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MAKING GAMES? WHAT MOTIVATES YOU?
Posts
JustRob
30
JustRob
View playlists
CloseI don't really have a deeper reason for making an RPG Maker game anymore.
I've been using RPG Maker since the early days of GamingW, no idea how I first found out about it, but when I was in it I couldn't let go of it. It was so easy and it felt so awesome to make your own games. This was also a time when indie games did not exist and nobody except the hardcore nerds knew how to actually program a game. Even the internet was still just beginning.
Anyway, in all of those years of using RPG Maker I've tried many different things. I tried making joke games, tried making serious games, tried making Dragon Ball Z fangames, tried making Chrono Trigger / Cross fangames. All of which ended up nowhere because I either lost interest or the idea was too ambitious. These projects varied from RPG Maker 2000 to RPG Maker XP.
And now we're in 2019, and it's a different world. I feel like the RPG Maker community has changed super quickly and super slowly at the same time. Suddenly, we no longer download RPG Maker off some obscure website, we can buy it legally on Steam. We all finally seem to realize that using ripped Final Fantasy graphics is not okay, and where we would scour websites for free resources in the past, now resources come in paid DLC packs.
I think the situation ended up for the better. RPG Maker 2003 is actually legal now and it actually gets amazing support. I've tried out RPG Maker MV, and I think it's great. But really, I just love RPG Maker 2003 the most. These days screwing around in RPG Maker 2003 is more like a hobby, something I enjoy, and not so much about making the next Final Fantasy.
So why do I make games now? Honestly, despite having used RPG Maker for such a long time, I've never released a single game. I'm actually a little embarassed by that, and I just want to release one. If possible, on Steam, for free or like a dollar. It doesn't have to be amazing story wise, I just want it to be fun to play. And while making it, I want to push RPG Maker 2003 as far as it can go to see what I can do with it. I'm not planning out anything or writing a big script beforehand, I just make it up as I go. If I think of something cool or funny, I'll find a way to work it in. And I'm restricting myself to RTP use only, both because I'm not a great spriter and to keep the scope of the project small.
Sorry for the wall of text lol
I've been using RPG Maker since the early days of GamingW, no idea how I first found out about it, but when I was in it I couldn't let go of it. It was so easy and it felt so awesome to make your own games. This was also a time when indie games did not exist and nobody except the hardcore nerds knew how to actually program a game. Even the internet was still just beginning.
Anyway, in all of those years of using RPG Maker I've tried many different things. I tried making joke games, tried making serious games, tried making Dragon Ball Z fangames, tried making Chrono Trigger / Cross fangames. All of which ended up nowhere because I either lost interest or the idea was too ambitious. These projects varied from RPG Maker 2000 to RPG Maker XP.
And now we're in 2019, and it's a different world. I feel like the RPG Maker community has changed super quickly and super slowly at the same time. Suddenly, we no longer download RPG Maker off some obscure website, we can buy it legally on Steam. We all finally seem to realize that using ripped Final Fantasy graphics is not okay, and where we would scour websites for free resources in the past, now resources come in paid DLC packs.
I think the situation ended up for the better. RPG Maker 2003 is actually legal now and it actually gets amazing support. I've tried out RPG Maker MV, and I think it's great. But really, I just love RPG Maker 2003 the most. These days screwing around in RPG Maker 2003 is more like a hobby, something I enjoy, and not so much about making the next Final Fantasy.
So why do I make games now? Honestly, despite having used RPG Maker for such a long time, I've never released a single game. I'm actually a little embarassed by that, and I just want to release one. If possible, on Steam, for free or like a dollar. It doesn't have to be amazing story wise, I just want it to be fun to play. And while making it, I want to push RPG Maker 2003 as far as it can go to see what I can do with it. I'm not planning out anything or writing a big script beforehand, I just make it up as I go. If I think of something cool or funny, I'll find a way to work it in. And I'm restricting myself to RTP use only, both because I'm not a great spriter and to keep the scope of the project small.
Sorry for the wall of text lol
I make games because it's a creative outlet for communicating things that I can't cover with words. I've tried a ton of mediums - comics, songwriting, writing - and game development was the one that stuck, because I enjoy the day-to-day process the most (even if it's hellish sometimes). The puzzle of making a game both enjoyable and expressive is just really, really satisfying.
I can say that any initial burst of motivation that comes with a new idea is usually not enough to carry me much further than a game jam - it takes a lot of discipline and willingness to grind through the work of making even a small game. I enjoy it, but it is definitely work. I don't have the discipline to power through the grind when it comes to comicking or music practice, but I do for game development (usually).
I make games because it's fun and I'd probably sink into depression if I didn't have a way to experiment and express myself like I can with games.
I don't mind the attention, either. It's really nice knowing someone played your game and had fun, or it meant something to them :)
I can say that any initial burst of motivation that comes with a new idea is usually not enough to carry me much further than a game jam - it takes a lot of discipline and willingness to grind through the work of making even a small game. I enjoy it, but it is definitely work. I don't have the discipline to power through the grind when it comes to comicking or music practice, but I do for game development (usually).
I make games because it's fun and I'd probably sink into depression if I didn't have a way to experiment and express myself like I can with games.
I don't mind the attention, either. It's really nice knowing someone played your game and had fun, or it meant something to them :)
nemojbatkastle
131
There's always something more to do. When I hit a roadblock, I ragequit, sometimes for years at a time. Then, inevitably, I find a workaround and get sucked back in. Rinse and repeat.
bicfarmer
3601
Im motivated by the possibility of throwing my 2 cents into the ocean of games that use an engine with a horrible reputation but can be used by any random person. So many rpg maker games have inspired me and I (probably) have the expertise to make the kind of games like those but really lacking the motivation to finish all this work. So basically, Im not motivated enough.
AlexNoah
0
I know that many had said that attention is something that drives many to continue with their game, but that is not a good reason to continue your game, trust me...
I follow the way of doing games for myself, simple as that, then i share it, and if its well received, then amazing! But depending on people to continue your game will bring you down, because not everyone will praise your game...
I follow the way of doing games for myself, simple as that, then i share it, and if its well received, then amazing! But depending on people to continue your game will bring you down, because not everyone will praise your game...
AlexNoah
I think you've probably been getting some leeway because you've been pretty much posting on your own threads, but double posting is against the site rules. If your post is the most recent one on a thread, you're asked to edit it. This rule is only really ignored in welp and on developers' game pages.
I think you've probably been getting some leeway because you've been pretty much posting on your own threads, but double posting is against the site rules. If your post is the most recent one on a thread, you're asked to edit it. This rule is only really ignored in welp and on developers' game pages.
AlexNoah
0
author=pianotm
AlexNoah
I think you've probably been getting some leeway because you've been pretty much posting on your own threads, but double posting is against the site rules. If your post is the most recent one on a thread, you're asked to edit it. This rule is only really ignored in welp and on developers' game pages.
Noted, thanks.
Irog
4858
I like to make games that I can tweak, and freely fix annoying issues. And above all, I want games that runs on my favorite platform: Linux !
I absorb ways to present my story and characters, how other authors do it, and it's fascinating to see how my efforts compare. spamSPAM
Milennin
2060
I've always liked making my own games. Before videogames, I'd make my own board games, or take existing games and make my own custom rule sets for them. It also combines other aspects I enjoy doing, like writing characters, stories, doing my own artwork etc into one project. I spend most of my free time alone, so having a time-sink that isn't just absorbing mindless entertainment works for me.
When I'm working on my games, a lot of the fun and excitement for me comes from imagining how other players may experience it. It's why I like to put randomised elements, hidden secrets, or non-obvious triggers to get different results in like dialogues or cutscenes. That way people get different experiences, decided in some cases by an RNG roll, and other times by their own actions, but have these varying outcomes feel like they happened seamlessly, as if their playthrough is the natural way for the game to flow. I like masking decisions that may not seem important as choices that can alter a part of the story can play out (though never in a way that punishes picking 1 choice over the other).
I like to imagine people who played the game and sharing their experiences be like "wow, that happened in your playthrough, I had something totally different there." Of course, that would never happen because my games won't be played by like more than a couple of hundred people at best, but it's what works for me. I don't need my games to become popular to be motivated to continue working on them.
A lot of my motivation also comes from making the games I want to play myself. Having my own characters, and having the game mechanics I enjoy that I don't really get anywhere else. I like putting in randomised elements, or multiple ways to get to a destination for replay value, so I can play through my games and not have the exact same experience every time. The best is when I haven't looked at a game I made in a long time, replay it and come across parts I don't even remember making/writing anymore. I like being surprised by own games, lol.
When I'm working on my games, a lot of the fun and excitement for me comes from imagining how other players may experience it. It's why I like to put randomised elements, hidden secrets, or non-obvious triggers to get different results in like dialogues or cutscenes. That way people get different experiences, decided in some cases by an RNG roll, and other times by their own actions, but have these varying outcomes feel like they happened seamlessly, as if their playthrough is the natural way for the game to flow. I like masking decisions that may not seem important as choices that can alter a part of the story can play out (though never in a way that punishes picking 1 choice over the other).
I like to imagine people who played the game and sharing their experiences be like "wow, that happened in your playthrough, I had something totally different there." Of course, that would never happen because my games won't be played by like more than a couple of hundred people at best, but it's what works for me. I don't need my games to become popular to be motivated to continue working on them.
A lot of my motivation also comes from making the games I want to play myself. Having my own characters, and having the game mechanics I enjoy that I don't really get anywhere else. I like putting in randomised elements, or multiple ways to get to a destination for replay value, so I can play through my games and not have the exact same experience every time. The best is when I haven't looked at a game I made in a long time, replay it and come across parts I don't even remember making/writing anymore. I like being surprised by own games, lol.
Ultimately, ambition for me. I am the only one who can create what I want to see in the world. I am the only one who can provide my personal tributes to all sorts of games and other media I adore. My hope is that other people can enjoy what I create too, and some do. But even if it's more of a personal and "selfish" goal, self-serving altruism is still altruism, and brightening up someone's day with an art piece of mine that they like (and I consider games art in their own right)? Definitely altruistic to me.
Otherwise, my animal-gals will become stir crazy in my head from not letting them out. So the other part of it is being "haunted" by my own ideas, and not feeling great unless I have some way to actualize them. ^^;
Also holy crap, I'm so glad I'm not the only one! In my preteens, I'd made walkthroughs for games that don't exist. I even did an extensive homebrew Final Fantasy game before I ever played D&D for the first time. <3
Otherwise, my animal-gals will become stir crazy in my head from not letting them out. So the other part of it is being "haunted" by my own ideas, and not feeling great unless I have some way to actualize them. ^^;
author=Milennin
I've always liked making my own games. Before videogames, I'd make my own board games, or take existing games and make my own custom rule sets for them. It also combines other aspects I enjoy doing, like writing characters, stories, doing my own artwork etc into one project. I spend most of my free time alone, so having a time-sink that isn't just absorbing mindless entertainment works for me.
Also holy crap, I'm so glad I'm not the only one! In my preteens, I'd made walkthroughs for games that don't exist. I even did an extensive homebrew Final Fantasy game before I ever played D&D for the first time. <3
Copious amounts of PP points just splurt out from finished projects in abundance. With a flavor so potent in it's psychological impact rivaling only the purest form of godly ambrosia, you can get addicted if you're not careful, and this is what motivates me. The strenght of the worst kind of heroin withdrawal, the only way to simmer it down is to finish what was started.
...But I don't even like making games that much. I find more fun in making resources and stuff like that.
...But I don't even like making games that much. I find more fun in making resources and stuff like that.
