Argh Motivation Zero
JDuaneJ
San Francisco Member Posts: 300
I've lost it the past week. Been working on a new game idea and I just can't get the motivation to keep going. It's so tough working full time for a studio, then coming home to work on things. I had a nice stride, 2 polished game prototypes and another moving along but can't seem to get over this stupid hump! lol
Tips or empathy welcome. 
Comments
I can seriously relate.
Seem to hit the wall of 'meh?' Pretty regularly. Though normally by focusing on a tiny aspect and working on one or two of those it eventually comes back . . I do graphics and animation as the day job so doing that for my own games after a certain point always seems to sap my motivation. That's why I'm normally tinkering with gamesalad rules and making game mechanics or trying out new behavoirs or ideas and so rarely finish a damned project.
. . having to force yourself to do a hobby/potential money earner isn't fun though.
Good luck
@StormyStudio - Wise words... I wish there was a turnkey solution, but I have yet to find one.
Yeah we've been doing this for 3 years now, and I can say there are times when I could care less about anything to do with game design whatsoever. And I think that's normal to be honest.
Last September I went through this exact same thing. Worked a full-time job, came home to my wife and five kids, put everyone down to bed, and IF I managed to get a full 2-3 hours each night I was absolutely amazed. Some nights I might only scavenge 1 hour if I was lucky. So a project that should only take a month working 8 hours a day on it gets dragged out to 3-4 months. That gets frustrating!!
So the burn-out just took it's toll except I didn't realize that was what was happening so I kept feeling "guilt" that I wasn't wanting to work on our projects. 1 day turned into 2. 2 days turned into a week. A week turned into a month. And FINALLY I realized I had a situation. So what I did was give myself permission to take some time off, so I could recharge my creative batteries "guilt-free". I took off for another month, and just enjoyed my family and if I had any ideas for games, I just wrote them down for later.
When I came back from my self-imposed vacation, I was ready to go, and rocking out ideas and work like never before. My partner ran into the same exact situation just last month so I told him exactly what I am telling you. Give yourself permission to take however much time you need to recharge yourself. Guilt free. You have totally 100% earned it and you deserve it.
Whether you need a day or a week or a month is up to you. But take it and enjoy it.
:-)
Yeah, the hobby turned into a desire to start a business, but I can't leave my full time job yet so that's wearing my mind down a little bit.
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I recently took a break from things, but it might have not been long enough. I wrote down some thoughts and ideas, and one idea was really compelling so I jumped back into it. Maybe it was a bit too early. But it's tough taking a break from a "Hobby" that you want to turn into a business. Every week I take off from my "Hobby" is another week away from my goal I guess.
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Yep I can completely relate. Except if you end up doing things like I did...1 week turned into two months. In my opinion, it's better to know the situation up front, be honest with yourself, and make adaptions as necessary. That way you only take off the time you need, instead of more time than you were really not willing to part with.
@JDuaneJ, you definitely have my empathy! I'm in a similar boat to most of the comments above, I work all day as a graphic designer and come home to my 'hobby' of development. There are times I love it and can't wait to get down to work and other times where I'm just not motivated at all. I guess it's the regular ebb and flow of life, but when you're in an un-motivated down turn it seems really crappy.
I again agree with the comments above, accept the un-motivated time, wait it out doing something else and it will no doubt turn around and you'll feel motivated again!
I also suggest not turning a pleasant hobby into a job. I'm tempted everyday to do the same with game development because I normally do enjoy it so much. But I have tried that with other hobbies in my life and every single time, once I start to preform a 'hobby' for pay (that I count on for my family) it quickly looses it's joy.
Good luck!
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I find that if I leave a project alone for a time, I gain interest again when a wave of new code ideas pop into my mind. I often think "Oh! I know how I could do that much easier now!" Or a solution for a complicated bit of code randomly pops into my head. That usually gets me back on the boat and sailing again.
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@JDuaneJ
I reckon we could probably all plot our waves of motivation and see some very similar patterns.
As for doing this as a full time job, if I think I've seriously considered quitting the day job about 5 times now. Not sure if I'm too chicken, too sensible, too well paid, too aware that my kids and wife depend on my income or just biding my time.
Last time back in January I even found out how the studio I work for would stand on me taking a six month sabbatical... essentially they'd wish me well but not guarantee work in the future. Which is what I expected, but still I did'nt jump.
So instead of quitting I had a new wave of motivation to achieve the game I want to make anyway. It'll probably take me 10 times as long to create, but there are some postives to be said for doing something slowly and clearly.
I'm currently doing some pretty dull sections for my game so I'm probably only managing an hour a night on it at the moment. When I'm really motivated I'll find 3 to 4 hrs a night after getting the kids to sleep... That lasts a few night before I start seriously needing some sleep again.
With all that said, I am really loving my project that I've been developing very slowly for many many months. Also enjoying trying to crack this whole endless multiplayer business.
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Yeah, lol, what usually motivates me is either new builds of GS, playing Mario Party, or an idea that just pops into my head. At my full time job, making games for kids, there are a lot of game ideas that never see the light of day. So I tend to wiggles those out in GS enough to get a prototype done, but then never have the steam to complete anything into a full game. lol
I'm in a weird spot right now. I have my full time job (obviously) making games, and a business that I wish to start making interactive stories, and my hobby with GS making games. I think the only thing that would push me to jump ship on my current full time gig is if I found that making this stuff is actually profitable enough. Currently it's not, but I still get the thought of "If I could only work on this full time, then it would be awesome!"
Meh, idk, there is SO much that I could do if I just had the opportunity to do so. Pages and pages of ideas collecting dust!
hahaha
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That would be amazing. I feel that the first month would consist of a bit of travel and laziness tho. But then hopefully hitting stride with a few products at the end.
I would like to take at least a year off of full time work to try and focus on proving my business plan with a couple MVPs. Then maybe I could either convince myself to stick with it, or that it's not worth my time (other than as a hobby).
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@JDuaneJ and to anyone else who has zero motivation:
Rise and shine.
10am and your hand can't make it to gamesalad before the voices in your head start telling you that it's too early, too dark, and too cold to get on with it.
Aching muscles lie still in rebellion, pretending not to hear your brain commanding them to move
A legion of voices are shouting their unanimous permission for you to hit the snooze button and go back to whatever you were doing, but you didn't ask their opinion.
The voice you've chosen to listen to is one of defiance.
A voice that's says there was a reason you started that game in the first place. So sit up, get your computer, and don't look back because we've got work to do.
For what is each day but a series of conflicts between the right way and the easy way, 10,000 streams fan out like a river delta before you, Each one promising the path of least resistance.
Thing is, you're headed upstream. And when you make that choice, when you decide to turn your back on what's comfortable and what's safe and what some would call "common sense", well that's day 1. From there it only gets tougher.
So just make sure this is something you want. Because the easy way out will always be there, ready to wash you away, all you have to do is pick up your computer.
But you aren't going to are you?
With each step comes the decision to take another
You're on your way now
But this is no time to dwell on how far you've come. You're in a fight against an opponent you can't see
Oh but you can feel him on your heels can't you?
Feel him breathing down your neck
You know what that is? That's you...Your fears, your doubts and insecurities all lined up like a firing squad ready to shoot you out of the sky
But don't lose heart
While they aren't easily defeated, they are far from invincible
Remember this is The Grind
The Battle Royale between you and your mind, your body and the devil on your shoulder who's telling you that this is just a game, this is just a waste of time, your opponents are stronger than you.
Drown out the voice of uncertainty with the sound of your own heartbeat
Burn away your self doubt with the fire that's beneath you
Remember what you're fighting for
And never forget that momentum is a cruel mistress, She can turn on a dime with the smallest mistake.
She is ever searching for that weak place in your armor
That one tiny thing you forgot to prepare for
So as long as the devil is hiding the details, the question remains,"is that all you got?", "are you sure?"
And when the answer is "yes". That you've done all you can to prepare yourself for battle THEN it's time to go forth and boldly face your enemy, the enemy within
Only now you must take that fight into the open, into hostile territory
You're a lion in a field of lions
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Poetic. I feel like a gazelle in a field of lions. And I wish I could start at 10am. lol I don't get the luxury of that. Mine is more like 730pm and my hand can't make it to Gamesalad.
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Yeah I have a self-imposed rule that I won't jump ship on my current job till I am making 2x my current "real job" salary, with my part time game creation money. Right now I am making the same amount with my Games as I am with my "real job". Inching closer...
Arrgghhh… seem to have hit the 'motivation zero' wall myself.
Keep opening up my project and just can't get going on any aspect of it.
Considering heavily simplifying or changing the game idea just to try and get it going again, but seems a shame after putting 'forever' into its planning already. Just deleted the prototype game sections of it to try and see if starting those bits a fresh might help.. .but no… nothing.
I blame the fact that we just started watching Game of Thrones and I'd be pretty happy siting watching that for the next fortnight.
Maybe I'll keep doing 1 hour game projects until it kicks back in… damn you mind… damn you.