STRAK'S PROFILE

Let me just clarify something here, since apparently my stance was a little unclear. I am not in any way defending Unity. I think what they're doing is reprehensible and will only harm the community, and I sincerely hope they reconsider this decision. I am merely pointing out that it is ultimately their software, and when you choose to use someone else's software, you inevitably limit what control you have over what can be done with that software. The only way to have COMPLETE control is to create your own software or engine. By creating your own engine, you sacrifice time, but by using someone else's, you sacrifice control. That's all I'm saying in regards to Unity's decision.

But the main point was actually not even about the decision they made or whether or not I think it's good or bad. My point was, let's not go spreading misinformation about this. Let's get the facts. From everything I can see, nobody is going to be spending millions of dollars and going bankrupt over a game that was released years ago. Will it hurt developers? Absolutely. Should this be allowed to continue? Absolutely not. I agree with everything you guys are saying. But contributing to the spread of propaganda and misinformation is generally not a healthy or mature approach to any situation. Speak out about it, yes, but do the research first. Is that fair?

Oh, make no mistake, it does sting for big time developers that have used the service up to this point and already pay for a pro subscription, but let's face it: the makers of Unity are business owners. They can do whatever they want with their service. If you don't like it, don't use them. Use someone else, or god forbid you learn how to make your own engine. They're under no obligation to offer anything at all, and they have every legal right to charge whatever they deem fair for their product. But my point in saying that it's generous is that the only developers actually affected by this are ones who have used their service to generate considerable profit. They're not charging some small time dev to use Unity. They easily could, but they aren't. And also, they're only charging people who's games make over $200k in revenue within 12 months. That stipulation could easily be in lifetime sales. I don't know about you, I think that's pretty lenient.

I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences! I feel like I'll have to participate in an event one of these days, but I might not jump right into a massive one. Maybe just one of the week long events or something. Sounds like it could be a fun and educational experience.

So I've seen several events and game jams come and go, and have yet to participate in one through to completion. The most I've done is start a project and never actually follow through and finish anything. My mindset around them previously has been "well I'm already working on a big project, this would just be a distraction," or "yeah but I prefer quality over quantity, so I'd end up missing the deadline anyway." And yet, most developers I know will say you should absolutely participate in these types of events, as it really stretches your abilities as a developer, helps you feel like a part of the community, and gives you experience working with deadlines.

So, my question to the community is, what's been your personal experience doing events and game jams? I'm looking more for perspective from people who've actually followed through on them, but anyone is welcome to chime in. What did you learn from them? Would you recommend them to someone who's never done them, and if so, why? Did you find that they distracted you from your larger projects, and if so, was that a bad thing? What are maybe some things to consider going into one that most people don't think about?

You were the gam mak all along.