10 Things I Learned Working In The Gaming Industry
1. Love For Game Dev Doesn't Wane After Sixteen Years
Well, of course I'm going to end with a sappy one, I'm a wee soft sod and I love you all. Except you, Brian. I know what you did.
I may as well include "videogame development is hard" in every one of my entries, because it's applicable everywhere. And it is. But as Dark Souls fans can attest to, sometimes smashing your face into a sandstone block over and over because using a hammer "is a sign of weakness" makes you feel really great inside. It's the challenge that brings out the greatest sense of satisfaction.
And that feeling doesn't go away. It surges and recedes as all feelings do, but it never ever goes away. There's something unbelievably addictive about releasing a game after years and years of toil, having people play it for the first time, and seeing their faces fill with smiles. It's one of my favourite feelings in the world. In fact, when I was younger and I played Sonic the Hedgehog, I remember turning to my dad and saying "if I can make a person feel this good playing my game [someday], I'll be happy" (because even as a kid I was a wee sap).
And what a prophetic little monster - I was, and am, very happy. The journey is always a difficult one, but if I can make a single person smile playing a game I worked on, it makes it all worth it.
Here's to sixteen more years making smiles.