Laralyn stroke again with a great post. I’m going to focus on point #8:
Make the shift from “I make games I’m interested in” to “I’m interested in making games.” Love your craft. It makes you more flexible, more open to unusual games and opportunities.
That’s great wisdom. But that’s also not really how the industry hires these days. The industry does not just want you to make games you’re interested in, the industry kind of demands you to be an expert in those games. it is not rare to be asked which part of universe X you prefer or what’s your favorite moment in campaign Y when applying for a position.
The reality is it’s impossible to play tons of games, extensively. While having a job. While keeping up with technology. While having a life. While getting better at your craft. It’s just a number game.
This is a selection of very different games on Steam. As you can see, simulators are doing extremely well. You would think game developers are interested in developing other simulators, that we are all talking about this trend, right? Nope, not at all. Simulators –and to some extent, Firewatch is one too- are kind of laughed at as… Weak games? Strong games being the ones that are goal-based, with a hardcore mode I guess? I’m not even sure.
But what I see is that an order of magnitude more people are playing Democracy 3 than Thumper, something that probably a lot of developers don’t think is happening.
Personally in my sound design domain, Call of Duty is the top of the top: the craft and care taken in building audio and sound in that franchise are quite unparalleled. It’s maxed out in a way. On the other hand, so many games in genres that are not trendy would benefit a much stronger and consistent sound design. I love making sounds for any game, that’s the craft!
Anyway, making the switch from “I make games I’m interested in” to “I’m interested in making games” is I think, crucial. Not just for you, but for all of us to get better and foster ideas and innovation.