I’ve been in “big tech” for 8 years now and still have this. I use to have a panic attack every morning when I went to the office that my badge would be deactivated because they figured out I wasn’t smart enough to be there or something. This lasted probably 3 years. I went to a crappy college, dropped out/switched majors multiple times, and finally got my CS degree when I was almost 30. I’m also from a Appalachian dump of a town where almost nobody got out of there from my high school. Half my HS class is dead or in jail/on hard drugs. It’s really strange to be working with people who have prestigious backgrounds, got Ivy League degrees and had perfect SATs or masters/doctorates and have myself be on the same level/above some of them. We had a new hire who was like 22-23 and going to UT for a doctorate in math and working there part time and she made me question my career choices almost daily 😆.
An awful lot of focus is being placed on the microcosm; little to none on the macrocosm. Tims speaks of things like this as though they were isolated to the gaming industry. (Love you, Tim, but...they're not.) Society has committed itself to educational "advantage" over and above absolutely everything (and everyone) else. William Deresiewicz, et alia, have made it crystal clear that "“our best universities have forgotten that the reason they exist is to make minds, not careers" and that they "select for and develop one form of intelligence: the analytic." Is it any wonder, then, that most people are feeling they're not quite up to the challenge when the challenge has been so clearly defined? So, it's good to hear there are still some people in the world who don't place all-importance on formal education and are willing to see what applicants are actually capable of. Employees themselves would probably be surprised at what they're actually capable of doing when and if afforded the chance.
There is a dual-enrolled high school student at my college who is in my Java programming course and he is brilliant. Finished the 2 class exercises we had for the day before I finished reading the instructions and I had a feeling of gloom set over me. Who will ever want to hire me at 34 years old when there are kids like him out there, I thought.
@@iamtheteapot7405 because a real job on a real team requires many more skills and wisdom than just technical proficiency. You're probably a much sounder employee pick to a project manager that has things to worry about other than helping some kid learn the ways of teamwork and how to problem solve without running to the boss all the time.
It’s crazy if no one ever seriously sought you out as a mentor at your companies! Sadly in my work most of the veterans at the companies were burned out and just counting the days until retirement.
I feel the same with many of the professors at my college. There is an awesome game dev. program that I am enrolled in but most of the professors are at the end of their cycle and don't seem to care much.
Hi man I want to sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart for making such beautiful things as Fallout and Arcanum. You made my shitty childhood bearable and inspired me for the years to come. Thank you man (and your gamedev buddies).
Hey Tim, been watching your videos since the channel started. This video really hit home for me. Not a game-dev, but taking my bar exam tomorrow. Imposter syndrome has been a staple of Law school, bar prep, and job hunting. It's extremely difficult to get those thoughts out of your head once they take root. Appreciate the advice, as usual!
I've been looking forward to this one. I'm a software engineer with about 5 years in the industry and I feel like I am my own worst enemy. Very excited to listen to this one here in a little bit.
Thanks for sharing this, Tim. I was lucky enough to progress in my field quickly and at a young age, which while great definitely came with these feelings. It's something I still have to contend with occasionally. Always great to know that we aren't alone in this!
As a software dev I often feel impostor syndrome because - There are a billion languages/frameworks that exist, and when I have to switch to one I feel like starting from 0 - Even if it's in my favourite language Java SE, the code of an existing project will seem like gibberish for a while. It is HARD for the brain to internalize the complex workings of proper software - Sometimes I'm just stuck on a bug, and feel deep in my bones that that's it. I have no way to fix it, I'm fully fracked and people will realize that I totally suck But with experience I've noticed that all these issues eventually go away. Even a terrible bug that got me stuck for days, one day I arrive in the morning and the solution is clear as day, because my brain worked on it in the background. So keep grinding at the problems and you won't be an imposter.
this is a great video i’ll be sharing! with regard to the causes of impostor syndrome, there is one important thing you forgot to mention. well, either that, or you elided it because you’ve talked about it in another video i haven’t seen. or both, haha. anyway, i think that when you’re doing creative work, the first pass at realizing an idea is pretty much always going to be suboptimal. maybe it has promise. maybe it’s even good already! but it’s never going to be all it can be until you show it to people, get feedback, do another pass, repeat. the initial pass is always an ugly duckling compared to the finished product. you have to solicit feedback, go down blind alleys that lead to dead ends, ask other people for advice on a specific problem you’re having, etc etc. and because you have to do that, because whatever you made didn’t spring fully formed from the head of zeus, it’s easy to convince yourself that little to none of what’s good in the final product came from you. you didn’t do what a Real [insert creative profession here] would’ve done - you used a cheat code. which leads to that feeling of being an impostor, not only throughout the making of the thing, but even - especially? - after it’s done. if it ends up being successful, the anxiety is only compounded, because now you have a reputation to lose. right? and the more of a reputation you have, the higher the stakes get. this is, of course, arrant nonsense. basically everyone in creative fields works this way, and whatever feedback you got from other people, you still made it happen. but because impostor syndrome scales to however successful you are, it sticks with you in a way that, say, first day on the job nerves can’t. that’s my thought, anyway. thanks for the video!
At 3:41 are people / collegaues / managers really said these things in your face directly? I consider you a lucky person in a sense that you experienced a "quality closure" with Fallout. You put into that a lot of effort and it became a videogame classic. In case you are having doubt in yourself I hope that you can find mental fortitude in this.
A lot of those comments come from game fandom...if it can be called that...but I did have a colleague tell me that Fallout was a "flash in the pan" and that my subsequent work was and would be worse.
"where is your first great game?", "oh look at your last game, I knew it all along", "ok, the last one is meh at best and also it probably was your team anyway" 3:00 is something that happens in my life. And honestly I wasn't prepared for that. It's interesting that very few people are able to articulate this point like you do Tim (and at such a high level) and I also ran into similar situations and they do irritate immensely. Honestly the whole video has points that are so big, can't even express and address it properly in a comment, but a message that motivates us to be more patient and empathic with each other is always a valuable message. It's great to have someone like you Tim with your experience and communication skills talk about it. Especially to reflect about it on how to react to it. I think that is what it takes to get the best behaviour out of us. Reflect and choosing to learn from the best. Thank you for your videos :-) You have about 36k members in only a few months. You deserve everyone of them :-) I think it's a testament to your candidness, it's appreciated.
I really good piece of advice that Dario Casali went over when talking about his experience working on the original Half-Life is that when you have a grievance, wait a day before emailing. The anger and raw emotion will get you nowhere, if you can articulate those same points while keeping the respect we inherently need to have for each other you make the environment better. And if you talk with someone who refuses to abide by this code of conduct, do your best to hold yourself to that standard anyway because maybe they'll learn, maybe they won't, but it's not your problem and not an excuse to be scummy. All this to say, I agree. :)
Thank you for saying "they're wrong" I've always had imposter syndrome for even just existing due to my father being that put down person compounded by other events and people. Through everything I've been through I have my Masters degree without really trying. I know I'm intelligent and at 35 I'm finally working towards creating for the first time in my life. The imposter syndrome hits hard knowing I'm later than others in learning the crafts and arts I need to in order to accomplish my goals. This is a helpful mantra when I feel too depressed to pick up the guitar or pick up a book on coding or film making
I’m just starting out in the ttrpg business and I’ve managed to get an agreement to produce my ttrpg with an established gaming company. The book is written and art is being drawn. I’m in a waiting period. Imposter syndrome has been hitting me pretty hard in this interim. Thanks for this video.
"Every boss wants their team to become better". Ive definitely had managers who want their team to make them look better, even if it involves using team members as shields or to dump on. They will happily chuck team members under the bus for self advancement or use one member as a punch bag, essentially "othering" them as a way to try unite the rest under them.
I just got hired to be a teaching assistant for an "intro to C++" course at my university and I have felt insecure recently about my knowledge of certain subjects/ability to be an effective teacher to other aspiring programmers and was stressing particularly hard tonight. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to make all this content. This video has helped me sleep tonight lol. Found your channel after searching around as I just finished my first play-through of bloodlines and loved it! Thank you again, you are doing god's work by providing this quality content.
If you have imposter syndrome, however good you are, you are at least aware of the scale of the problem you're dealing with. You have no idea how far above average that puts you, and until a super genius comes along to solve the problem in a mathematically perfect way, you're the best bet on the table Imposter syndrome is basically a side effect of the brain chemistry that recognises that something is challenging and important, plus you having enough sense to realise failure is a possibility. Be aware of that and do it anyway
Excellent advice and insights as always. I think another thing to consider is the pratfalls of being a perfectionist. I do this, and I beat myself up whenever I deem something that I've made as not being this impossible template of godlike perfection. I'm finally moving away from this way of thinking, and I see the benefits of embracing art not solely through skill. When I draw, a bad line might lead to a happy accident, as I expand and add something unexpected to the drawing to hide said mistake. When I experiment with writing, sometimes it's ok not to spend hours, if not days on the perfect sentence. Part of growth is learning what you are and aren't capable of, and how that our own expectations are sometimes a bit silly, even cruel.
Tim (I hope it's OK I refer to you by your first name), I've enjoyed all the games you've made so very much. Especially Wildstar. I know that wasn't the best experience but I made some amazing friends and had a lot of unforgettable experiences thanks to you. I'm so grateful for the work you've done. You're awesome.
This is an amazing video, thanks for talking about this. I've been a game dev for over 15 years and I still get this. It's so important to talk about it and let people know they're not alone.
I'm working on a dream game i have developed by myself, Its a horror RPG in the modern world with GTA esque mechanics. After 5 years The imposter syndrome has drained away as now the game is taking shape, knowing no one else has a game like mine. I did un-ambitious projects for years but trying something special means i dont feel the syndrome anymore.
I get the same feeling from working on my own game too. It is not yet in a playable state yet, but getting enveloped in the vision that is gradually taking shape makes me forget that I even have an ego which can feel imposter syndrome. 😊
Mr. Cain, a lot of the stories you've told and advice you've given has me constantly reflecting on my current situation. Thank you for taking the time to tell your stories and perspectives / insights, you're truly giving an unforgettable gift to the next generation of game developers.
Hi Tim, I'm 26 from Italy, I wanted to become a game designer since I learnt the term as a kid. I, along with my best friends (both went to IT focused high schools) am developing my first game. I'm a perfectionist and a procrastinator, the only (unproven) skills I have are related to drawing and screenwriting. The project is a 3D low-poly immersive-ish sim in 3rd person with a focus on stealth and everything is brutally hard to make. We currently have no budget, I'm unemployed and my friend works at the game in the free time he has after his IT job. Since I hate/I'm bad at programming I do everything that doesn't require coding...which is still A LOT and requires field specific skill set I don't have. We are currently developing a vertical slice, a stand alone experience from the planned full game, so I don't know if in order to save some time to start gathering interest (and funds) we should consider cutting out some mechanics. This video helped a bit with the constant state of panic I live in, thanks. If all goes well, you all might get a merge between Metal Gear, Splinter Cell and Deus Ex in the following years.
Tim is such a good compass for how you should think about yourself as a refinable resource in a work place. It's everyone's interest that you improve and grow but there are so many things (people) that might get in the way. A lot of us don't get to experience this sadly but just listening to this can be a wake up call in itself. A lot of what Tim talk about is stuff that turn a job into a career if you overcome it.
Yep, impostor syndrome sucks. The more you succeed, the worse it gets. And everyone feels it. Some are just better at hiding it than others. As far as the "rare sociopath" you mentioned, most of them are ignorant sufferers of the Dunning-Kruger Effect. They know so little about the subject matter that they presume their knowledge to be comprehensive and absolute, and they criticize anyone who disrupts their certainty by finding nuance or complexity in their framework. They're not actual sociopaths; they're just fools who are unwilling to listen to reason because they are more interested in feeling right than being right.
Word of caution: just be careful where/when you apply Dunning-Kruger Effect. In my experience, I have moments of intense imposter syndrome but I am very outspoken when I know something is indeed a good idea. I have noticed when I am the most confident that is when the insecure want to tear me down with fancy psychological concepts like DKE, which is so extremely toxic. There are some people who only feel comfortable when everyone is quivering in their boots, due to insecurity. Very difficult to make a game properly like that.
I've had a meeting with my boss and was told "If I didn't think you would benefit the company, I wouldn't have hired you and involve you in our work", to which I swallowed my insecurity and said "Thanks". She made a good point. Sometimes you gotta get out of your own head and look at yourself from the outside perspective, and you have to stop imaging that your colleagues are perfect and will always be better than you, because you're not alone with this feeling. This video helps.
I don't know how that works, is it Google's algorithms or God or whatever but just as I finished writing a note for my future psychologist session about my severe impostor syndrome, I'm seeing this video on impostor syndrome :-) Thank you Tim, thank you so much. For Arcanum, which is my favorite game of all time and which I was inspired to replay by your videos, for this video, which is so spot on and also so helpful.
My imposter syndrome reached critical mass at around the 3 year mark and at the time it felt like it was going to end me. It can unfortunately be a bit of a negative feedback loop and my work started to suffer for it, I no longer enjoyed or had faith in anything I created which led to very mediocre and uninspired work as I was no longer taking any risks or having any fun. In hindsight I realised that years of crunch had played a large part in this.
wauw, i just learned that you explained a feeling i have since i live in the world of creativity as a musician. i didnt know it was called imposter syndrome even tho i knew the words. thanks Tim, this makes it a lot easier to deal with.
Thanks Tim. I, and all of us, appreciate it. Any positivity is a breath of fresh air these days. I was thinking about the book you wrote and the reason you started doing this series. If the publishers/editors did not like it as it was written (being a downer at times), then why not release it as an Audible book. I have a feeling you could read the news about a natural disaster and come out sounding like it was an inspirational tale about the enduring human spirit and hope. Because Storms... Storms never change... Just a thought :)
I expected to see you shirtless after the announcement from yesterday's video. But for serious, I recall sitting down in an isolated stairwell during my undergraduate years absolutely convinced I was a fraud among the REAL artists in the fine arts building of my university. So the example you made of being surrounded by smart people in game development holds. Being among experts in a building/department/company/school/conference dedicated to that craft/vocation/skill can have that effect. To this day, I will still question my art and think it was a fluke even after being inducted into a hall of fame I respect recently! Our brains are deceptive to ourselves in so many ways!
Imposter syndrome was a major issue for myself and literally everyone I knew when I was working on a PhD. My 2c is that the best way to improve it is learning to take and give *genuine* compliments. You can't make yourself confident, but you can trust your colleagues' words about your work.
Thank that really helps. I'm at a new job (2 months now) and the person which job I will be doing will leave the company in one month. So I have one month left to learn as much as possible from him to do the job by myself then. Unfortunately there is no other person who will be doing a similar thing as I. I alone will be responsible for this area. And it's an area which effects every aspect of the company (because it's the IT infrastructure). If something goes wrong there possibly the whole company can get to a stillstand. But they hired me against other applicants, so they believed in me that I can do the job. And they also cannot expect from me to do the job as good as my predecessor who has a lot more experience in this area and is doing the job there for many years.
When got my first job as developer I was sure that it was mistake and everbody knew that. To be honest, I did fail interview and was put on short-term probation to see whether I'm actually incompetent or just don't know how to do interviews. I was sure that it was the former, but just in a week of work when I asked how am I gonna be tested, I was told to forget it and keep doing good job. In some time I got pretty confident in my skills and stuff. But few years later company closed and I was doing freelance bits for a year and now I'm doing interviews for full-time again. And while my interviews skills are better, feeling of being a fraud came back. Like "I was doing good only in those specific circumstances I had on last job, I just got lucky". I understand that objectively there is no reason to think that I suddenly got less competent with more experience, but that sure doesn't stop anxiety.
Yes, I feel that way sometimes, except in my case it's actually true and not a self-delusion. But at least I'm aware of that and of the necessity of constant self-improvement
@@BuzzKirill3D I know it's cliche, but everyone has their own timeline... everyone starts out somewhere. Instead of telling yourself that you're an impostor, just be attentive to good advice and keep improving. That doesn't mean you're an impostor, or a fraud in a room of professionals. You're not Koticking your way through the boardrooms and making people's lives worse. Just enjoy the process of improving. The fact that you're actively working on improving already means that you're under no delusion of inferiority, you will one day be better than you are today. Everyone around you will absolutely have their weak areas as well-- just because you have different weak areas doesn't make you second-class.
@@anchorlightforge thank you my friend. You actually touched upon something I omitted - by saying everyone has their own timeline - the fact that I'm 33 and feel like I severely lag behind my much younger competitors... but you're right, no point in beating oneself over that. The only way forward is to improve upon your past.
@@BuzzKirill3D I know people that started way later. Everyone pivots every now and then... so you're fine. As Tim said here-- you were vetted by the people that helped you go this far and they approved. But the small voice in your head can be much harder to please.
Thing is, there's such a thing as being actually incompetent at your job. That's not imposter syndrome, that's you recognizing that you suck and it's healthy. Don't automatically assume that just because you feel you're bad at your job, you have imposter syndrome. That's kind of narcissistic actually.
Good Morning Tim! I would like to say that I've been binge watching all your videos and they've help me get a better understanding of a lot towards game development. I'm happy that you're giving great advice for those who are dipping their toes towards a secretive industry. Keep up the videos, I love them!
Software developer here, 100%. 1. You will always find someone better than you at X, Y, or Z. Get over that, it will happen. When it happens, use it as a golden learning opportunity. 2. Getting promoted *is not* a path to feeling more adequate or secure :D 3. You become more effective as a senior employee when you stop being afraid about about looking stupid.
Love your RUclips videos and how down to earth you are. Love the wise experience that you are sharing as well, even though I’m not interested in game development a lot of the topics you discuss help me in my path as well. Thank you so much.
I feel like this industry problem has gotten so much worse since the time of uploading. Every major corporation cut out 600-1000 people within the last week. There has never been so much talent out there looking for basic amenities, and it's made the industry feel so uninviting towards newcomers. But I guess the reality is, you can embrace stupidity and fall on your face until you don't, or you can try to cover your problems and think twice about everything just to realize your stubborn adherence to _looking_ professional is what keeps you from actually truly being one-- because those feelings of insecurity will never be gone, ever.
Man it took me a long time to get over imposter syndrome and I still feel twinges of it on occasion. I would add if you feel like you don't know things you should know for your job studying those things can really help. My trick is looking at things right before bed, I don't know why but I remember everything I look at/think right before I sleep. It worked in college and it works now!
One thing I didnt expect when i was younger or in college was that as an adult all i really feel like i am missing in life is a job that i feel like i can do. I hope one day i can have a job I feel like im competent and secure in.
Feelings of inadequacy are most often inculcated by the culture and environment a person is working and/or living in. Healthy work cultures and environments are pretty darned rare and policies like stack ranking aren't helping in the least. Should we be looking more at culture and environment than the people who are working in it?
Hey Tim! Most of the time, I hear imposter syndrome only talked about when imposter syndrome isn't warranted. But what about people where imposter syndrome is actually describing something true, say, maybe I'm not good enough, and that might be true? How can we differentiate between the two? Between imposter syndrome that isn't true and where imposter syndrome is actually hinting at a certain truth about someone's ability. Or is imposter syndrome worthy of fighting against regardless of the underlying reality? Thanks!
Wow I never knew that this was a phenomenon, I just assumed I was bad at my job. It was probably the main reason I left my previous career in project management for a cushy office job. I was constantly put down by my customers or by the sales department for failing to meet the customer’s expectations. It was infuriating, but I miss it every day, I miss doing something important.
Q: Can you tell what You are the most proud of in your programming career? I feel like programmers great accomplishments are often overlocked. I can count on one hand what is known in mainstream media like: binary space partitioning tree, havoc engine, speed tree. Tell us what great ingenuity hides in engines created by You or modified by You? Thanks for the answer.
I'm dealing with this right now, and I needed to see this. I feel like I'm shooting myself in the foot with certain jobs because I just get so scared that I don't belong.
I remember feeling a bit of imposter syndrome before I even learned to code properly. I would go online and comment on issues and post questions on sites like stack overflow and forums and I would try to be very formal and describe the problems or solutions precisely (as I always am when in my real account). I definitely tried to behave like I knew more than I actually knew at the time, there was some sort of pride, fear of being though as silly. When I got an actual job at a company and some experience with it, I noticed that most of people are pretty bad at their jobs. A lot of times they actually work 2 hours a day and spend the rest of time procrastinating in their desks while pretending to get work done. The even worst cases are the people who barely work 1 or 2 hours a day then they go to a coworker's desk to gossip about their coworkers and create office drama. Then I understood most developer actually s*ck and yes, there is a reason, crunch exists, it's because the "sense of urgency" usually only hits home on the final line (Mark Darrah has talked wisely on this subject in his channel). I haven't felt imposter syndrome for a long time now, that is because I went indie, decided to make my own engine from scratch, learn 3d and 2d art, and still going to learn some audio production. I kind feel like I'm very confident I can deliver a decent indie game experience by myself now for. Having worked with others and seem how unproductive and sometimes petty people are in general, I must say I feel pretty confident in my skills.
I feel you there with the office gossip and 2 hour workday people. There are people at my current day job, that just don't know how to turn that off. At least, in my case they probably don't create drama. You mentioned feeling pretty confident in your game development experience. Is there a place where we could find your stuff? As a fellow developer I am interested in how other people do things (plus growing a slightly thicker skin about my own insecurities should I find someone who knows far more than me).
Hi Tim, thanks for making this video. This applies 1-1 to tech which is my trade. Would you mind me using your video for internal sharing with my work team? You put this so succinctly here so i think it’s perfect for this intended purpose
Nope, I still feel the imposter syndrome. I'm 40 and I long to be in game dev... it doesn't seem to make sense that somebody as old as me could make it when I barely know what I'm doing.
With all the resources online, trust me, you will know what you are doing, at least enough for junior level. If you apply yourself. Choose an engine (Unity, Unreal, etc). Get proficient at it. Build games that you personally are excited about. Apply to jobs. Even if you don't get it, if you got an interview you will have a sense of what the process is like and what is expected. Age is just a number. If you are passionate, that is the quality that will overwhelm all who stand in your presence. In a nutshell, this is how I broke into the industry. Without a degree in gaming or CS.
As soon as Tim said "you know who I'm talking about!" my brain immediately shouted "Peter Molyneux!" and THEN my brain was like, "wait, do you even know enough about the videogame industry to have any idea who Tim is talking about?" 🤦♀
Anyone have any advice for going into the game industry as an adult with zero experience? I do a lot of 3d art as a freelance but I've always wanted to work on games as a full time job--specifically as a career. Do I just brute force my way into the industry or is it better to just form my own team at this point even if I have to end up learning a bunch of code and stuff Random place to ask but I figure why not
It's one of the first time i don't really agree with you. People able to recognize they suffer from imposter syndrom often are the most competent and the least likely to react in the (passive-)agressive way you describe when you talk about peope with insecurities. Im my experience people who would describe the way they feel as "imposter syndrom" are the one who are so gifted that they don't understand why other people who seem to be more serious/experienced as them are not much better than they are. The "insecures" employees you describe are more likely to be the least competents ones not even able to acknowledge it.
I was told during the interview process at Interplay that my M.S. degree not only didn't matter, but that it made things worse because I was "unlikely to stick around". I was told I should consider myself lucky I was being considered at all.
I don't know what it's like in the games industry but in software a masters degree doesn't really count for much. I've met people with CS masters degree's that don't know much at all and I think that most of the time what your taught in a CS degree isn't all that useful in the industry. Not to put down the accomplishment of it but that's just the reality sadly. I think everyone gets imposter syndrome though no matter how good you are.
I treat a master's degree that same as other experience on someone's resume, including past games and game demos made. It shows me the person set a goal and achieved it. It doesn't mean they don't get interviewed and tested, but if all of that is equal, I tend to choose the person with achieved goals over the person without them. That's why I tell people to make games on their own, to show that they can do it. All of these things move your resume higher in the pile.
Whilst I'm not in game development, instead cyber security - I'd say its Dunning Kruger effect. The moment you dip into a skill or profession beyond a certain threshold... The overwhelming scope of knowledge humbles you. Even a master's, as impressive as it is, is just a drop in an ocean. Add the stress of paying bills to the equation, and other human worries - and it's no wonder the feelings of inadequacy grow. Especially with managerial or project stresses. ... It's been my experience, the people with dumb confidence (looking at the beginning of Dunning Kruger) parade without worry, causing havoc - which then requires those with the credentials, though feelings of inadequacy, to fix it. If you're not embracing life long learning -as cliche as a corporate phrase it is - you're in for hurt, when your industry leaves you behind. ... You'll prolly find when you get an academic, or even more practical certification - that even the stuff you've studied... Give it a month or few and it'll be gone from your conscious 😅 Cheers Tim for your wisdom and legacy!
I know I should not be asking this question but who is the sociopath you are referring to that has never felt an imporster syndrome? 😅 Thank you for the video as always!
The imposter syndrome for game designers though is entirely justified, because none of them know how to design a real game. They can't even tell you what the definition of a game is. They're all imposters.
the solution to...impostor syndrome? I'm not sure what you mean. Impostor syndrome hits anyone who's ever had doubts about their ability, it's a matter of self confidence and being overly self aware and anxious, so I'm not sure what you mean.
I’ve been in “big tech” for 8 years now and still have this. I use to have a panic attack every morning when I went to the office that my badge would be deactivated because they figured out I wasn’t smart enough to be there or something. This lasted probably 3 years.
I went to a crappy college, dropped out/switched majors multiple times, and finally got my CS degree when I was almost 30. I’m also from a Appalachian dump of a town where almost nobody got out of there from my high school. Half my HS class is dead or in jail/on hard drugs. It’s really strange to be working with people who have prestigious backgrounds, got Ivy League degrees and had perfect SATs or masters/doctorates and have myself be on the same level/above some of them. We had a new hire who was like 22-23 and going to UT for a doctorate in math and working there part time and she made me question my career choices almost daily 😆.
An awful lot of focus is being placed on the microcosm; little to none on the macrocosm. Tims speaks of things like this as though they were isolated to the gaming industry. (Love you, Tim, but...they're not.)
Society has committed itself to educational "advantage" over and above absolutely everything (and everyone) else. William Deresiewicz, et alia, have made it crystal clear that "“our best universities have forgotten that the reason they exist is to make minds, not careers" and that they "select for and develop one form of intelligence: the analytic." Is it any wonder, then, that most people are feeling they're not quite up to the challenge when the challenge has been so clearly defined?
So, it's good to hear there are still some people in the world who don't place all-importance on formal education and are willing to see what applicants are actually capable of. Employees themselves would probably be surprised at what they're actually capable of doing when and if afforded the chance.
There is a dual-enrolled high school student at my college who is in my Java programming course and he is brilliant. Finished the 2 class exercises we had for the day before I finished reading the instructions and I had a feeling of gloom set over me. Who will ever want to hire me at 34 years old when there are kids like him out there, I thought.
@@iamtheteapot7405 because a real job on a real team requires many more skills and wisdom than just technical proficiency. You're probably a much sounder employee pick to a project manager that has things to worry about other than helping some kid learn the ways of teamwork and how to problem solve without running to the boss all the time.
This was every job I had 🫠
It’s crazy if no one ever seriously sought you out as a mentor at your companies! Sadly in my work most of the veterans at the companies were burned out and just counting the days until retirement.
I considered Tim my mentor during Fallout, but I didn't know anything, including how to ask questions. :)
I feel the same with many of the professors at my college. There is an awesome game dev. program that I am enrolled in but most of the professors are at the end of their cycle and don't seem to care much.
Hi man I want to sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart for making such beautiful things as Fallout and Arcanum. You made my shitty childhood bearable and inspired me for the years to come. Thank you man (and your gamedev buddies).
So much this.
Amen to this comment.
Arcanum in particular blew my fucking mind. ART. No question.
Hey Tim, been watching your videos since the channel started. This video really hit home for me. Not a game-dev, but taking my bar exam tomorrow. Imposter syndrome has been a staple of Law school, bar prep, and job hunting. It's extremely difficult to get those thoughts out of your head once they take root. Appreciate the advice, as usual!
I know a couple cool people who happen to be lawyers. Get it Awwsteen. Best of luck.
I've been looking forward to this one. I'm a software engineer with about 5 years in the industry and I feel like I am my own worst enemy. Very excited to listen to this one here in a little bit.
Thanks for sharing this, Tim. I was lucky enough to progress in my field quickly and at a young age, which while great definitely came with these feelings. It's something I still have to contend with occasionally. Always great to know that we aren't alone in this!
As a software dev I often feel impostor syndrome because
- There are a billion languages/frameworks that exist, and when I have to switch to one I feel like starting from 0
- Even if it's in my favourite language Java SE, the code of an existing project will seem like gibberish for a while. It is HARD for the brain to internalize the complex workings of proper software
- Sometimes I'm just stuck on a bug, and feel deep in my bones that that's it. I have no way to fix it, I'm fully fracked and people will realize that I totally suck
But with experience I've noticed that all these issues eventually go away. Even a terrible bug that got me stuck for days, one day I arrive in the morning and the solution is clear as day, because my brain worked on it in the background.
So keep grinding at the problems and you won't be an imposter.
I very much appreciate your videos.
Your experiences, and sharing them, helps a lot of us.
this is a great video i’ll be sharing!
with regard to the causes of impostor syndrome, there is one important thing you forgot to mention. well, either that, or you elided it because you’ve talked about it in another video i haven’t seen. or both, haha.
anyway, i think that when you’re doing creative work, the first pass at realizing an idea is pretty much always going to be suboptimal. maybe it has promise. maybe it’s even good already! but it’s never going to be all it can be until you show it to people, get feedback, do another pass, repeat. the initial pass is always an ugly duckling compared to the finished product. you have to solicit feedback, go down blind alleys that lead to dead ends, ask other people for advice on a specific problem you’re having, etc etc. and because you have to do that, because whatever you made didn’t spring fully formed from the head of zeus, it’s easy to convince yourself that little to none of what’s good in the final product came from you. you didn’t do what a Real [insert creative profession here] would’ve done - you used a cheat code. which leads to that feeling of being an impostor, not only throughout the making of the thing, but even - especially? - after it’s done. if it ends up being successful, the anxiety is only compounded, because now you have a reputation to lose. right? and the more of a reputation you have, the higher the stakes get.
this is, of course, arrant nonsense. basically everyone in creative fields works this way, and whatever feedback you got from other people, you still made it happen. but because impostor syndrome scales to however successful you are, it sticks with you in a way that, say, first day on the job nerves can’t.
that’s my thought, anyway. thanks for the video!
At 3:41 are people / collegaues / managers really said these things in your face directly?
I consider you a lucky person in a sense that you experienced a "quality closure" with Fallout. You put into that a lot of effort and it became a videogame classic. In case you are having doubt in yourself I hope that you can find mental fortitude in this.
A lot of those comments come from game fandom...if it can be called that...but I did have a colleague tell me that Fallout was a "flash in the pan" and that my subsequent work was and would be worse.
"where is your first great game?", "oh look at your last game, I knew it all along", "ok, the last one is meh at best and also it probably was your team anyway" 3:00 is something that happens in my life. And honestly I wasn't prepared for that. It's interesting that very few people are able to articulate this point like you do Tim (and at such a high level) and I also ran into similar situations and they do irritate immensely. Honestly the whole video has points that are so big, can't even express and address it properly in a comment, but a message that motivates us to be more patient and empathic with each other is always a valuable message. It's great to have someone like you Tim with your experience and communication skills talk about it. Especially to reflect about it on how to react to it. I think that is what it takes to get the best behaviour out of us. Reflect and choosing to learn from the best. Thank you for your videos :-) You have about 36k members in only a few months. You deserve everyone of them :-) I think it's a testament to your candidness, it's appreciated.
I really good piece of advice that Dario Casali went over when talking about his experience working on the original Half-Life is that when you have a grievance, wait a day before emailing. The anger and raw emotion will get you nowhere, if you can articulate those same points while keeping the respect we inherently need to have for each other you make the environment better. And if you talk with someone who refuses to abide by this code of conduct, do your best to hold yourself to that standard anyway because maybe they'll learn, maybe they won't, but it's not your problem and not an excuse to be scummy. All this to say, I agree. :)
Thank you for saying "they're wrong" I've always had imposter syndrome for even just existing due to my father being that put down person compounded by other events and people. Through everything I've been through I have my Masters degree without really trying. I know I'm intelligent and at 35 I'm finally working towards creating for the first time in my life. The imposter syndrome hits hard knowing I'm later than others in learning the crafts and arts I need to in order to accomplish my goals. This is a helpful mantra when I feel too depressed to pick up the guitar or pick up a book on coding or film making
I’m just starting out in the ttrpg business and I’ve managed to get an agreement to produce my ttrpg with an established gaming company. The book is written and art is being drawn. I’m in a waiting period. Imposter syndrome has been hitting me pretty hard in this interim. Thanks for this video.
"Every boss wants their team to become better". Ive definitely had managers who want their team to make them look better, even if it involves using team members as shields or to dump on. They will happily chuck team members under the bus for self advancement or use one member as a punch bag, essentially "othering" them as a way to try unite the rest under them.
I just got hired to be a teaching assistant for an "intro to C++" course at my university and I have felt insecure recently about my knowledge of certain subjects/ability to be an effective teacher to other aspiring programmers and was stressing particularly hard tonight. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to make all this content. This video has helped me sleep tonight lol.
Found your channel after searching around as I just finished my first play-through of bloodlines and loved it! Thank you again, you are doing god's work by providing this quality content.
If you have imposter syndrome, however good you are, you are at least aware of the scale of the problem you're dealing with. You have no idea how far above average that puts you, and until a super genius comes along to solve the problem in a mathematically perfect way, you're the best bet on the table
Imposter syndrome is basically a side effect of the brain chemistry that recognises that something is challenging and important, plus you having enough sense to realise failure is a possibility. Be aware of that and do it anyway
Excellent advice and insights as always. I think another thing to consider is the pratfalls of being a perfectionist. I do this, and I beat myself up whenever I deem something that I've made as not being this impossible template of godlike perfection. I'm finally moving away from this way of thinking, and I see the benefits of embracing art not solely through skill. When I draw, a bad line might lead to a happy accident, as I expand and add something unexpected to the drawing to hide said mistake. When I experiment with writing, sometimes it's ok not to spend hours, if not days on the perfect sentence. Part of growth is learning what you are and aren't capable of, and how that our own expectations are sometimes a bit silly, even cruel.
Past a certain point of competence, you're never a fraud if you have the right approach to a project.
Tim (I hope it's OK I refer to you by your first name), I've enjoyed all the games you've made so very much. Especially Wildstar. I know that wasn't the best experience but I made some amazing friends and had a lot of unforgettable experiences thanks to you. I'm so grateful for the work you've done. You're awesome.
This is an amazing video, thanks for talking about this. I've been a game dev for over 15 years and I still get this. It's so important to talk about it and let people know they're not alone.
I'm working on a dream game i have developed by myself, Its a horror RPG in the modern world with GTA esque mechanics. After 5 years The imposter syndrome has drained away as now the game is taking shape, knowing no one else has a game like mine. I did un-ambitious projects for years but trying something special means i dont feel the syndrome anymore.
Uh that sounds really cool man. Let us know when we could try it.
I get the same feeling from working on my own game too. It is not yet in a playable state yet, but getting enveloped in the vision that is gradually taking shape makes me forget that I even have an ego which can feel imposter syndrome. 😊
I could never get a job by how different i look, there are always people that will go out of their way just to piss me off for no reason
Mr. Cain, a lot of the stories you've told and advice you've given has me constantly reflecting on my current situation. Thank you for taking the time to tell your stories and perspectives / insights, you're truly giving an unforgettable gift to the next generation of game developers.
Sometimes you fail and you can't figure out why. So, not only did you fail, but you didn't learn anything, either.
Hi Tim, I'm 26 from Italy, I wanted to become a game designer since I learnt the term as a kid. I, along with my best friends (both went to IT focused high schools) am developing my first game. I'm a perfectionist and a procrastinator, the only (unproven) skills I have are related to drawing and screenwriting.
The project is a 3D low-poly immersive-ish sim in 3rd person with a focus on stealth and everything is brutally hard to make. We currently have no budget, I'm unemployed and my friend works at the game in the free time he has after his IT job. Since I hate/I'm bad at programming I do everything that doesn't require coding...which is still A LOT and requires field specific skill set I don't have. We are currently developing a vertical slice, a stand alone experience from the planned full game, so I don't know if in order to save some time to start gathering interest (and funds) we should consider cutting out some mechanics.
This video helped a bit with the constant state of panic I live in, thanks. If all goes well, you all might get a merge between Metal Gear, Splinter Cell and Deus Ex in the following years.
Tim is such a good compass for how you should think about yourself as a refinable resource in a work place.
It's everyone's interest that you improve and grow but there are so many things (people) that might get in the way.
A lot of us don't get to experience this sadly but just listening to this can be a wake up call in itself.
A lot of what Tim talk about is stuff that turn a job into a career if you overcome it.
Yep, impostor syndrome sucks. The more you succeed, the worse it gets. And everyone feels it. Some are just better at hiding it than others.
As far as the "rare sociopath" you mentioned, most of them are ignorant sufferers of the Dunning-Kruger Effect. They know so little about the subject matter that they presume their knowledge to be comprehensive and absolute, and they criticize anyone who disrupts their certainty by finding nuance or complexity in their framework. They're not actual sociopaths; they're just fools who are unwilling to listen to reason because they are more interested in feeling right than being right.
Word of caution: just be careful where/when you apply Dunning-Kruger Effect. In my experience, I have moments of intense imposter syndrome but I am very outspoken when I know something is indeed a good idea. I have noticed when I am the most confident that is when the insecure want to tear me down with fancy psychological concepts like DKE, which is so extremely toxic. There are some people who only feel comfortable when everyone is quivering in their boots, due to insecurity. Very difficult to make a game properly like that.
I've had a meeting with my boss and was told "If I didn't think you would benefit the company, I wouldn't have hired you and involve you in our work", to which I swallowed my insecurity and said "Thanks". She made a good point. Sometimes you gotta get out of your own head and look at yourself from the outside perspective, and you have to stop imaging that your colleagues are perfect and will always be better than you, because you're not alone with this feeling. This video helps.
I don't know how that works, is it Google's algorithms or God or whatever but just as I finished writing a note for my future psychologist session about my severe impostor syndrome, I'm seeing this video on impostor syndrome :-)
Thank you Tim, thank you so much. For Arcanum, which is my favorite game of all time and which I was inspired to replay by your videos, for this video, which is so spot on and also so helpful.
My imposter syndrome reached critical mass at around the 3 year mark and at the time it felt like it was going to end me. It can unfortunately be a bit of a negative feedback loop and my work started to suffer for it, I no longer enjoyed or had faith in anything I created which led to very mediocre and uninspired work as I was no longer taking any risks or having any fun. In hindsight I realised that years of crunch had played a large part in this.
wauw, i just learned that you explained a feeling i have since i live in the world of creativity as a musician.
i didnt know it was called imposter syndrome even tho i knew the words.
thanks Tim, this makes it a lot easier to deal with.
Thanks Tim. I, and all of us, appreciate it. Any positivity is a breath of fresh air these days. I was thinking about the book you wrote and the reason you started doing this series.
If the publishers/editors did not like it as it was written (being a downer at times), then why not release it as an Audible book. I have a feeling you could read the news about a natural disaster and come out sounding like it was an inspirational tale about the enduring human spirit and hope. Because Storms... Storms never change...
Just a thought :)
I expected to see you shirtless after the announcement from yesterday's video.
But for serious, I recall sitting down in an isolated stairwell during my undergraduate years absolutely convinced I was a fraud among the REAL artists in the fine arts building of my university. So the example you made of being surrounded by smart people in game development holds. Being among experts in a building/department/company/school/conference dedicated to that craft/vocation/skill can have that effect. To this day, I will still question my art and think it was a fluke even after being inducted into a hall of fame I respect recently! Our brains are deceptive to ourselves in so many ways!
5:54 Hello from RPG Codex, Tim.
Imposter syndrome was a major issue for myself and literally everyone I knew when I was working on a PhD. My 2c is that the best way to improve it is learning to take and give *genuine* compliments. You can't make yourself confident, but you can trust your colleagues' words about your work.
Thank you Tim for talking about this. Sharing the unspoken norm is great. Really enjoy your videos no matter the subject.
Thank that really helps. I'm at a new job (2 months now) and the person which job I will be doing will leave the company in one month. So I have one month left to learn as much as possible from him to do the job by myself then. Unfortunately there is no other person who will be doing a similar thing as I. I alone will be responsible for this area. And it's an area which effects every aspect of the company (because it's the IT infrastructure). If something goes wrong there possibly the whole company can get to a stillstand.
But they hired me against other applicants, so they believed in me that I can do the job. And they also cannot expect from me to do the job as good as my predecessor who has a lot more experience in this area and is doing the job there for many years.
When got my first job as developer I was sure that it was mistake and everbody knew that. To be honest, I did fail interview and was put on short-term probation to see whether I'm actually incompetent or just don't know how to do interviews.
I was sure that it was the former, but just in a week of work when I asked how am I gonna be tested, I was told to forget it and keep doing good job. In some time I got pretty confident in my skills and stuff. But few years later company closed and I was doing freelance bits for a year and now I'm doing interviews for full-time again. And while my interviews skills are better, feeling of being a fraud came back. Like "I was doing good only in those specific circumstances I had on last job, I just got lucky". I understand that objectively there is no reason to think that I suddenly got less competent with more experience, but that sure doesn't stop anxiety.
The way the public and reviews treat game devs seems to be for ANY kind of creative work. I feel it, and I just make RUclips and Twitch content.
Yes, I feel that way sometimes, except in my case it's actually true and not a self-delusion. But at least I'm aware of that and of the necessity of constant self-improvement
why do you feel like it's actually true in your case and not imposter syndrome?
@@riq6344 because I can verify the level of my skills against those of my peers
@@BuzzKirill3D I know it's cliche, but everyone has their own timeline... everyone starts out somewhere. Instead of telling yourself that you're an impostor, just be attentive to good advice and keep improving. That doesn't mean you're an impostor, or a fraud in a room of professionals. You're not Koticking your way through the boardrooms and making people's lives worse. Just enjoy the process of improving. The fact that you're actively working on improving already means that you're under no delusion of inferiority, you will one day be better than you are today. Everyone around you will absolutely have their weak areas as well-- just because you have different weak areas doesn't make you second-class.
@@anchorlightforge thank you my friend. You actually touched upon something I omitted - by saying everyone has their own timeline - the fact that I'm 33 and feel like I severely lag behind my much younger competitors... but you're right, no point in beating oneself over that. The only way forward is to improve upon your past.
@@BuzzKirill3D I know people that started way later. Everyone pivots every now and then... so you're fine. As Tim said here-- you were vetted by the people that helped you go this far and they approved. But the small voice in your head can be much harder to please.
You may not be the best programmer or designer in your group, but you are a great story teller. And I think your Fallout ideas were great!
Thing is, there's such a thing as being actually incompetent at your job. That's not imposter syndrome, that's you recognizing that you suck and it's healthy. Don't automatically assume that just because you feel you're bad at your job, you have imposter syndrome. That's kind of narcissistic actually.
Good Morning Tim! I would like to say that I've been binge watching all your videos and they've help me get a better understanding of a lot towards game development. I'm happy that you're giving great advice for those who are dipping their toes towards a secretive industry. Keep up the videos, I love them!
Sadly, many companies do not care or account for the newcomer's imposter syndrome... Few of them do, though. Those are the gems of the industry.
Software developer here, 100%.
1. You will always find someone better than you at X, Y, or Z. Get over that, it will happen. When it happens, use it as a golden learning opportunity.
2. Getting promoted *is not* a path to feeling more adequate or secure :D
3. You become more effective as a senior employee when you stop being afraid about about looking stupid.
Love your RUclips videos and how down to earth you are. Love the wise experience that you are sharing as well, even though I’m not interested in game development a lot of the topics you discuss help me in my path as well. Thank you so much.
This hits hard as an artist too. Thanks for speaking on this.
This is all shockingly universal to any job field.
I feel like this industry problem has gotten so much worse since the time of uploading. Every major corporation cut out 600-1000 people within the last week. There has never been so much talent out there looking for basic amenities, and it's made the industry feel so uninviting towards newcomers. But I guess the reality is, you can embrace stupidity and fall on your face until you don't, or you can try to cover your problems and think twice about everything just to realize your stubborn adherence to _looking_ professional is what keeps you from actually truly being one-- because those feelings of insecurity will never be gone, ever.
Can you do a video on giving good and relevant game design feedback? And how do we know when things aren't balanced?
Man it took me a long time to get over imposter syndrome and I still feel twinges of it on occasion.
I would add if you feel like you don't know things you should know for your job studying those things can really help. My trick is looking at things right before bed, I don't know why but I remember everything I look at/think right before I sleep. It worked in college and it works now!
One thing I didnt expect when i was younger or in college was that as an adult all i really feel like i am missing in life is a job that i feel like i can do. I hope one day i can have a job I feel like im competent and secure in.
Feelings of inadequacy are most often inculcated by the culture and environment a person is working and/or living in. Healthy work cultures and environments are pretty darned rare and policies like stack ranking aren't helping in the least. Should we be looking more at culture and environment than the people who are working in it?
4:29 - "You know who I'm talking about" - well, Tommy Tallarico, of course.
"Is this 911? Shots fired."
Hey Tim! Most of the time, I hear imposter syndrome only talked about when imposter syndrome isn't warranted. But what about people where imposter syndrome is actually describing something true, say, maybe I'm not good enough, and that might be true? How can we differentiate between the two? Between imposter syndrome that isn't true and where imposter syndrome is actually hinting at a certain truth about someone's ability. Or is imposter syndrome worthy of fighting against regardless of the underlying reality? Thanks!
Wow I never knew that this was a phenomenon, I just assumed I was bad at my job. It was probably the main reason I left my previous career in project management for a cushy office job. I was constantly put down by my customers or by the sales department for failing to meet the customer’s expectations. It was infuriating, but I miss it every day, I miss doing something important.
Lao Tzu asks, “which is more destructive, success or failure?” In the Tao Te Ching
Literally about to start a new job… Thanks so much for this !
Q: Can you tell what You are the most proud of in your programming career? I feel like programmers great accomplishments are often overlocked. I can count on one hand what is known in mainstream media like: binary space partitioning tree, havoc engine, speed tree. Tell us what great ingenuity hides in engines created by You or modified by You? Thanks for the answer.
You’re the best, Tim
Not gonna lie sometimes I'm out here thinking my SPECIAL is 1/1/1/1/1/1/20
I'm dealing with this right now, and I needed to see this. I feel like I'm shooting myself in the foot with certain jobs because I just get so scared that I don't belong.
4:28 - So you also know Tom from my last project? Small world.
Mark Darrah from Bioware makes similar videos to yours, Tim. Would love to see you too talk, collaborate, and compare your experiences!
"you know who I'm talking about" *winks in kojima*
I remember feeling a bit of imposter syndrome before I even learned to code properly. I would go online and comment on issues and post questions on sites like stack overflow and forums and I would try to be very formal and describe the problems or solutions precisely (as I always am when in my real account). I definitely tried to behave like I knew more than I actually knew at the time, there was some sort of pride, fear of being though as silly. When I got an actual job at a company and some experience with it, I noticed that most of people are pretty bad at their jobs. A lot of times they actually work 2 hours a day and spend the rest of time procrastinating in their desks while pretending to get work done. The even worst cases are the people who barely work 1 or 2 hours a day then they go to a coworker's desk to gossip about their coworkers and create office drama. Then I understood most developer actually s*ck and yes, there is a reason, crunch exists, it's because the "sense of urgency" usually only hits home on the final line (Mark Darrah has talked wisely on this subject in his channel). I haven't felt imposter syndrome for a long time now, that is because I went indie, decided to make my own engine from scratch, learn 3d and 2d art, and still going to learn some audio production. I kind feel like I'm very confident I can deliver a decent indie game experience by myself now for. Having worked with others and seem how unproductive and sometimes petty people are in general, I must say I feel pretty confident in my skills.
I feel you there with the office gossip and 2 hour workday people. There are people at my current day job, that just don't know how to turn that off. At least, in my case they probably don't create drama. You mentioned feeling pretty confident in your game development experience. Is there a place where we could find your stuff? As a fellow developer I am interested in how other people do things (plus growing a slightly thicker skin about my own insecurities should I find someone who knows far more than me).
Hi Tim, thanks for making this video. This applies 1-1 to tech which is my trade. Would you mind me using your video for internal sharing with my work team? You put this so succinctly here so i think it’s perfect for this intended purpose
Nope, I still feel the imposter syndrome. I'm 40 and I long to be in game dev... it doesn't seem to make sense that somebody as old as me could make it when I barely know what I'm doing.
With all the resources online, trust me, you will know what you are doing, at least enough for junior level. If you apply yourself. Choose an engine (Unity, Unreal, etc). Get proficient at it. Build games that you personally are excited about. Apply to jobs. Even if you don't get it, if you got an interview you will have a sense of what the process is like and what is expected. Age is just a number. If you are passionate, that is the quality that will overwhelm all who stand in your presence.
In a nutshell, this is how I broke into the industry. Without a degree in gaming or CS.
As soon as Tim said "you know who I'm talking about!" my brain immediately shouted "Peter Molyneux!" and THEN my brain was like, "wait, do you even know enough about the videogame industry to have any idea who Tim is talking about?" 🤦♀
Fire anyone who's causing trouble
Anyone have any advice for going into the game industry as an adult with zero experience? I do a lot of 3d art as a freelance but I've always wanted to work on games as a full time job--specifically as a career. Do I just brute force my way into the industry or is it better to just form my own team at this point even if I have to end up learning a bunch of code and stuff
Random place to ask but I figure why not
Glad for this very relatable content!
It's one of the first time i don't really agree with you. People able to recognize they suffer from imposter syndrom often are the most competent and the least likely to react in the (passive-)agressive way you describe when you talk about peope with insecurities. Im my experience people who would describe the way they feel as "imposter syndrom" are the one who are so gifted that they don't understand why other people who seem to be more serious/experienced as them are not much better than they are. The "insecures" employees you describe are more likely to be the least competents ones not even able to acknowledge it.
Big fan of imposter syndrome. Wish more managers had it :)
vampire attack
Thank you Tim, this helped my fiance
I dont have impostor syndrome, i m the impostors
How come you've gone through the impostor syndrome when you've got a master's in computer science? I mean all formal credentials are out there.
I was told during the interview process at Interplay that my M.S. degree not only didn't matter, but that it made things worse because I was "unlikely to stick around". I was told I should consider myself lucky I was being considered at all.
@@CainOnGames this is a very shrewd logic, you're not going to stick around means only one thing: being clearly overqualified for the job.
I don't know what it's like in the games industry but in software a masters degree doesn't really count for much. I've met people with CS masters degree's that don't know much at all and I think that most of the time what your taught in a CS degree isn't all that useful in the industry. Not to put down the accomplishment of it but that's just the reality sadly. I think everyone gets imposter syndrome though no matter how good you are.
I treat a master's degree that same as other experience on someone's resume, including past games and game demos made. It shows me the person set a goal and achieved it. It doesn't mean they don't get interviewed and tested, but if all of that is equal, I tend to choose the person with achieved goals over the person without them. That's why I tell people to make games on their own, to show that they can do it. All of these things move your resume higher in the pile.
Whilst I'm not in game development, instead cyber security - I'd say its Dunning Kruger effect.
The moment you dip into a skill or profession beyond a certain threshold... The overwhelming scope of knowledge humbles you. Even a master's, as impressive as it is, is just a drop in an ocean.
Add the stress of paying bills to the equation, and other human worries - and it's no wonder the feelings of inadequacy grow. Especially with managerial or project stresses.
... It's been my experience, the people with dumb confidence (looking at the beginning of Dunning Kruger) parade without worry, causing havoc - which then requires those with the credentials, though feelings of inadequacy, to fix it.
If you're not embracing life long learning -as cliche as a corporate phrase it is - you're in for hurt, when your industry leaves you behind.
... You'll prolly find when you get an academic, or even more practical certification - that even the stuff you've studied... Give it a month or few and it'll be gone from your conscious 😅
Cheers Tim for your wisdom and legacy!
Btw... it's impostor.
Dang, I didn’t even impostor right! Fixed!
@@CainOnGames OMG you are quick :D
I know I should not be asking this question but who is the sociopath you are referring to that has never felt an imporster syndrome? 😅
Thank you for the video as always!
Tim have you ever played the bioshock series? I decided to replay them all in order.
Three people who watched this are insecure
Can you be my Mentor???
literally me
Too real 😅
I don't even exist.
This is the story of my life!¡!😅
I have a mentor! His name is Tim! He's got a pretty cool RUclips channel! : )
Sus
Who are you talking about 4:29?
The imposter syndrome for game designers though is entirely justified, because none of them know how to design a real game.
They can't even tell you what the definition of a game is.
They're all imposters.
amogus
the Solution is to never take credit for the work of a collective.
the solution to...impostor syndrome? I'm not sure what you mean. Impostor syndrome hits anyone who's ever had doubts about their ability, it's a matter of self confidence and being overly self aware and anxious, so I'm not sure what you mean.
Sus
What does Sus mean?