I’ve made a few games over the years — joined some game hackathons, shipped small projects — but looking back, I only really enjoyed making one 3D game a few years ago.
Every other time, I found the process stressful. Debugging physics, balancing gameplay, polishing UI — it always drained me more than it inspired me.
I used to think that meant I was failing as a developer. But now I think it just means I like different kinds of creation.
I love building systems, tools, and interactive experiences — things people can use, not necessarily play.
Maybe that’s the key: not everyone who loves interactivity has to be a “game dev.”
If you’ve felt something similar - enjoying one part of a field but hating the rest - that’s totally fine. You can pivot, evolve, and still be creative.
TL;DR: It’s okay to stop doing what drains you, even if it’s something you once thought you’d love.
Top comments (6)
_ my friend is a game dev_ These parts are developed by a team and different person handles different things at different times. As an indie dev, you are working on all of them together with a lose vision on what you want. That's going to be stressful and the driving force has to be strong to go through this.
But all in all, you tried something and now you know that it's not your jam and that's good. There are many people in life who just don't try, and go to an extent of lying to themselves that it's just hard and find mental battles. I'm glad that you took the step and tried things for yourself.
There's not many aspects of life that are exclusively enjoyable. Though, interesting that you use the word "stressed", you should reflect on why this sort of thing is stressful, what is applying the pressure?
Sometimes you need to feel the bad bits to know what's good, and in particular, endure them to get paid! The kind of things you're talking about are the things that someone else may find more interesting, and that's a collaboration opportunity. Equally, finding ways to make them less of a stress or problem for you is another innovative opportunity.
But yes, this happens at all levels of a career, at any time, for a variety of circumstances. People like to have a change of scene, go off and do wild things in unusual places.
Hey, Everything is progress in my opinion! Now that You have come to this conclusion, what are you thinking for the future?
i like making software like saas products, so i'm just going to stick to that
Have you found anything else you really enjoy developing?
yea! i really like developing saas products