleanup a lot of things, got stuff done that I was procrastinating for a while, then spent the rest of the time writing the script for my next youtube video and at some point I realized "wait, I got a day off from work, maybe I should enjoy myself at least a little ?" so I opened my ever growing "movies to watch" list, picked something and spent ~2 hours on it. It was great, cause not only did I have a productive day, but I also enjoyed myself a little. It was great balance. Ok my script is not done... but that single 2 hours of "fun" will make my week a lot better.
🌺Had this exact thing happen to me this year, went over the deep end trying to get my game 'perfect' and still recovering from 12+ months of sleep deprivation and bad health choices. Having better results now from taking breaks and going outside! Anyone currently in this situation, please respect your body and get up from your desk every couple hours! Good luck on your dream games!!!
I just started taking up gamemaker, I have had plans for decades to make games, and the videos I found here from you are really setting me up for a more realistic approach to avoid burnout as well as the emotional stress I put on myself. I appreciate that. I have subscribed.
Solid advice, I don't mind falling into a pitfall sometimes, great learning experience when you can pull yourself out. My brain blew up learning Unity 12 hours a day 2 years ago. I thought if I just go hard on it, I can learn faster than everyone and get my dream reached quicker. Burn out is 100% a thing, and it's a tad mental to hyper focus all your energy, I'm slowly back on pace and more mindful now, away to hopefully start dev logging myself next week or two using a template kit from the unity store. Cause I've not really built anything. Limiting my Unity time to only 3 hours a day. (I never did 2 years of 12 hours, I did it for 7/8months and the results backfired on me because I felt like I wasn't getting better, so I stumbled about and left Unity for long periods, came back to tinker about, learning minor things on the side) I'm older and wiser now, let's do it correctly now, eh!
I recently noticed a feeling of burnt out after releasing my Steam page, initially it was made out of hobby part time, just excited about learning and I realized I'm expecting more from myself and that's how I came here. Great video!
Great vid. These things need to be said and heard, because everyone will run into this sooner or later, and it's better to feel prepared when the time comes . Also it helps knowing you are not alone and everyone has experienced similar feelings.
Great video! I found myself focusing too much on a project. Getting burned out. Stopping work on it. Starting a new project after some time away from gamedev. Usually it happens when I hit a wall in my project that is either too hard to break through or too tall to jump over... And scope creep... Scope creep is happening waaay too often for me. I have this nagging voice in the back of my head "This game is too simplistic, you need to add 10 more systems and add more granularity to everything"...
I have the opposite issue! After a long day of work, I often feel no motivation whatsoever to work on my game. It would be almost nice to feel some level of burnout, rather than seeing consistently no progress because I almost never work on things.
Great video. Burn out is hard to deal with, especially when you have a feeling to stay consistent. I recently took a break and it made me realise how burnt out I was over the last year. I'm going to return back to it all but just take it at my own pace and see how it goes.
Perfect time for me to see this, I've been making my first game and trying to push out devlog but still not much result come from them, which really make me burn out. Slowly I realize that good thing takes time so I just enjoy developing and i will upload once again whenever i feel great again
I think this devlog thing has gone too far. Modern game devs seem to think they have to make them, and to make them to a high standard. The things that inspired the concept in the first place were just simple blog posts, not high-quality video production. Not every game dev needs to be a RUclipsr. Focus on your game.
@@TheBcoolGuy I get your point but really indie games don't have much exposure to general public. So devlog is a good way to promote your game. But because of that many devlog really lacks of passion, instead just a product to promote the game.
When launching a game, I believe most people get "post-release depression", which I think is a form of burnout as well. How to avoid it: In my opinion, you can't avoid it. But you can (and probably should) plan for 1-2 months of "downtime" after a launch. I definitely suggest to not put any crucial deadlines in your calendar right after the release date of your game.
This year i worked on: my regular job + a course i am making + creating youtube videos + small personal gamedev project ---> The recipe for burnout (It sucks btw).
I am right there with you buddy :D working solo on a game. I have a partner and 2 kids, making sure we exercise and stay healthy. At the end of the day we just cannot compare to those who can do this full time. I usually work on the game for 2 hours effectively per day, at least. Then on good days I can manage a lot more, specially when kids are not at grandmas. But honestly I have been coding for 10-12 & more hours per day for about 10 years now. Of course these are not 12 focused hours, there are breaks in between, but these days I can hardly stay away from it. I did think about burn out quite a few times, but I think stress is the biggest problem, not working too much :D Ps. Gradmums FTW!
Controversially, my anti-burnout technique is to always do *something*, ideally daily. Doesn't have to be anything big, substantial or meaningful. I could just move a menu option around and I might undo it tomorrow, but the act of just doing *something* staves off the guilt of being unproductive while not taking up a huge chunk of time. Worth a try.
I know it goes against marketing advice, but I plan to announce my latest game only when it's will be 90% done. Cause I don't want any pressure. I do have successful games, so there is an audience that will pressure me. Yeah, It might mean that my game will be less successful, cause I could have started gathering wishlist's years before release, but it gives me ability to work in piece and on my own pace, and for me it is really important.
Yeah, I definitely often get a strong feeling that I should just crunch until the current project is done, but I can't remember any time when I crunched and it let to anything good. Also, I've noticed that if I have 6 hour workdays, I usually get more done than with 8 hour workdays. So I try to keep it at 6, though it often tends to leak to a longer day.
Yeah, the grass is greener syndrome really is a problem. I've done this a lot thinking like, "Oh, wouldn't it be great if I could give more time to XYZ thing like that guy." Or "Wish I would've started on this a lot sooner so I'd be more experienced/further along/etc." And these thoughts just aren't healthy. They don't change anything and they just make me feel bad about myself. I've been trying to keep my past self as the sole comparison but that really is hard to do at times!
For years I've tried to focus on only comparing myself to where I was before, but dang its hard. Trying to teach my kids that one too so maybe it'll be easier for them...especially with all the much more "filtered for perfection" social media world they are growing up in.
I personally have the opposite issue of not being able to start working rather than stopping. When I can start working I can normally continuously do the work, but the instant I put the mouse, pencil, etc. down, that's it... engine's dead. Even when I want to work and my mind is screaming at me to, I can't and I'm still trying to figure out why. It's painful not wanting to do the things you love... I can at least say I did make a game now, its very basic and took me 2 months to complete for something that both looks and plays like a weekend build. I am also willing to admit I'm an amateur dev, so there's that too.
Yes I did experience burnout. During the development of the previous version of my game engine I would open my laptop and just stare at- the source code for hours without doing anything. I couldn't make even the simplest changes because my hands just would not move. I ended up not even opening my laptop for weeks before I finally started the whole thing again.
I did a video called "You don't owe me" in response to game dev burnout. In a nutshell, it doesn't matter what I say. You and your life, health, mental well-being are more important. That vid allowed me to let myself off the hook. And I offer the same to you: you don't owe me.
what is this, a devcartel? within a week within one another all the devtubers I follow talk about this(important subject). There is NO way it's a coincidence 😂The more likely reason could be the fact that ya'll are copying eachother when a new topic gains traction though. Stay strong, can't wait to test the game
@@TESkyrimizer i had to go back and have a look but aarimous, andrzei gieralt creative, soul engine studio, Iron roc games, biteme games, sasquatch b studios and Thomas brush all covered the same topic recently 😆
Gamedevs would profit massively from the process writers use to their advantage. - Big-picture mode: Zoom out, ruminate and let the subconscious work on problems (You can take this time off) - Focus mode: Take what you learned during rumination and non-brute force thinking and apply that resolve to a problem at hand (this can be anything really: logical; art; etc.) This is an iterative process to build towards a goal. Most devs just brute force it, and frankly don't know how to use their brain and natural rhythm to their advantage, eat like crap, sleep like crap, etc. Constantly switching between contexts amongst disciplines they barely touched the surface of. Brute-forcing everything for extended periods of time will break you, and there is nothing glamorous about it.
i wish i would have burnout, but i am to lazy. lack of motivation. i started a game like 2-3 months ago and in the first half i was extremely motivated and then it was gone, lol. no mitivation at all....
Hello there, I’m glad you put this video out there and I would like to thank you as well. For myself I am experiencing burnout currently. I have stopped working in my project for a while now. I had a good 6+ months of work that I did, after which I burnt out. I currently have a full time labour intensive job. I am a father and husband. I have been trying to get my head back into the grove but nothing is helping. I still have the will to finish my project, but I can’t seem to find the groove that middle point that you mentioned in your video. I have reached out to a few devs got some support, but it wasn’t enough for me. Currently struggling a lot, can’t get back into the groove and finish my project. Don’t know what I can do. Looking for answers and suggestions. Best of luck to you and hope you can complete what you’re working on.
Same situation as you are, mate. Whenever it happens to me and I try to finish that project started earlier I end up creating frankenstain and forced to divide it to two or even three projects. Basically just start a new project but consider your past mistakes, like overworking, not planning recuperation, comparing yourself to others and not working on it at designated time each day and it should get you afloat. Sadly your unfinished project going to be like that forever, unless you do it from scratch as a reformed version of it in the future.
@@Vognee Alright so your saying start a new project basically start a fresh page. Everything from the square one? Because my problem is that I can’t seem to find that drive and fire that I had, finding the time is a problem and in such a way that I don’t burnout again.
@@typicaltoronto There is no easy solution or magic pill for it sadly. It would sound banal but just allocate 15-20 minutes of your day for game dev or any other activity you want to be in your life and do it regardless of your desires in a moment, just the same 15-20 minutes of game dev each day same time without sick days. Some days you'll literally going to force yourself and that's ok - its a meager 15 mins. After a while you'll start to get your life around those 15-20 minutes, and this time magically will became 30 minutes, then 40, then an hour then maybe even two. Here on out you already made your game dev journey a system engraved in your life. Just don't forget the no burnout principles then.
@@Vognee I had it at 3-4 hours after work 5 days a week. Then I just burnt out. Family/Home life got to me and affected my dev work as well as mental health was affected. Recently I opened the project looked at it and closed it down. Maybe I should start over fresh from square one. I’m not sure, realistically I’m a little lost myself trying to get my groove back.
@@typicaltoronto 3-4 hours each day is an overkill with a full time job and family. You simply won't have time for a rest or for your family or any other activity, like exercising and it is a must if you want to actually see yourself finishing your project in a long run. Scope down, or prepare for 4-5 years in development otherwise burnout it is in my experience. But it's all individual of course^ see for yourself what works best. General guide lines are great in this video. Trying to finish your old project is another hurdle - you need to remember all those intricacies of your code/game idea and it's just easier to not to do anything at all. So starting anew may help with that at least.
everyone talks about Dani, but i feel like outside of a few specific circles there’s almost nobody talking about how RobTop is finally releasing update 2.2 for Geometry Dash after 7 years
I kind of disagree with your point about sleep. I literally have no time to work other than midnight to 3. I made several games this way. Otherwise I wouldn't get anything done. I just sacrifice, mostly anything else lol, also spending time with my gf is more stressful than making games
Where's the forum where devs discuss what topics they're going to hijack for the week? It seems like after The Unity Guy made the video on this topic, everyone's riding the wave. Become popular by doing your own thing, not by making this filler that you obviously can't connect with. Edit: I vented, I feel better now.
Wait only 1 person is allowed to make a video on a topic?????? guess we gotta go dislike 99% of videos on this site Like I get it. But I never saw that other persons video so…. Just because one person makes a video doesn’t mean others can’t as they may reach a separate audience
@@TheBugB nah, you missed it. I've just been noticing that after one dev gets a lot of buzz about a video, others will jump on the bandwagon and give us their soulless take. They're just making a video for the clicks.
Yesterday I had a day off work. I decided it was a PRODUCTIVE day. I made a todo list, cleanup a lot of things, got stuff done that I was procrastinating for a while, then spent the rest of the time writing the script for my next youtube video and at some point I realized "wait, I got a day off from work, maybe I should enjoy myself at least a little ?" so I opened my ever growing "movies to watch" list, picked something and spent ~2 hours on it. It was great, cause not only did I have a productive day, but I also enjoyed myself a little. It was great balance. Ok my script is not done... but that single 2 hours of "fun" will make my week a lot better.
🌺Had this exact thing happen to me this year, went over the deep end trying to get my game 'perfect' and still recovering from 12+ months of sleep deprivation and bad health choices. Having better results now from taking breaks and going outside! Anyone currently in this situation, please respect your body and get up from your desk every couple hours! Good luck on your dream games!!!
I just started taking up gamemaker, I have had plans for decades to make games, and the videos I found here from you are really setting me up for a more realistic approach to avoid burnout as well as the emotional stress I put on myself. I appreciate that. I have subscribed.
Solid advice, I don't mind falling into a pitfall sometimes, great learning experience when you can pull yourself out. My brain blew up learning Unity 12 hours a day 2 years ago. I thought if I just go hard on it, I can learn faster than everyone and get my dream reached quicker. Burn out is 100% a thing, and it's a tad mental to hyper focus all your energy, I'm slowly back on pace and more mindful now, away to hopefully start dev logging myself next week or two using a template kit from the unity store. Cause I've not really built anything. Limiting my Unity time to only 3 hours a day.
(I never did 2 years of 12 hours, I did it for 7/8months and the results backfired on me because I felt like I wasn't getting better, so I stumbled about and left Unity for long periods, came back to tinker about, learning minor things on the side)
I'm older and wiser now, let's do it correctly now, eh!
I recently noticed a feeling of burnt out after releasing my Steam page, initially it was made out of hobby part time, just excited about learning and I realized I'm expecting more from myself and that's how I came here. Great video!
Great vid. These things need to be said and heard, because everyone will run into this sooner or later, and it's better to feel prepared when the time comes . Also it helps knowing you are not alone and everyone has experienced similar feelings.
Great video!
I found myself focusing too much on a project. Getting burned out. Stopping work on it. Starting a new project after some time away from gamedev. Usually it happens when I hit a wall in my project that is either too hard to break through or too tall to jump over... And scope creep... Scope creep is happening waaay too often for me. I have this nagging voice in the back of my head "This game is too simplistic, you need to add 10 more systems and add more granularity to everything"...
Make the simple game first. If you play the finished simple game and it really is too simple to be fun, THEN you can add more things.
I have the opposite issue! After a long day of work, I often feel no motivation whatsoever to work on my game.
It would be almost nice to feel some level of burnout, rather than seeing consistently no progress because I almost never work on things.
That is burnout, just not specifically on game dev but on working in general. I feel the same thing.
Great video. Burn out is hard to deal with, especially when you have a feeling to stay consistent. I recently took a break and it made me realise how burnt out I was over the last year. I'm going to return back to it all but just take it at my own pace and see how it goes.
Perfect time for me to see this, I've been making my first game and trying to push out devlog but still not much result come from them, which really make me burn out. Slowly I realize that good thing takes time so I just enjoy developing and i will upload once again whenever i feel great again
I think this devlog thing has gone too far. Modern game devs seem to think they have to make them, and to make them to a high standard. The things that inspired the concept in the first place were just simple blog posts, not high-quality video production. Not every game dev needs to be a RUclipsr. Focus on your game.
@@TheBcoolGuy I get your point but really indie games don't have much exposure to general public. So devlog is a good way to promote your game. But because of that many devlog really lacks of passion, instead just a product to promote the game.
When launching a game, I believe most people get "post-release depression", which I think is a form of burnout as well. How to avoid it: In my opinion, you can't avoid it. But you can (and probably should) plan for 1-2 months of "downtime" after a launch. I definitely suggest to not put any crucial deadlines in your calendar right after the release date of your game.
Love your videos, keep up the good work!
One of your best videos, it’s a marathon not a sprint solid advice
This year i worked on: my regular job + a course i am making + creating youtube videos + small personal gamedev project ---> The recipe for burnout (It sucks btw).
I am right there with you buddy :D working solo on a game. I have a partner and 2 kids, making sure we exercise and stay healthy. At the end of the day we just cannot compare to those who can do this full time. I usually work on the game for 2 hours effectively per day, at least. Then on good days I can manage a lot more, specially when kids are not at grandmas.
But honestly I have been coding for 10-12 & more hours per day for about 10 years now. Of course these are not 12 focused hours, there are breaks in between, but these days I can hardly stay away from it. I did think about burn out quite a few times, but I think stress is the biggest problem, not working too much :D
Ps. Gradmums FTW!
Controversially, my anti-burnout technique is to always do *something*, ideally daily. Doesn't have to be anything big, substantial or meaningful. I could just move a menu option around and I might undo it tomorrow, but the act of just doing *something* staves off the guilt of being unproductive while not taking up a huge chunk of time. Worth a try.
I know it goes against marketing advice, but I plan to announce my latest game only when it's will be 90% done. Cause I don't want any pressure. I do have successful games, so there is an audience that will pressure me. Yeah, It might mean that my game will be less successful, cause I could have started gathering wishlist's years before release, but it gives me ability to work in piece and on my own pace, and for me it is really important.
It seems like literally everyone is releasing videos about Dani these days. ;) I'm wondering if I should too!
😂
Fantastic video guys!
Yeah, I definitely often get a strong feeling that I should just crunch until the current project is done, but I can't remember any time when I crunched and it let to anything good. Also, I've noticed that if I have 6 hour workdays, I usually get more done than with 8 hour workdays. So I try to keep it at 6, though it often tends to leak to a longer day.
finally, this felt like someone understood me
The whole feeling guilt while playing gaems thing and all of it
Yeah, the grass is greener syndrome really is a problem. I've done this a lot thinking like, "Oh, wouldn't it be great if I could give more time to XYZ thing like that guy." Or "Wish I would've started on this a lot sooner so I'd be more experienced/further along/etc." And these thoughts just aren't healthy. They don't change anything and they just make me feel bad about myself. I've been trying to keep my past self as the sole comparison but that really is hard to do at times!
Always find your vids helpful. Thank you!
For years I've tried to focus on only comparing myself to where I was before, but dang its hard. Trying to teach my kids that one too so maybe it'll be easier for them...especially with all the much more "filtered for perfection" social media world they are growing up in.
Thanks, really needed this!
This video is absolute gold, thank you.
thanks so much your video are so helpful mate
Thanks for the advices :)
Until i watch this video i did not notice i am pushing myself so hard to burning out. Thank you for this lovely video.
I personally have the opposite issue of not being able to start working rather than stopping.
When I can start working I can normally continuously do the work, but the instant I put the mouse, pencil, etc. down, that's it... engine's dead.
Even when I want to work and my mind is screaming at me to, I can't and I'm still trying to figure out why. It's painful not wanting to do the things you love...
I can at least say I did make a game now, its very basic and took me 2 months to complete for something that both looks and plays like a weekend build.
I am also willing to admit I'm an amateur dev, so there's that too.
Yes I did experience burnout. During the development of the previous version of my game engine I would open my laptop and just stare at- the source code for hours without doing anything. I couldn't make even the simplest changes because my hands just would not move. I ended up not even opening my laptop for weeks before I finally started the whole thing again.
For me, burnout is part of my development process. 😅 It's meshed deep in my core. 😅
I did a video called "You don't owe me" in response to game dev burnout.
In a nutshell, it doesn't matter what I say. You and your life, health, mental well-being are more important.
That vid allowed me to let myself off the hook. And I offer the same to you: you don't owe me.
what is this, a devcartel? within a week within one another all the devtubers I follow talk about this(important subject). There is NO way it's a coincidence 😂The more likely reason could be the fact that ya'll are copying eachother when a new topic gains traction though.
Stay strong, can't wait to test the game
i thought i followed a lot of devs but apparently not enough. who else is talking about this?
@@TESkyrimizer i had to go back and have a look but aarimous, andrzei gieralt creative, soul engine studio, Iron roc games, biteme games, sasquatch b studios and Thomas brush all covered the same topic recently 😆
Luv your vid and channel.
Gamedevs would profit massively from the process writers use to their advantage.
- Big-picture mode: Zoom out, ruminate and let the subconscious work on problems (You can take this time off)
- Focus mode: Take what you learned during rumination and non-brute force thinking and apply that resolve to a problem at hand (this can be anything really: logical; art; etc.)
This is an iterative process to build towards a goal.
Most devs just brute force it, and frankly don't know how to use their brain and natural rhythm to their advantage, eat like crap, sleep like crap, etc.
Constantly switching between contexts amongst disciplines they barely touched the surface of.
Brute-forcing everything for extended periods of time will break you, and there is nothing glamorous about it.
What font are you using in this video?
i wish i would have burnout, but i am to lazy. lack of motivation. i started a game like 2-3 months ago and in the first half i was extremely motivated and then it was gone, lol. no mitivation at all....
Hello there, I’m glad you put this video out there and I would like to thank you as well. For myself I am experiencing burnout currently. I have stopped working in my project for a while now. I had a good 6+ months of work that I did, after which I burnt out. I currently have a full time labour intensive job. I am a father and husband.
I have been trying to get my head back into the grove but nothing is helping. I still have the will to finish my project, but I can’t seem to find the groove that middle point that you mentioned in your video. I have reached out to a few devs got some support, but it wasn’t enough for me.
Currently struggling a lot, can’t get back into the groove and finish my project. Don’t know what I can do. Looking for answers and suggestions. Best of luck to you and hope you can complete what you’re working on.
Same situation as you are, mate. Whenever it happens to me and I try to finish that project started earlier I end up creating frankenstain and forced to divide it to two or even three projects. Basically just start a new project but consider your past mistakes, like overworking, not planning recuperation, comparing yourself to others and not working on it at designated time each day and it should get you afloat. Sadly your unfinished project going to be like that forever, unless you do it from scratch as a reformed version of it in the future.
@@Vognee Alright so your saying start a new project basically start a fresh page. Everything from the square one? Because my problem is that I can’t seem to find that drive and fire that I had, finding the time is a problem and in such a way that I don’t burnout again.
@@typicaltoronto There is no easy solution or magic pill for it sadly. It would sound banal but just allocate 15-20 minutes of your day for game dev or any other activity you want to be in your life and do it regardless of your desires in a moment, just the same 15-20 minutes of game dev each day same time without sick days. Some days you'll literally going to force yourself and that's ok - its a meager 15 mins. After a while you'll start to get your life around those 15-20 minutes, and this time magically will became 30 minutes, then 40, then an hour then maybe even two. Here on out you already made your game dev journey a system engraved in your life. Just don't forget the no burnout principles then.
@@Vognee I had it at 3-4 hours after work 5 days a week. Then I just burnt out. Family/Home life got to me and affected my dev work as well as mental health was affected. Recently I opened the project looked at it and closed it down. Maybe I should start over fresh from square one. I’m not sure, realistically I’m a little lost myself trying to get my groove back.
@@typicaltoronto 3-4 hours each day is an overkill with a full time job and family. You simply won't have time for a rest or for your family or any other activity, like exercising and it is a must if you want to actually see yourself finishing your project in a long run. Scope down, or prepare for 4-5 years in development otherwise burnout it is in my experience. But it's all individual of course^ see for yourself what works best. General guide lines are great in this video.
Trying to finish your old project is another hurdle - you need to remember all those intricacies of your code/game idea and it's just easier to not to do anything at all. So starting anew may help with that at least.
everyone talks about Dani, but i feel like outside of a few specific circles there’s almost nobody talking about how RobTop is finally releasing update 2.2 for Geometry Dash after 7 years
I kind of disagree with your point about sleep. I literally have no time to work other than midnight to 3. I made several games this way. Otherwise I wouldn't get anything done. I just sacrifice, mostly anything else lol, also spending time with my gf is more stressful than making games
LOL you and Thomas Brush Made the Same Video
As offputting as this may sound, people in politics also need this advice.
Thats all im gonna say.
If it isn't fun, why bother?
Where's the forum where devs discuss what topics they're going to hijack for the week? It seems like after The Unity Guy made the video on this topic, everyone's riding the wave. Become popular by doing your own thing, not by making this filler that you obviously can't connect with.
Edit: I vented, I feel better now.
Sometimes you gotta post through the bad times
Man I get this sometimes when just looking at how much more I gotta do in a year and it doesn’t feel like enough time
looking for the forum where outdated fantasy advice thrives. making games and growing your audience require different strategies.
Wait only 1 person is allowed to make a video on a topic?????? guess we gotta go dislike 99% of videos on this site
Like I get it. But I never saw that other persons video so…. Just because one person makes a video doesn’t mean others can’t as they may reach a separate audience
@@TheBugB nah, you missed it. I've just been noticing that after one dev gets a lot of buzz about a video, others will jump on the bandwagon and give us their soulless take. They're just making a video for the clicks.
First