PEOPLE THAT CONTINUE TO WORK ON PROJECTS THAT PROBABLY ARE A LOST CAUSE.

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I came to notice recently that my game has been in the works for around 8 years now, yet not very close to completion. Yet from time to time I'll sit down an hash some stuff out. Like graphical upgrades, some new game play and maybe more story. Though I'm almost sure the game will never get finished. Despite that, I still enjoy tinkering with it even though it's most likely self satisfaction. Some can even say it serves no purpose to continue creation to just tinker with things, insinuating it's a waste of time. Maybe it is, but it's still enjoyable.

So I guess the question is, why do I and people like me do this, is it really such a waste of time? Maybe you all can share some stories similar in nature to this.
RPG Maker sells because making games is fun. Using RPG Maker or any of its ilk is itself a game.

Only people with commercial pretensions should focus on finishing games in the shortest span of time possible, because that's what companies need to do in order to survive.

I should probably add that I've also been working on a game for 8 years. It's funny, continually adding things... it's almost as if we don't want it to be finished.
Sooz
They told me I was mad when I said I was going to create a spidertable. Who’s laughing now!!!
5354
Honestly, if it makes you happy, then it's not a waste of time at all. :)

The only case where it's a waste of time is if someone's working for some other reason- prestige, money, etc.- and the project is clearly not going to be successful in that area. Then it's throwing good money (or time or energy) after bad.

If it's just for one's own satisfaction, then there's no more waste than, say, playing sports every once in a while despite never planning to be an athlete.
unity
You're magical to me.
12540
I've got to agree that I feel that it's not a waste of time. Even if you don't finish the game, if you enjoy it, get something out of it, and/or learn from it, it's all worth it.

And who knows? Even if it takes 8 or 10 or more years, maybe it'll be finished one day after all? :DDDDDD It doesn't matter how long a game takes to make; that doesn't diminish the awesomeness of completing a game.
I read this as "People who continue to work on projects are a lost cause" and had to have my say but then... welp!
author=Sated
If it's fun then it isn't a waste of time.


author=Sooz
Honestly, if it makes you happy, then it's not a waste of time at all. :)


Yep, because this is meant to be a hobby.
It's so nice to see other people that agree with me. Though there are others that see it as a waste of time, I don't. It's true what you guys say, a game complete or not is just plain fun to do.

EDIT: I may have worded it wrong, but yea. I agree that as long as you have fun that's all that matters.
Max McGee
with sorrow down past the fence
9159
I think it's kind of sad but then again a product is only truly a lost cause if you don't work on it. But if you get satisfaction from it then frankly it's not even sad.

For instance: I have not worked on Backstage 2 in the last three years, but that is probably more and not less sad than if I had worked on it in the last three years and it still was not done. By some narrow margin. (The terrible irony is that Backstage 2 has been like 60% done since 2007-2008 and that I got it up to around 70% done in 2010-2012 and I just haven't been able to clamp down and finish the last 30% or even make one iota of progress on it since I moved into my new place.)

This topic is making me feel depressed so I'll just go with the generic sentiment that if you enjoy it, it's not a waste of time. (Which applies to most things, but not mobile gaming or masturbation. Those fall into "it's a waste of time but it's not hurting anybody".)
maybe you are missing out on a lot of life experiences, spending all that time on a game. it's like a misery generator.

cmon what about saturn. if you had enough levers and gears you could move saturn.
making a game. a game! OF ALL THINGS! you live in a universe of innumerable things!

most these things are irrelevant, some are, highly relevant.
you must think first of 'healthy priorities'
if my username is ever inducted into an RMN meme dictionary, i want this thread's title to represent me
author=fearful
maybe you are missing out on a lot of life experiences, spending all that time on a game. it's like a misery generator.


Well I mean I don't think they've been doing nothing but work on the game for 8 years. I've taken months-long periods away from my projects.

And if so then, well, you've got one heck of a game coming.
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
If your game DIDN'T take eight years to finish, you probably didn't spend enough time on it!
Lato
Infantry for life!
1209
Well if you are enjoying yourself and having fun.....it's not a waste at all. 8 years though....
I've spent nearly 9 years on my game, come sometime this month (I'd have to dig up the thread from the old Doujinstyle forum since that's where it was originally I believe). I've been constantly told by my folks and IRL friends that it's pointless to even work on the game because why work on it if I can't sell it? I still work on it though because I don't want to see it go to waste, and I want to see the story through to the end. Even if it takes a ridiculous amount of time. This is MY story, and I'll see to it that it ends the way I want it to!

...Granted, I kinda wish I had made a more original story/game but, what can ya do? You come up with an idea, and then get caught up with it and next thing you know, almost 10 years have gone by and you wonder how you got there. ^^;
I begin work on projects under the assumption that they are a lost cause.
unity
You're magical to me.
12540
Are you back from vacation? :D
author=unity
Are you back from vacation? :D

I was considering taking a permanent vacation from RMN, since the site got along just fine without me, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to once again tell you guys how much I am not doing on my projects.
unity
You're magical to me.
12540
Hahaha. Welcome back! You were missed!
If you enjoy your time tinkering and have fun doing so, then it really isn't a "waste" of time IMO. We all need to have fun every once in a while WE SHOULD ALL HAVE FUN ALL OF THE TIME!

The secret to finishing tough projects is to just say "fuck it", and then do it. If you can't do that, then you just have to try harder and work on your discipline.

I think we're all tinkerers in the beginning phase of gam mak. Heck, even I am tinkering with my current game, which happens to be my soon-to-be third and finished game. It's only natural after all.
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