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(+2)

This is the advice I'd have given myself a couple of years ago.

1. START SMALL (and make it even smaller)

Boil a game to it's core essence, find one mechanic and make it fun. E.g. a timing based game, the player has to press spacebar within a certain time window, repeating until they fail. Build this up into a jump rope game, add a crowd that cheer, add win/fail states etc. Make it a fun exploratitive process for yourself as well as your players!

2. Don't force it

If you feel creatively constipated take some emotional laxatives by going for a walk, cooking or some other physical activity. DON'T PUSH THROUGH IT.

3. Lean into you

I made a clicker game about surviving in lockdown, decided I had a better topic and revamped it to be about climate change, the point is tailor your games to include topics you give at least a slight shit about.

4. Embrace abandonment

If you're working on yet another overly ambitious solo project don't be afraid to cut content or jump ship. You are always going to have new ideas you don't need to feel any shame for skipping between projects. Sorta like relationships, all you can do is learn from them and refer to step 1 for better boundaries.

5. Prioritise motivation

Personally I find it hard to motivate if I don't get reasonable art assets/textures in there early on. My point is, if it gives you clearer motivation and helps you better visualise your game world then just do it.