Is the GDC Failure Workshop Helpful?

GDC is very helpful to anyone who wants to get involved in the gaming industry especially to those who really want to develop games. They are helpful to video gaming programmers, graphics professionals, investors and so on who interested in technology investing and so on.

One part of GDC is however very important to anyone considering a career in game development. The GDC Failure Workshop exposes any newbie or aspiring game developer to what it is like to be in the real, bad and even cruel side of game development.

Let’s be honest. Game development although it uses a lot of cutting edge or high technology computer software and hardware is still an art at its core. Video games are like movies, music, paintings in that the creator may pour out their heart creating it, only for the public to not give a damn about it.

The number of video games in the Android Gaming Store alone is nearing a million, and many more are uploaded each minute. Considerable resources like time and money are spent in making games these days. The video game industry has reached its maturity point these days.

When an industry is said to be mature, it means that the era of instant success for the least effort made by small companies has been replaced by a few big and well established companies who are monopolizing the profits of the industry.

Before you think that this setup is cruel, take note that this is the natural progression of any industry. Whether the industry is about food, manufacturing, software, transport or anything, eventually the industry will reach a stage where there are only a few winners and more losers.

I started watching the GDC Failure Workshop YouTube Videos when I was a newbie at game development. Although I have been an inactive game developer for some time already, I still return to these videos from time to time.

I don’t know the reason why I can relate very well to the speakers of these videos. Maybe because as a newbie game developer before, I experienced in a small way what they have experienced in a big way in terms of game development.

When I first began programming video games as an indie developer, what made me enthusiastic was the number of videos and articles online that shows that anyone can be a successful video game developer.

As many of these so-called experienced game developers and industry experts like to point out, you only need a computer, an internet connection, plenty of perseverance and determination to succeed; and you can make it as an indie game developer.

For several months, I learned game development and even managed to put a few games on Google’s Android PlayStore. The more I became experienced however, the more my disappointment with game development grew.

Finally, after several months of experience, I decided that I was not meant to be a game developer. It was not because I lacked the skills or the resources to be a game developer, rather, I found out that the gaming industry is easy to enter into, hard to maintain, and success is very elusive.

Easy To Enter To:

This must be the biggest factor why so many game developers especially young people are attracted to it. The saying that all you need is a computer and an internet connection and you could be a game developer is true.

The hundred of thousands of video games made by one man game development companies is a definite proof. As said before, the number of video game apps in Google PlayStore alone is almost reaching a million.

Because of the easiness of entering the mobile game industry, many young people who would otherwise taken a harder to get into but more lucrative careers have chosen this path which arguably pays very little.

In fact, there are many articles and videos online which informs game developers that there are actually a lot of game developers who make little to no money being game developers. Consider this when you seem to be being blinded by the allure of a so-called profitable career in game development.

Hard To Maintain:

Gaming platforms such as Google PlayStore, the Apple Store, Steam, Xbox ecosystem, Playstation ecosystem are owned by big companies who frequently update their technology and rules.

This could be a major frustration for game developers and game development companies who must regularly update their products and technology so they can continue to be available to these gaming platforms.

Google PlayStore alone makes frequent updates to their rules and technology that if you are a one man development team or even have a team, you may have to spend a lot of time and money periodically making updates.

Success Can Be Very Elusive:

This is when watching GDC Failure Workshops begin to make sense. Almost all the videos in the GDC Failure Workshops and other GDC videos show that making money in video games can be like gambling.

This is because game developers are really playing a hit or miss game when it comes to producing a game. A major game development studio may spend millions and spend years developing a video game, but gamers may not even buy a single copy of their game.

Also, as time goes by, more and more games are produced. This resulted in greater and greater competition for the attention and money of gamers. This can only mean that there is less money between game developers to go around.

Before proceeding to describe a few good GDC videos that describe the realities of a game development career, I would like to say that these videos are also good to be watched by anyone struggling for their art whether it is painting, writing, cinema or so on.

This is because as previously stated, game development is an artistic pursuit. The product the artist is creating is a product which has no practical value, yet it is a product that has the ability to give happiness to a person even for a short time only.

This is why unlike other careers, artists, in this case game developers are so serious about what they are doing. To them, whatever it is that they are doing is more than a nine to five job, it is a way of living itself.

One of the most harrowing GDC Failure Workshop video shows a man who actually told the audience how he emotionally feels. He was so depressed with game development that he no longer plays video games himself.

This is how emotionally draining an unsuccessful game development career can be. This is especially true since he has been trying to be a successful game developer for years. However, he has become so depressed that he’s seriously contemplating giving up his game developer career.

This GDC video tells the story of a group of software developers who decided to open their own game development studio, SomaSim Games. Unlike many game developers, they made sure that they have enough money to stay in operation for a year without any income.

This is one of the major rules of game development. You need to have stored money because profiting from game development can take a long time. A very long time. Game development is expensive especially today when gamers have been so pampered with high quality video games.

If you are thinking that you could still do cheaply made games then I advise you to consider. There are so many video games out there that are expensively made that trying to compete with cheaply made video games is sure not to be profitable for you.

Ambitious Plans And The Budget

One good thing about this video is that these group of game developers were good at making decisions in terms of the budgeting. In fact they pointed out in their video that they could have not survived if they didn’t adhere to a strict budget.

One of the first things they did was to cut down the size of their game. They knew that if they followed their heart, they would lose all their money and would be way over their deadline if they didn’t cut the size of their game.

This video would be a reality check for small studios who want to make ambitious games, even totally new game concepts. The reality for game development is that you need to operate more like a business to even have the chance of being a successful game development company.

I really like this video. The presenter is like a wise old man sharing his knowledge to the new generation of young people feeling their way through life. The old man is in his own words a survivor. He really likes making games and he is lucky he has managed to make a living out of it.

One thing he proves is that you don’t have to a lot of money to produce video games. One thing he happily admits is that he uses as much free stuff like images and software whenever he can. He says that spending a lot on graphics is not an assurance that gamers would like your game or even notice the effort you made.

Another thing he reinforces is that game development is like a gambling game which I previously stated. He tells that some of his video games are so successful for him that it has managed to support him for years while the other games were a complete dud.

This is easily my favorite GDC video. The presenter is very funny as he cracked jokes while presenting his game development career. He is another survivor in the game development industry.

He did not make a lot of money being a game developer throughout his career, but he gets by and has the lifestyle freedom that everyone desires. Looking at him alone, you could easily see that he is his own man and does not answer to a corporation.

He speaks of his life. The hardships, the minor successes he has, how his family life is essential to his game development career. But the most important thing to note here is that he is speaking about life itself.

You may replace his game development career with any career and still get a similar story. His life is about a regular person pursuing what he wants to do in life. Sometimes his life takes a detour, but he eventually returns to his chosen career/path. He is very enlightening.

The GDC Failure Workshop and similar videos have taught me that just like all artistic pursuits, developing a successful game developer career can be very hard. It is not for everyone who are easily discouraged.

But even if you are not easily discouraged, this is still no guarantee that you would survive a game development career. Video game development is like a gamble. You don’t know if gamers would buy your video game even though you have put a lot of effort and money on it.

Making Money with Video Games.