I think the motivation needs to come from creation, not attention. Make the games you want to play, so you at least have an audience of one to get you through the lean times.
The more games you make, the better they'll be, and the more likely someone will be to stumble upon them. You can speed up the process by entering game jams, or collaborating with other creators.
It's not inevitable that you'll get famous or be able to live off of your game designs. But it IS inevitable that you'll learn a lot that will be widely applicable in the process. (Game design is like a free liberal arts degree. It makes you more capable at lots of things, if not more qualified)