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Full Time Job while Making Game!

A topic by LeonIveyGames created 79 days ago Views: 182 Replies: 9
Viewing posts 1 to 5

Hi all, 

If you have a full time job and working on a game I would like to know your experience and the challenges you have encountered!? I have been working on my game High School Hills (my first game) since the lockdown and try to work on my game when I can, you can play my latest demo below.

I have released a major update  which makes the game more playable and fun but I still have a lot to do, I have a small team I reach out to when I need help for deadlines e.g. my EGX deadline but how do you guys work day to day or avoid burnout?

https://leoniveygames.itch.io/high-school-hills-dreams-nightmares

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First of all, let me tell you how impressed I am with your eye-catching artwork and art style.  I want to congratulate you on a work well done and presented. 

I'm a full-time employee (7 AM - 4:30 PM 🥲).  I'm thankful to my job for paying my bills and rent.  But my passion that I discovered during the lockdown was game development.  I managed to release my first short game in 2021; you can check it out CABOUS.  I started working on another project but got busy with work projects that I would get home exhausted and just want to sleep.  

  • Time management is my first challenge as a full-time employee and part-time game developer.  
  • Maintaining your relationships with people during the development period is another challenge.
  • Maintaining your health by sparing time to work/exercise and eating healthily is also a major issue.  

I believe if you're determined to do something, you will eventually do it anyway. However, still, you don't have to overkill yourself because it will eventually get you backlash by feeling down for not producing the final project.  At least, that's what I felt.  

That's all on my mind for now.  

Wishing you all the best with your game.  

Thank you for sharing your story and for your kind words! It’s amazing that we found the same passion during the lockdown. By the way, your game looks incredible—keep up the great work!

I completely agree with your point about not overworking yourself. As long as you still find joy in the process and avoid burning out, it truly is a wonderful experience.

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I work full time and work on my horror card game Desecrated Deck whenever I'm not exhausted and motivated.

One of the biggest problems is that the real world pulls me out of the spell of the digital world and I have to find a way back into working on my game at the weekend.

Should I rather spend time with my family, do sports or go into town and stroll around, or do I continue working on the game now?

Somehow it all seems to me to depend on the form of the day...

Wow your game looks really cool! How long have you been working on it?

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Thank you!
For about an half year now.

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amazing…keep up the good work, fellow dev’er!

Thank you! :)

👋 Hi,

This is such a great topic to bring up—it really makes me feel less alone in this journey.

I’m developing my first game almost entirely on my own (90%), while also working as a freelancer. It’s a constant balancing act, with some weeks feeling like I’m working at my main job at 200% of the week, followed by slower weeks at 30%, and then back to 200% again...

I split my time between my game and another project. 
I usually dedicate two evenings per week (including Sunday) and Saturday mornings to work on my game.

I try to stay focused on each small step that moves the project forward and remind myself of the progress I’ve already made along the way.

Here is level 1 Demo of my game : https://agapanthestudio.itch.io/openhatch

it’s really inspiring to see how you’re balancing everything and staying focused despite the challenges. Your dedication and approach to progress, one small step at a time, really resonate with me.  Your game looks really cool, keep up the good work!