How To Fail At Game Ideas

[@Ric_93]

Oh yes, exactly what I need to watch at 3:41 AM!

[@Joyblaster]

What is coincidence. I am watching it at 3.40 am!

[@jan_harald]

@@Joyblasterand I, at 1:34 Am!

[@redlemonsydney]

5:23 am for me !

[@xetsuma]

4:03 am lol

[@ErraticSignal]

1:08 AM for me

[@Dorbellprod]

This is a great video for a few reasons: - The art is great - It's got helpful tips hidden in it - You remind me of how huge of a game dev noob I still am and continue to be - the message.

[@Artindi]

Thanks, and I feel like most of us are game dev noobs, I just pretend that I know stuff. ;)

[@pugo7925]

finally a tutorial I can tell I don't need to watch because I'm so good at this topic

[@Artindi]

ha ha. :)

[@alihemo132]

the saddest thing i have ever read in youtube

[@pugo7925]

​@@alihemo132oh well, you may want to know that your command made me reflect back on this topic, and I can say I'm at a much better place now as a developer. Hope it cheat you up :)

[@alihemo132]

@@pugo7925 thank you for replying back seeing people that were once like me struggling with game dev becoming better at it makes me happy and gives me hope that as long as iam trying one day i will manage 😊 also my English isn't my main language but i hope you got what i mean

[@slaps9402]

Y'know starting with a really big ambitious game idea is kinda good as a beginner dev because then you discover the many MANY things you don't know and then perhaps then scale your ambition around your current skill set as you learn.

[@Artindi]

That's how I did it. lol

[@slaps9402]

@@Artindi me too !!

[@seetr412]

That’s my current plan lmao

[@herpderp3916]

That's kind of what I've fallen into. It's definitely intimidating to learn how little I really know, but in some ways the challenge and discovery of how to potentially do things is exciting.

[@VoltitanDev]

Me too that's why I divided my dream game into separate visual novels with the third one I'm currently developing having the gameplay features I wanted for my actual dream game and even surpassed it with the experience I've developed.

[@MrThirtyH]

Honestly, so many of my ideas were stolen by other people WITHOUT me ever talking about them just has me convinced that ideas are universal, and it's a race to be the one to implement them first.

[@Artindi]

I've had that happen, A long time ago I thought of a really cool fictional device that one could wear on their hips with a harness, and it would shoot out cables with hooks or magnets on the end, allowing the user to quickly maneuver around through buildings or canyons. And then I watched Attack on Titan, and well, now everyone just gonna think I copied it if I ever put that in a story or game. lol

[@EnderBird]

I believe that the best way to go around this is by executing the same idea in a very different manner. (Disclaimer: I have yet to publish a game.)

[@LukasJampen]

Not necessarily universal but we are less unique than we like to think and with 8 billion people on the planet the chance that nobody ever had or will have the same idea as we is just really really unlikely. The longer you wait with implementing your (hopefully) good idea the more likely it is somebody will come out with something similar.

[@Josuh]

But also do it well, you can still execute that idea miserably

[@CrammyCram]

@@ArtindiI love attack on titan

[@JohnIvess]

I really love these sarcastic videos that actually have some valuable and wise messages. It doesn't feel offensive because it's hyperbolized, and it's also a reason why it's so fun! You've made a great job. I really love that somebody started to do such animations :)

[@Artindi]

Thanks mate, hopefully it will be entertaining and helpful at the same time. :D

[@vizthex]

same. "sarcastic helpfulness" is one of my favourite genres of thing, but it's kinda hard to find.

[@candycaneannihalator2708]

id reccomend terrible writing advice, same vibe but for writing and with more running gags (love triangle)

[@rxndomfxndom7405]

@@candycaneannihalator2708 AS A TWA FAN I WAS ABOUT TO COMMENT THIS

[@maglev0789]

​@candycaneannihalator2708 I'm pretty sure the only mentions the love triangle has gotten in the last year is tongue-in-cheek ways like in the filler video and reboots rebooted

[@KlausWulfenbach]

0:55 No lie: My Game Design teacher in college taught this way unironically. Also 0:41 to a lesser extent. As for the students, see 1:21 and 2:12 and 2:39. To be fair: they were students and students, by definition, haven't mastered the subject they're studying, but absolutely none of it was discouraged by the teacher. 2:39 was even explicitly encouraged. I regret not dropping out sooner, or just switching majors to Comp Sci (it was too late to switch by that point), but I did learn a ton about how not to make games. (EDIT: To be clear, none of the above was actually why I dropped out. But I should have paid more attention to the warning signs so I could have at least prepared myself for how bad it got.)

[@Artindi]

lol, so this was kind of a refresher course then, :)

[@Artindi]

Hey guys! This one took so long to make, but I'm proud of it, so hopefully it gets a good reception so I can make more in the future. Thanks for watching! :D

[@StarBeam500]

This is actually a good series, because within the sarcasm there is actually good hints if you need. On the other hand, its very funny.

[@irfanjames6551]

1:05 was the slap on the face for me. Thanks, you saved my time.

[@Ric_93]

The real question is: can I sell my failed ideas for some sort of profit? I may have a few thousands ready to go

[@Artindi]

If you do, please let me know too! ha ha

[@RHGameDev]

Wow, selling my failed ideas would be my dream job!

[@botangabriel3492]

Having a story or plotline before building the game helps consistency, like not ending like FNaF series It also aids in seeing how you can implement such plotline into the game, sometimes mechanics are fickle

[@manzanito3652]

The story was fine in the first fnaf. It's in the sequels where things start to derail because they didn't know how to expand the plot.

[@RobLang]

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. - Beckett Superb video, worth the obvious huge effort put in 🌟

[@Artindi]

Thanks! And I like the quote, I'd never heard it before. :)

[@Anonymous-jo2no]

This channel is basically Terrible Writing Advice but for game design... I love it XDDD

[@puppylili]

I think while analyzing good games will help, what I think is important is to watch and play bad games to see what makes them bad because its possible to do the things a good game has but still do it badly without realizing it. It's something I've heard before for movies, in order to make a good one, you gotta understand what makes it bad.

[@TheWorstestPro]

I watched a couple of these videos and now I'm watching from the start. These are all really good, I hope you get the recognition you deserve!

[@TonsOfHunStudios]

This video * -1 = How to Succeed at Game Ideas? xD Love the passive aggressiveness haha. I really like this kind of video, would love to see some more!

[@Apples05]

The only part I don't agree with here is how you're very adamant on "story-based game = bad" when that's a completely subjective topic. There are tons of great games that are solely based on story (Night in the Woods, Life is Strange/any telltale game, What Remains of Edith Finch, Oneshot, just to name a few). And yeah they do have interesting gameplay mechanics, but those games are meant to be played for the story. Of course you're gonna want to have unique and fun gameplay features, but there's fundamentally nothing wrong with turning a story into a game as long as you do it right.

[@Artindi]

I think to some extent we actually agree, there are stories that can successfully be made into games, and there are many successful games that are mainly story driven, I was only saying what I said because stories in and of themselves are extremely difficult to write and be successful with, let alone turn into a game. So yes, it is a perfectly viable way to make a game, or even be inspired for the mechanics of a game, but it's very difficult so I included it here to encourage inspired young game devs towards a more likely way to succeed. Plus it's one of the cliché's of people who want to make a game and never do: "Oh I have this great story idea, man, I should make it into a game!" proceeds to only talk about plot points in their story. But I'm also making fun of how interactive novels are not games, which means if someone makes one, (which is perfectly fine) then on a definitional level, yes, they've failed to make a game. So I think we mostly agree. :)

[@doozy5184]

The "not talking about ideas for fear of someone stealing them" thing hit too close to home for me.

[@tiredenby437]

Weirdly enough I do use games as a storytelling medium, so what I do is think of the story first and what mechanics tie into that story. I tend towards turn-based games, however, which limits what I can add- but limitation breeds creativity, as they say. But what do I know I don't have a finished project yet lol

[@generalrubbish9513]

This is like the game dev version of Terrible Writing Advice. I dig it.

[@rowbot8049]

This video was very amusing and also holds some great tips for game development underneath the sarcasm

[@Leomerya12]

1:13... This is a tricky one. I'm not all the way with you here, because often times, the story in some of the best games ever, absolutely comes first. But I get this is a general all-purpose video.

[@Artindi]

You are correct. And yeah, mostly general, but also for indie devs in particular its much more difficult to market a good story than a good mechanic. But yeah, some of the best stories can be told through a video game. :)

[@beans9288]

Have been watching this while writing a game proposal, refreshed the page and watched the channel go from 9.99k to 10k! congrats dude!!!!

[@Artindi]

Thanks, and yeah, my mind is being blown right now. O.o

[@elliejohnson2786]

There are a lot of extremely popular "This game has a great story!" but bad gameplay games, and I cannot stand them.

[@veenaraina5922]

Just to let you know, it possibly is better to make more story for interactive novels but dont allow it to be dull.

[@CrustyFox87]

0:55 this is pretty much what I’m doing: I’m in the process of writing a big story and also making plans to turn it into a story-focused fighting game when I’m eventually able to maybe do so.

[@Greywander87]

I've been wanting to get into game design for a while now, I've just been very good at the "not trying" part. But I've already got an idea for my first game, a game with only one button. It moves you forward. That's it. All the other mechanics will be built around this, and I've been able to come up with a lot of ideas about how to work around this limitation. Elevators, conveyor belts, slopes, seesaws, there's a lot that you can do within this limitation. Some enemies will shoot at where you are, so you'll get hit if you're not moving. Some enemies will shoot ahead of you, so you'll get hit if you keep moving. Some traps will require you to move through them at the right time. All the gameplay will be built around knowing when to move and when to stop.

[@Josuh]

Consider porting it to mobile if you ever do

[@nesraspongx58]

cool xD also this goes with the idea that : knowing what makes you fail is better than knowing what makes you succeed or something like that xD

[@Artindi]

Exactly, sometimes success is just knowing what you need to avoid.

[@KlausWulfenbach]

As a Game Design major dropout, I'd say that knowing what makes you fail is far, far more precious than knowing what could make you succeed.

[@retrorapture4079]

"The best games are just stories that you can do stuff in" - David Cage

[@samoldfield9997]

yooooooo this was genius . the Idea to do these videos with these subjects and style

[@Skeffles]

Oh so that's what I need to do. I've been failing wrong this whole time.

[@karolgolacik4943]

game dev fast track esential qna, thanks this what i needed and did not know about

[@SamKeenDev]

Nicely done, these are some great tips, or rather anti-tips :)

[@giganticmoon]

This video succeeded because: The art is just amazing, there are actual tips hidden inside, and the fact that we all suck at game development.

[@engchann]

0:40 i mean TW3 is widely seen as absolutely amazing but it's definitely AAA, would it hurt to try to see interesting design choices in it too?

[@DoktorBeta]

lmao the part about stories everyone majoring in game design at my school said they wanted to "tell stories" with no previous attempts at game dev, assuming the school would teach them literally everything

[@Artindi]

Yeah, games are a great medium for telling stories, but if that is the main goal then the game is probably going to suck.

[@rmt3589]

I feel so called out at the first part rn...

[@nyeeesss2424]

2 minutes into the video, and I'm like: wait, wtf is he talking about?! and then it hit me... *gasp* sarcasm!

[@connorhagerty537]

Actually, story first, game second is an absolutely valid, albeit less common approach. It's basically the polar opposite approach to gameplay first. The story first approach can actually result in new and interesting gameplay systems evolving out of a necessity to cater to the story.

[@MDMetalManiac]

This hurt me nicely. Thanks

[@notmrpronot3179]

this channel is so underrated

[@Artindi]

It's cause my thumbnails suck. But meh, hopefully the content will shine through.

[@sosasees]

i got an idea: ¡how to fail at devlogs! 😃 some points you should address in thiw video - if you choose to make it - are: - devlogs can distract from the actual game development - devlogs can not just be videos, they can also be text documents - devlogs can be public or private

[@abhinavkuruvilajoseph9274]

Haha you do be funny lol. i loved it. but you got some great tips hidden in between the sarcasm. Thanks

[@Artindi]

Why thank you kind sir. :)

[@redfoxbennaton]

I used to keep my ideas secret. Not because of fear of plagiarism. But because I wanted to make it special. Nowadays, I don't tell people my ideas because I failed to ever produce them.

[@itsME-dc4vm]

part 2 ! pleaseee ;D

[@marcar9marcar972]

1:36 but people are also too quick to throw away good ideas

[@Artindi]

Possibly, sometimes it can be hard to tell early on. Good point. 👍

[@DerpySnake]

Aw man, I feel personally attacked at the ideas section. Too many ideas in this little brain of mine

[@Dynatroz]

Truly motivational.

[@betsyrocketram]

i really dont agree with the advice at 0:56 like there's nothing wrong with ag ame which exists to tell a story first and be a game second. there are plenty of games (mostly JRPGs) where im so-so on the gameplay, but mainly love it for the story. games can be a powerful way to deliver a narrative and i think coming up with the story first and thinking of ways the gameplay can compliment it or be used to enhance the story is perfectly fine. not every game has to be all about gameplay some games can just be 'stories you can do stuff in' and thats fine!

[@Artindi]

I do like a good story in games, and you are not wrong, a great game can come from the starting point of a story. The biggest issue that indie devs will find is marketing their game when the only unique aspect of the game is the story, as the majority of people who might play indie games are interested in gameplay before story. But again, you are not wrong, there are people who really don't care about the gameplay, they are fewer though, and even they will be hard to reach when drowned in all the generic-story-focused games already out there. So it's mostly advice to make things easier on yourself and doesn't necessarily mean failure I suppose. :)

[@Dominexis]

The paranoia that people will steal your (let's be honest, mediocre) idea is real.

[@myrriad]

lmao these vids are great

[@legiongames2400]

LMAO gotta have that good game name for the sake of the future generations

[@kamiluzbx4780]

im glad i've avoided alot of these, i'm sure i'll fail in one of the later videos.

[@hamado8587]

Sarcasm so thick that the message got lost.

[@alsto8298]

U've just described Witcher3... again.

[@MidoriMushrooms]

all these videos are why I stopped bothering. I didn't like the process of making a game enough to put energy into it. Might just make a light novel or something.

[@betsyrocketram]

2:01 i wish you explained why some of this was bad advice because i legit do not understand what is wrong with making a game which doesn't really fit into one genre. like there's nothing wrong with making something unique which hasn't been done before. sometimes you just need to combine to genres into one game and you've already thought of something fairly original. like if nobody ever asked 'what if i added roguelike elements to a platformer' spelunky would never have been made and the roguelite genre would not be one of the most popular genres in gaming. im guessing this is bad advice because if you combine too many things together you could just get left with an overbloated mes in the rush to be 'original' but you can be original, simplistic and fun.

[@Artindi]

Limiting yourself to only a few genres is what will happen naturally if you are aware of the scope of your game and try to stick to a vision, from what I've seen, there is a tendency among indie devs, (especially new ones) to try and add too many things to their game and end up without a clear vision and an abandoned muddled mess.

[@Max1125channel]

I feel so confused

[@hamsteronthemic1210]

the story thing isnt even bad advice tho. if you make a very story focused game outlining the story first helps a lot

[@KozelPraiseGOELRO]

I am so bad that I even fail at failing this.

[@DArK-xj8lr]

Yesss make a part 2 lol

[@KDD0063]

It is funny how you mention needing a unique and interesting core mechanic in other videos and then praise Celeste in this video even though it does not have that

[@Artindi]

I also sarcastically remark about how incredibly unique the main mechanic of celeste is. ;) The main point is that if you are going to do something, even if it's a boring something like a double jump, you might as well do it as best you can. And if you can do it better than anyone else ever has, I mean, even better. :)

[@KDD0063]

​@@Artindi Ah, I get ya

[@terry-]

Great!

[@leonardman2739]

I wish these videos had existed 15 years ago, 'cause I feel like I've made EVERY mistake listed here back then... Another way to fail at game ideas is to plan an entire series of sequels before you've even started making the first game!

[@skeleton_craftGaming]

Im struggling drawing a fucking triangle i don't think i need help failing at making a "game"

[@DaikoruArtwin]

There's a specific game that I think has a super awesome story, some really great graphics and music... But I couldn't bring myself to like the gameplay at all. It was made too difficult yet not interesting at all, and getting stuck everywhere completely breaks the flow of the story. So I just dropped the game and started watching playthroughs of the game to still enjoy the story. For a game, that's a big failure since that means people aren't buying the game or other microtransactions.

[@Zyckro]

I disagree with writing a story first being in this video. If you make bad gameplay, it’s not the story’s fault. It’s your fault. You can make a thought out story first and then think of what genre can fit. Maybe you think about that while making the world. Look at Hollow Knight. In August 2013, Team Cherry decided to take a character from their game jam game and put them into a world that fit. They thought “what if the little bug explores a kingdom underground”. The story spread outward from there, with solid gameplay backing it up. I agree with your other points, but the story is so fundamentally segregated from how the game plays.

[@Artindi]

I appreciate the feed back. And yes, there are games and will be games that are based on story first. I was mostly commenting on this because of how frequently I see young game devs wishing to tell the epic story they have in mind and with this being their main goal they fail to translate their story properly to the format. they fail to realize that when making a game, the story is supplementary, and the people who are good at making games, can make the story feel central even though it's supplementary.

[@Zyckro]

@@Artindi Thanks for the reply! I think this is complex topic considering how varied games are across genres. You’re right, though. When making a video game, the gameplay is the priority. Games are a medium for storytelling, though, and I feel some potential is lost when that isn’t utilized at least a little bit. Maybe it’s three little lines of dialogue and the rest left up to your imagination. If you want to go for more than that, I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

[@Artindi]

@@Zyckro I agree, some of the best stories I've ever heard come from video games, as long as people can do it right it can be an incredible experience. :)

[@tomaszachar809]

perfect!!!

[@SmileOlderBro_GodsBrother]

Can you do how to fail at modding games? (I know this may not be related to developing a unique game, but who cares?)

[@itsME-dc4vm]

nice ;D

[@Cosmicgardening]

okay but VNs and JRPGs are massively popular and a VN budget is way lower than a traditional game budget so like maybe don't discount the idea of a heavily story driven game where gameplay comes second. You have to back it up but it is 100% viable...

[@Artindi]

You are right, I was mostly directing that towards the indie developers who may have a hard time getting their game to stand out with story alone. In general it's much harder to convince a potential player that the story is good than it is to show them a new and interesting mechanic. Even Portal did this, marketing for the first game was all about the mechanics, then marketing for the second game was all about the story. But of course, rules are ment to be broken, and any game can become successful if done right. :) thanks for the great comment!

[@shinobuoshino5066]

Countless shovelware vn's available that don't stand out at all from one another say otherwise...

[@Artindi]

@@shinobuoshino5066 I'm not 100% sure what you're referring to, but I do want to add to the conversation thus far by pointing out that VNs are definitionally not games, so if the intended product is a visual novel, the process by which it is made will of course be story focused instead of mechanics focused, as any good VN should be.

[@shinobuoshino5066]

@@Artindi in narration sense, they're games, where core and pretty much the only mechanic is choice, affecting how the story plays out. While they get a lot of flak for not having gameplay, they're one of the few genres where player choice actually matters as you get scenes that aren't possible to see in any other playthrough. Also I'm referring to category of vn's that currently flood the internet because anyone can make them, if you want "good" vn whatever it is you want from interactive fiction, it will take some time to find.

[@PatrickBatemanVietnamBush]

I think I am going to create a new genre called "strand-type games." It will be so unique that it will inspire future games for generations to come. Any thoughts?

[@Artindi]

Actually, that sounds intriguing, I be down to play it! :)

[@catharsis9789]

was worried this video would destroy me but i just got called out for never making anything because its not "unique" enough and it Is stupid!

[@Artindi]

Just make a clone so you can say you've made something. It will inspire you to do it again but with your own great ideas. :)

[@link1864]

This was me before I stopped for ever :(

[@Artindi]

Come back to us.... it's never too late... :(

[@tauheedgamedev2388]

I know this trick, I will not, not do the opposite of what you said in this video, except at the end.

[@Artindi]

Glad to hear, just try not to not avoid the opposite of what was not instructed, as that would prevent the not inverted negative end with a not negative result.

[@tauheedgamedev2388]

@@Artindi 🤯

[@Ric_93]

Do you know what you can be sarcastic about? If/else statements. I bet a lot of people won't even realize it's sarcasm and will think if/else is the actual way to go to code anything.

[@Artindi]

It's not? oh wait, I mean, yeah, it's not. ;)

[@nesraspongx58]

yeah if/else statements are just coding in a nutshell

[@KlausWulfenbach]

There are cases, depending on the language and implementation, where if/else is actually the best option and there's really no more optimal way to do it. I learned this the hard way a week ago.

[@nesraspongx58]

@@KlausWulfenbach tbh i don't know a lot of ways to do a lot of stuff so i mostly just use if statements xD

[@Manavine]

2:50 precisely why, Half Life as good as it is, kind of fucked game quality lol People took half life's story focus and went "ooo perfect for a shooter" and shoved a story in every shooter. With no substance and wasted time

[@Artindi]

some do it well, but most just kinda suck. lol

[@angel_of_rust]

1. sweet baby inc

[@bredcataw]

Yes awcourse, make more

[@danielschons7691]

this has the same vibe as terrible writing advice

[@acomputerbug]

Ah, another "Terrible Writing Advice" fan.

[@Semudara]

Is this series inspired by Terrible Writing Advice, by any chance?

[@Artindi]

Not at first, I wanted to do a tutorial that pointed out what not to do, and I had heard that a different game dev content maker had already done it but I still wanted to do my own take on it. As I figured out the details though I started to realize the similarities between this and terrible writing advice, so I imbraiced it, and took inspiration in the sarcastic yet helpful feel, but hopefully still in my own way.

[@semudara9723]

@@Artindi It shows, in a good way! Would have loved to see some kind of shout-out to them (I'm a sucker for that kind of thing), but more importantly I'm looking forward to seeing more of this series. :D

[@GuyWhoWearsPant]

Twa of game dev

[@4.0.4]

I think of all your videos this one has the most instances of "I saw that one in the real world". A LOT of people over-value ideas. IDEAS ARE CHEAP. I bet you have a whole bunch written down.

[@Kaitou1412Fangirl]

Another tip: cheat. Rip off someone else's idea. Say you love that game and want to make something similar but with no original twists. All the folks pointing out the blatant similarities should learn "comparison is the thief of joy".

[@EnderBird]

Most commenters seem to be failing at failing! Imagine being so bad that you cannot even fail... wait a minute

[@micahrobbins8353]

Tell square enix about the story one lol

[@Artindi]

Ha ha. :)

[@victoryvictorious633]

Try playing interesting games… I get bored playing any game. That’s why I like creating them. Way more fun. 😂

[@henroneestudio]

why did this feel like you were specifically making fun of me???? most of this didn't even apply to me and my game 😭😭😭😭😭

[@lmao9692]

Thanks, Terrible Game Developing Advice!

[@AugustRx]

what a waste of 4 minutes

[@Artindi]

What a waist of 6 words

[@AugustRx]

@@Artindi is that some kind American measurement for length?

[@Artindi]

@@AugustRx The number of words in a sentence? I mean, it's a pretty universal way to measure the length of a sentence.

[@AugustRx]

@@Artindi Using words to measure one's waist? what font size is that exactly

[@Artindi]

@@AugustRx what are you talking about?