Non-Professional Game Dev - The Joy of Making - Extra Credits

Why are hobby and personal games important? Even though they rarely make waves in the mainstream game industry, they are a fantastic outlet for expressing a wide range of creative possibilities.
Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday! bit.ly/SubToEC (---More below)
_________
Get your Extra Credits gear at the store! bit.ly/ExtraStore
Play games with us on Extra Play! bit.ly/WatchEXP
Watch more episodes from this season of Extra Credits! bit.ly/2bB9ziR
Contribute community subtitles to Extra Credits: www.youtube.com...
Talk to us on Twitter (@ExtraCreditz): bit.ly/ECTweet
Follow us on Facebook: bit.ly/ECFBPage
Get our list of recommended games on Steam: bit.ly/ECCurator
___________
Would you like James to speak at your school or organization? For info, contact us at: [e-mail]
___________
♪ Intro Music: "Penguin Cap" by CarboHydroM
bit.ly/1eIHTDS
♪ “Moonsong” by Curly & GameChops
• Cave Story ► Moonsong ...

[@extrahistory]

If a game matters to you, then it matters. Let's talk about non-professional game development!

[@jakeheintz4107]

How was this comment put down 7 ours ago, did you have this video hidden?

[@phxrebirth]

StarFury 909 Yeah he put it on private.

[@jakeheintz4107]

I knew it

[@ipadair7345]

Great video, guys. Keep up the good work.

[@reaganmaxwell9867]

Extra Credits Everytime this question is asked I roll my eyes.

[@gathius]

Made a simple game on RPG maker to propose to my girlfriend when she finished it. Its technically terrible, but one of the things i'm most proud of. She said yes of course.

[@fernandobanda5734]

Kit That's pretty amazing.

[@gathius]

Fernando Banda thanks! i figure once we're married and have bought a house i may go back and add to it!

[@sadlad5258]

I hope you two live happy together

[@CamoViper1]

Kit I think my heart just melted. :)

[@AssassinLupus7]

I actually thought of someone doing exactly that while watching the video. Glad to see someone else had the same idea. And very glad it worked. Best wishes to both of you.

[@thomasrosebrough9062]

The "Code" at 1:22 is hilarious.

[@ryanchungus8972]

I thought I wasn't gonna understand it, but I did.

[@omegablender]

@@silentfilms7459 me too

[@sinnerthesinful552]

Yeah, i felt like a stab in the heart when he said: "i learned HTML in high school"

[@soda9023]

Probably still would function better than my C code.

[@finalrenderanimationstudio]

@@omegablender Don't worry... I'm the latest of them all lol

[@g0mikese]

I feel like non-professional game dev is also an important part of increasing game literacy. Amateur film makers, writers, artists, photographers, etc all are people who appreciate their chosen medium(s) and act as ambassadors to their friends and family helping to increase the public knowledge about the work. I think the tools like RPG Maker and other systems that are affordable, collaborative, and highly approachable all help to make gaming a better thing for everyone.

[@micefort]

construct 3 or clickteam fusion 2.5 are the best options to start since no coding knowledge required at all

[@gamespotlive3673]

Maybe so.

[@aug1014]

Step 1: wife Step 2: make a video game where my wife travels back in time to fight dinosaurs!

[@matthewnoybn6656]

Step 3: emotional profit.

[@samkj1953]

I am stuck at step 1. Dont even have a GF

[@commenturthegreat2915]

I accidentally left a local multiplayer game I made for fun downloaded on a school computer once, and about a year later I entered a random classroom to find students battling each other and projecting it for the rest of the class to cheer them on. It was really encouraging to see my game being enjoyed without my presence.

[@Sparrow420]

"creating an art" -one art please!

[@marbles3662]

HAHA!

[@andy4an]

i love that tons of people are doing game jams to encourage themselves to make games in groups, with the main goal just being in community with each other.

[@jenniferbeveridge131]

@5:39 This is all good advice for any creative endeavor, be it a novel or painting or game developing. I recently listened to Patrick Rothfuss say very similar things to this video's points in an interview. From his point of view, he worked on his first book, The Name of the Wind, for fourteen years, being the guy who "wasn't successful," and then he suddenly got lucky and people's perceptions of him changed. That's fourteen years of doing something for himself, and then the right person in the right place at the right time came by and thought it was cool enough to give it a shot at publication.

[@MrKaelas]

Thanks, I really needed this. I love making games. It's very cathartic for me as you said, but I often get caught in this self-doubt loop of "What if this isn't good enough?" and "What if it doesn't succeed?" and then stop which makes it basically a self-fulfilling prophecy. It seems silly but it's good to have someone else say it's okay to just do it for fun even if nothing ever comes from it.

[@JonnesTT]

I personally have started making my first game to learn game-making, design, and coding, I do love making games, I really do! But I do hope (never expect something that big) that my dream might just come true and something sends me straight into the game-making business and prototypes and experience will, if I'll ever put my heart towards a professional career be exactly what I'll need to jump head first into that industry.

[@alengm]

I make non professional games. It is super fun to create them at the start, but it becomes tedious by the end. But when you finally finish, the feeling of satisfaction is amazing. Then you can share that game on itchio, reddit, youtube. And hear feedback from other game devs like you that can appreciate how interesting your little game is. So it is not just for friends. There is a community with which you can share.

[@MichaelFergusonVideos]

This is so refreshing. I feel bombarded by yt videos that are directed toward making the big time. I have no interest in making commercial games. I enjoy the challenge of creating games as a hobby. If I choose to stop development on one game to start another there are no consequences. That is liberating and preserves the fun aspect.

[@kevinruppert3522]

When I was 15 I tried to make a text adventure game in notepad. It kind of worked, but a bunch of options don't go to the right screens and I only ever finished one of the 5 endings I originally planned, but I enjoyed doing it.

[@XDeedge]

I haven't really tried making a video game, but I am currently in the intial stages of making a tabletop game, thanks for the advice and encouragement

[@johnlittle8045]

I liked this one. It reminded me of the one successful thing I've finished in Twine, which wound up being an admittedly not-quite-complete birthday present for a friend starring one of her oldest RP characters.

[@janwey7939]

One like is just not enough to fully embrace this kind of videos! They are just amazing!

[@Pile_of_carbon]

I _really_ like how easy it is for indie devs to publish games these days. My Steam library contains some 10-15 games that could be considered AAA titles and then there's a nearly endless supply of indie games that I've picked up for about the price of a fastfood chain hamburger and then spent 5-10hrs playing. That ratio of hours of fun per money spent is insane.

[@TheReykjavik]

Every tool that helps a small indie team or an individual also helps large teams. Tools like Unity raise the baseline of what is possible, but a large focused team has the resources to build more on top of that baseline either way.

[@digitsstuff6521]

This reminds me of an old game I made on Scratch where you play a dolphin who inexplicably finds himself on Mars, and then has to fight aliens to get back home.

[@MyAce8]

I participated in a game jam for the first time a few weeks ago, it was really fun!

[@neroxis2328]

I simply want to thank the Extra Credits team for making these amazing videos! I feel now motivated to continue working on my game :)

[@TheAmishStig]

As a trained programmer...the 'code' image is well played to Chris, that's hilarious!

[@TricoliciSerghei]

Wonderful video, watching it in 2022 and love it!

[@janwitkowsky8787]

Hi Chris :) This is perfect for me. Currently learning programming (Java - which is what my classes are teaching right now) and our teacher uses basic games for us to make to learn it. He is of the opinion that learning by playing is the best way. :) I'm gonna share this video with my study group.

[@janwitkowsky8787]

Note, I already know basic 2D and 3D animation, but in our classes we are learning how to make physics, triggers, I/O and more. Basically how to build a game engine. I think in a month or two, we'll learn how to import assets.

[@kidagine]

Oh man this video helped a ton,I've started to make games just for my self for like a year plus now, and it's fun as heck, though I often get nervous and stressed about it as if it's my own job, too stressed sometimes,I've made my first game which took like 4 months, and I thought "yeh lets do another one that was fun, should take 4 months or so, maybe I can do 3 a year" and now I am like over 6-7 months with the second game and it's honestly kinda stressful and for some reason I have way too much high expectations for myself for being such a beginner, only reason I am not finished with it yet is because when it was "finished" I was like "no that's horrible it needs more" so I tried to do more with it....I don't know if it was the right decision at this point, but this video helped me take it a bit less seriously, I guess after all, it is just for me, thank you guys, I am actually really inspired in a way, to do more now. I am never able to show my games with family or friends, it feels too personal and I kinda feel "ashamed" in way, like I would rather have a rando play it so I wont see their reaction, cuz am honestly scared And to all the other "non-professional" game devs out there, I play your games :x they have something special about them that indies or AAA don't, it's kinda like that wabi-sabi stuff, perfection in imprefection. Man I talk too much ._.

[@miteshsharma3106]

i created my first game a few months ago (without using any engine, just a library), and i invested totally nothing in it. Though it was laggy and unbeatable .... yea unbeatable, i am still proud cause i learned a lot from it

[@calliecalamity8787]

The entire video I was thinking of one free steam game called “you have to win the game” it’s a very simplistic checkpoint based platformer but it’s actually challenging and pretty fun

[@greatgameplayswalkthroughs660]

As always, the best video on internet! For me it's special, because I'm a dev (in some ways) and I wrote a lot of things as a kid - the fun was when I readed them to my friends and mother, and father! :) :) )

[@nesurame]

Flash games can be an excellent example of this, and they've only gotten better over the years with all the community built up around the medium. ive probably logged more time on flash than on my xbox

[@zezenia_art]

realistic ,yet inspiring on many levels probably gonna regret it -or maybe not- but i'm gonna do the thing and team up for making a game always was passionate ,yet lazy this is the first time in my life to feel like this and i don't know how to name it but,,,,i think i'm inspired to create after months

[@twisterlord665]

I'm working on a game right now actually. I coded an auto updater all by myself for it (Cause there was no Auto-Updater maker on the internet.) that only works on windows, sadly. My game is made using Unity and I got the meshes and stuff online, but the programming and UIs were 99% by me. The main thing I struggle with is ideas.

[@francisco1cortijo]

I think this is a video a lot of us needed, myself included. Thanks guys

[@66tee16]

I was going to say, you better include Cave Story... Then the credits had Moonsong. Beat me to it.

[@71775926]

Thank you for this. I needed the pep talk.

[@TheJfluffy]

I've been thinking of making a text adventure game based on a music album from a band I like! This video makes me want to make it happen!

[@channingcheese2]

1:21 mash that smooth vector button

[@bartz0rt928]

Would it be an idea to do an episode on the tools for devs like this? You mentioned Unity, but also maybe things like Voxatron and PICO-8 or Game Maker Studio?

[@doomlegacy]

A shout out to Elona+ made by Ano, this little rouge-like have more depths and (accidental) humor than most AAA tittles. ITS ALSO FREE TO DOWNLOAD !!

[@smitty2085]

This makes me want to learn basic code, get an idea, and spend all of my free time making a game, I guess I'll just stick to using scratch for now though, since I don't have much free time.

[@Darktega]

Chris DeLeon + Extra Credits, hell yeah!

[@mokawi]

I think the "fan game for peer base" is a weird assumption. There's a whole ecosystem of FOSS games out there (Cube-based shooters, Wesnoth, Minetest, Endless sky, Freeciv, 0 AD, ...). They're certainly not made for friends & family.

[@amatiasq]

Finally a video about amateur game development :D

[@BenNiGeLing]

Ah yes...it was almost two years ago that I proposed to my wife through a crappy zombie survival RPG Maker game. In the "finished" version, you could walk through some walls, there was a note containing an important password locked away behind a door you couldn't open. The 'unique' item you could use to increase your maximum health could be picked up infinitely. Half the zombies where purple-tinted default ogres because that's all I had. And it's her favorite game of all time. Making a game for someone is one of the most rewarding experiences ever. If you can make a game, you should. Someone will love it.

[@punchingplayerpenguin3291]

still less buggy than superman 64.

[@zacharyhayden6521]

Thanks for the encouragement to figure out Unity!

[@jacobrepors408]

Cool Flappy Bird drawing!

[@XxHikidashixX]

i actually got a little teary from this ;u;

[@XenK64]

Tinker Knight DLC would be interesting.

[@15098D]

This made me feel great about the games I make

[@kruleworld]

Indie term comes from Independent, which usually means it isn't from a giant publishing house. it's not hard, Ex.

[@NylaTheWolf]

I'm going to try making some non-professional games in RPG maker just to see how I would like game making since I want to be a game developer :P

[@_fedmar_]

Why does the game in the blue robe and pink slippers remind me of Sans?

[@jex-the-notebook-guy1002]

well my dream is to make a game I want to play cause im sick of all the repetition

[@antoniolukovic3112]

Here is a thought, curious to see what others say. Why do non-professional developers not make a simple game as a test run. For example, a game developer team has an unique idea for a game, creates it and puts it out there to be downloaded for free. The cost of creating the game should be as low as possible without sacrificing quality too much, as the experience is more important than the actual graphic (e.g. flappy bird, or bread simulator, etc). They then request their audience to honestly review the game and criticise it as openly as possible. The review can also include the question: if the bugs and issues you mentioned were solved, and the game was longer and had a few more features with better graphics, how likely are you to buy the game? If the developer sees that a lot of people have downloaded and positively reviewed a game, he could make another one, on the same premise but this time with higher budget and more marketing, offering a price that would cover the cost of the indie game and the new professional one. The point is in seeing if your game would be successful. Imagine a unique game idea, something that has never been seen before. The gameplay is ok, and the graphics are average, but the story is so investing, the characters interesting, or there is potential for this game (given enough time and money) to be amazing. Now imagine that you can play this early version of the game for free, even recieve some kind of discount if you provide a review. Now imagine you being able to one day buy this amazing game, know that your criticisms were taken into account and even get it cheaper than your friends... I do not about you, but I would buy the shit out of that game!

[@Zarissian]

The Touhou Project is pretty much the epitome of a non-professional game.

[@KarnKaul]

Oh man, The IT Crowd!

[@eldridgecharles1313]

OK, this video made me sad. But I guess I'm not alone in failing video game projects. I just need to find better ways to make my games greater.

[@vincent7976]

Disappointed that you didn't mention the modding community.

[@consumablecorner150]

I'm glad to hear that people still use "hogwash."

[@hackerdackers8832]

"It doesn't have to be a world changing game to change the world of the people making it" This is why I love extra credits :)

[@ShneekeyTheLost]

Fun fact: Minecraft was originally Notch teaching himself how to code in Java. It was the massive interest in his alphadev that caused him to try to monetize it. And the gaming world was never the same since.

[@wispy9859]

then he sold it to microsoft after the minecons that insued

[@Volfgang59]

Notch didn't sell it to Microsoft. _Jeb did after Notch stepped down from being the CEO of Mojang and gave it to _Jeb. Notch was no longer having fun working on Minecraft because of how popular it became. It turned into just "work" for him instead of the fun thing it was to him when he started. That's why he left Mojang to start other projects. It's the same reason that other game he was going to make never came into being because he felt so pressured to make it good that it stopped being fun.

[@the_dec0de]

ShneekeyTheLost if you think about it, notch pretty much revolutionized the indie game genre

[@PixelBytesPixelArtist]

Considering all of the bad shit I've seen in the game's design and what I know from the early game, it was definitely not Notch's masterpiece. (nor was he good at sprite art)

[@OGA-b4l]

il never forget the good time i hade with my friends in it

[@Relachi]

this also applies to small a youtube channel. I make video for my own entertainment and for my friends to watch, and this is how it should be. If I manage to attract more people, that'd be cool, but it's also fine if I don't. Way too many people get over there head and invest so much in their videos expecting to be the next big hit, which then doesn't work out and then they quit.

[@Joe-mx5zo]

Have you switched to trying to make the next big hit by noe

[@acidicjosh3813]

I don’t even know you but the verified tick made me happy for you

[@BlueEngland]

"If I manage to attract more people" Well look where you are now

[@deathlesspumpkin8433]

Amon gus

[@joelsylvestre9405]

People gave a lot of unfair flak to the guy who made Flappy Bird. He never expected that level of success, he just made a silly little game.

[@luis2626]

583,000 Downloads $3 Donations LOL, ain't that the truth

[@IkBenBenG]

I wish! My stats (for a period of about a year and a half): 109 views 60 downloads $0.08 revenue

[@nujumkey]

IkBenBenG 38 views here, pretty sure they're all my buddies on discord :D

[@rukascool]

reminds me of winrar purchased licenses

[@36yearsoldgamercrippled49]

At least he got 583,000 downloads!

[@EddieKMusic]

I made 17$ lol

[@Verris_Ephemera]

I needed that. I'm about to release a small game next week and I'm nervous beyond words but the thought that no one would ever see it helps hahah

[@jakeheintz4107]

put the link here, I would like to try it out

[@redpandai1]

show it to your friends. They like playing them

[@jorgegutierrez8588]

TrueCynder Im commenting here so that I get notified incase the link gets posted.

[@Verris_Ephemera]

It's nothing special really ... Just a small JRPG that is more like a playable prologue to another game I'll work on- but sure if you guys want to check it out I got a tumblr blog for it. the-nova-bloodline.tumblr.com/ Also I got a few videos on my channel (nothing special though.)

[@timothyliddy]

Hey! If you need any music for your next small project, I'd love to work with you !

[@SerpentStare]

You've done it again, Extra Credits. Some friends of mine and I have been talking about making games together, and this video is a soft, warm welcome into the kiddie pool. A reminder of where we're starting. The ways in which we're limited, and the ways in which we're unlimited. I've been learning how to code in my very first programming language. I picked up some graphics and developing software for us from a special Humble Bundle at $10 per person (I think that counts as not breaking the bank ;D) and the most established artist in our group has been messing around with Spriter learning to animate a version of his character using their "bones" system. For us, this video comes at a perfect time. Thank you.

[@TheGamingGrandmother]

4 years later: what came out of that project?

[@extrahistory]

A lot of you were really intrigued by one of the hobbyist games Chris mentioned at 6:35. Want to travel back in time and fight dinosaurs too? stone-baked-games.itch.io/clever-girl

[@timothyliddy]

Thaannks!!

[@HxH2011DRA]

NICE!

[@geckoo9190]

Too bad I cannot download it

[@StoneBakedGames]

Could you describe the problem you're having? I'll try to fix it if I can.

[@drakan4769]

thanks, I wanted to ask you for links to _all_ the games mentioned though, I mean, no reason not to give your sources more exposition right?

[@TheBoundFenrir]

This was very timely advise for me. Thank you guys so much for being on the ball with stuff like this!

[@LaZodiac]

Legit, "Wife slays dinosaurs" game sounds rad as hell. Reminds me of Dark Void.

[@StoneBakedGames]

stone-baked-games.itch.io/clever-girl ;)

[@tricoelacanth1114]

I looked the the game page and it looks so cool! As a fan of dinosaurs, and of prehistory in general, I like this hobby project. I think it would be cool if you could make a sequel or prequel or spin-off that takes place in another time period. My preference is the Carboniferous.

[@StoneBakedGames]

I'm glad you think it looks cool, I enjoyed making it and it's nice to see it get a little bit of attention now. I'd love to do a sequel at some point, or an updated version, so one day hopefully.

[@viniciusdelimaalvim2670]

I was about to post it! That idea sounds SO COOL! ^^

[@nedlalordofthelegos]

When you said making them for valentines day or marriage proposal I just though "I'm glad I'm not the only one."

[@thepip3599]

Really? Please elaborate.

[@cardijey6918]

I made a game for the 18th birthday of my gf in which you play the first day we met. It just feels right to make something like this.

[@cheesecakelasagna]

@@CananaMan Aww. That seems like a great concept game

[@Derekivery]

This episode could not have come at a better time for me. I have a full time job, I just got a promotion, it's nice, even meaningful, but I like doing small time game dev stuff. And every time I spend several hours over the weekend on a game I feel like "wow that was a waste of time, I'm never gonna be able to sell this." But I enjoy doing. I enjoy the mechanics, I enjoy coming up against a problem and figuring out how to make it work and the feeling of seeing that thing that I never thought would work, suddenly working, and what that thing is is usually so small no one but me would notice it. Thanks EC, keep gaming.

[@alanbu5837]

Same

[@acat5770]

Can definitely agree there, i mean, i've been working on one doom mod for what, 3 years now?

[@David-kd4qr]

I love you guys. I'm not a dev by any means but I love the optimism and joy that your videos have. They always make me feel good and happy!

[@extrahistory]

[@ilkeryoldas]

I call it happy accidents :3

[@redpandai1]

Happy accidents sound so hilarious. Have my upvote

[@Yurio]

"There are no mistakes, just happy accidents" -Bob Ross

[@wherethetatosat]

Heeeey! I'm not a video game :P

[@TheOmega6900]

Is that also what we call babies?

[@damionmurray8244]

I loved watching Bob Ross paint, and his ongoing commentary always made me smile.

[@ladsworld]

This is why I love the fangame community.

[@santiagogs15]

i know i'm a year late but have you played pokemon reloaded?

[@cakeisyummy5755]

@@santiagogs15 Most fangames based off of Nintendo IPs Get taken Down in a flash.

[@Curly_Music]

I just noticed NOW that you were kind enough to use and credit my music on your channel, I wanted to say thank you so much for liking my work enough to include it in yours

[@syferz]

Sometimes there are non-professional / hobby games that compete with professional games. Cave Story, Minecraft & Counter-Strike are all huge games that were just hobby games someone created while tinkering around.

[@syferz]

Undertale was the other game I was trying to think of.

[@Man_in_White]

Well, Undertale had kickstarter, so it's a bit of professional?

[@Darkblastdragon]

The best example I can think of that hasn't been commercially sold is OFF. It has a pretty big cult following. It's also a great example of how games from different nations can enrich us. I always get excited to see a successful indie or 'non-professional' come out of a different country than America.

[@Foxpawed]

+Lorik D Time to listen to Pepper Steak for the hundredth time now.

[@braenhelbarn366]

Purification in progress ... DAMN, I need to play it again, now.

[@mrobbinsite9597]

The hobby game about the lady fighting dinosaurs sounds cool. What is it called?

[@StoneBakedGames]

stone-baked-games.itch.io/clever-girl ;)

[@mrobbinsite9597]

Thank you! :)

[@StoneBakedGames]

No problem. It was a big surprise to me that it got a mention in this video, so I hope a few more folks get to enjoy it.

[@Kaowaul]

Enjoyed the video, enjoyed hearing about a few of the examples provided. Would the Channel be willing, or able if there are time constraints, to make "Games You May Not Have Tried" videos showcasing only hobby games, as if as a small mini series within that series of videos?

[@Fledron]

Chris Oake That's an awesome idea!

[@PhyreI3ird]

Chris Oake Yes please, I am all for this! 😄

[@Anonymous-zu7dh]

Seing the title. "Thinks yandere dev"

[@keaton5101]

burn

[@Verris_Ephemera]

He is doing a pretty decent job though he has quit the foresight when it comes to his project ...

[@HandofFate-im7ur]

Well he was a professional game dev before he started working on Yandere Simulator.

[@ceceron4420]

Apparently, as he said, Yandere Sim IS (sorry for capsing) his work right now.

[@timothyliddy]

Man, two years in the making

[@0xs]

That html though

[@gregorycomey]

I don't really get it.

[@0xs]

cmck ok. /all worth whatever that is

[@SomeFreakingCactus]

What is it? I'm on mobile.

[@capitalex5422]

HTGML - HyperText Game Making Language

[@isaiahbaker3597]

Wasn't stardew valley made non professionally by one guy over a period of a few years? I'm surprised I didn't hear any mention of that

[@timothyliddy]

I think it is a lot like Undertale, where the success was some phenomenal that, in a weird way, two things happened. A) It because cliche to use them as examples and B) they wanted to raise awareness for other games!

[@leifern91]

It was. but he spent an obscene amount of time on it, like up to 10 hours each day for 4 years. And he is working even harder now, currently implementing multiplayer support and bugfixing.

[@tjlnintendo]

both of those games got kick started. so h technically it is professional

[@129das]

Yes Like 10 years.

[@tromino2598]

Reminds me of the development of Cave Story. You should play that if you haven't, by the way. The original non-Steam PC version is free and it's great.

[@accumbularatedop5468]

"It doesn't have to be a world changing game to change the world of the people making it." Fantastic.

[@divinitydoe]

This video inspired me to buckle down and finally get to Editting and posting my first public video, thanks guys.

[@zoobMer]

Someone once said that there could be hundreds of undiscovered games on the quality level of Strawdew Valley on steam, that will never been known. this video reminded me of that. it's sad that, even when games created for a hobby are good enough to be beloved, acclaimed, and popular, simply no one hear about them.

[@IONATVS]

Amateur is the opposite of Professional, and sounds a heck of a lot better than "Non-Professional." It unfortunately has gained a bit of a negative connotation in recent years, but all it means is someone who does an activity for fun instead of for wages--and I think it's time the word was reclaimed as such. For an example of how the term was used positively is how for decades, the *Olympics* were seen as the pinnacle of *amateur* athletics, with each sport ideally having its own competitions for the professionals to strut they're stuff, and it was only the heated rivalry between the USA and USSR in the Cold War that changed that (much to the chagrin of other countries, like Britain, who still wanted to play by the tacit agreement of previous games that professionals wouldn't participate).

[@nand3kudasai]

Agree, Amateur is the ideal word. And is not pejorative unless you use it that way. Also, in Spanish, for example, it does not have a negative connotation (usually).

[@redpandai1]

I've made some non-professional game. It's quite fun showing it to your friends and family and letting them play it.

[@timothyliddy]

What type of game was it and how long did it take you to make it??? I'm thinking about going into Game Design at a later date!

[@genybr]

Red Panda will you make a video walktrough for your channel?

[@D4RCKS0RC3R3R]

Timothy Liddy depending on the project, it can take anything between a few days to years. If you are thinking about it you should start very small, try making a pong game

[@cheeseriners]

I've actually started making a pong game. after losing motivation on bigger ideas. I'm going to start small and pick it up from there.

[@rageoftyrael]

It's great to start small, because it's a great way to build up your confidence. When you make and finish a smaller game, it'll give you some experience and you'll be able to point at something you've created. Then, you can start working on something else a bit more complicated. Also, if you've got some huge grand plans for a game, it's often better to simplify some of the stuff to make it completable. It's generally going to be better to make your game much less complicated so that you'll actually complete it. When you try to do complicated things you don't know how to do, it's easy to get stuck on that and not make any progress, which can often lead to you not finishing your project. If you find yourself stuck on something and can't get it figured out (hint: look online, lots of things you might find difficult or not know how to do have been figured out and answered), try and make it simpler or if you can, cut it out all together. You might be surprised to see that your simpler game is actually pretty good anyway. :)

[@pobredeouro]

Id like to make small personal games like this but my main issue is actually finishing anything I start, I decide how I want the game and tackle the challenging parts but then dont feel motivated to do any of the stuff that just requires a bunch of work that doesnt push my limits or makes me learn something new, I have been trying to convince some friends from university to start a project with me so we could all motivate each other to continue working but doesnt seem like anyone wants to..

[@clochard4074]

I never finish my games, but since it was fun to mess with them I believe they were a success nonetheless.

[@beanman4534]

Do what I did and bring friends along. Well I was kinda brought along by friends.

[@rctfan7]

Why was flappy bird the example and not Minecraft? Originally Minecraft was just a side project for Notch that happened to gain notoriety.

[@Zodiacman16]

You could probably lump in Undertale too, although considering that game had a Kickstarter, I’m not sure if you can call it a personal project instead of an indie project...

[@meghnalekshman4137]

snekboi Though Undertale was a side project, it was targeted towards an audience.

[@huseyin.goktas]

flappy birds is a quickly made not professional not a well-planned game. people made tons of copies since it is very easy to make.

[@franchufranchu119]

dwarf fortress

[@yule781]

Name 1 thing Triple A games don't have Pure love and passion

[@PixelBytesPixelArtist]

Good managers

[@betterthenallofu]

A cat cooking Instant noodles

[@rhodes449]

Botw

[@looperover]

Nite they also don’t have proper sleeping schedules, it’s kinda getting out of hand.

[@usualunusualkid7149]

Those are 2 things

[@gamesdisk]

I wanna do a game jam.

[@RegsaGC]

Google " game jam" and see what comes up! :) Sign up immediately if you find something, it'll be an adventure. Otherwise consider online efforts. If you can arrange for a group of 1-4 friends, meeting over the weekend someplace can be just as great. My favorite online jams: ludumdare.com/

[@TheAsvarduilProject]

You can easily set one up on GameJolt.

[@timothyliddy]

Asger, it sounds like you know a lot about this kinda thing???

[@adampotgieter8703]

gamesdisk Same, but school and parents...

[@TreetopCanopy]

You can find jams online! I'm trying my first jam next week.

[@marc5137]

Thank you so much for apologizing for that 'buggy' code. I had to pause and collect myself before reading it, but was glad after I did.

[@donciterenyi4494]

Isn't a AA game bigger than a AAA one? I mean AA batteries are bigger than AAA ones

[@tsilver33]

I know theres a mountain of comments here, but I just wanted to say thanks so much for this episode. This is exactly what I needed to hear right now.

[@emetobot7449]

0:53 I just found myself internally screaming "CAVE STORY CAVE STORY CAVE STORY CAVE STORY"

[@Fhaolan]

Out of curiosity, what's the game where the developer's wife goes back in time to fight dinosaurs? It sounds fun. :)

[@flibbernodgets7018]

I would recommend "Mimicry Man" as an example of one of these hobby-made games (at least, I think it is). Pretty well done and an interesting premise, if somewhat lacking in polish. You play as a mimic in an RPG, trying to trick the hero into opening you so you can eat him.

[@crunch3171]

We don't all make games for be taken in AAA companies. For my part, I hate AAA compagnies and I'm a student in a 3D animation and synthesis images program. I personally want to be in a AAA company for learn and make a real good game cause I'm not satisfied by their games.

[@noahdkg]

the joy of making where have i heard that before

[@keaton5101]

fuck you

[@keaton5101]

how dare you

[@noahdkg]

What did i do

[@FrensKafka]

happy little friends. happy little friends

[@rivermoot]

lol, i get it

[@mykaelos8656]

Thank you Extra Credits for this fantastic video! #HobbyGameDev can be one of the most satisfying creative outlets. I've come to the conclusion that I don't ever want to work in the industry simply so that I don't spoil the joy that is making a video game and having the freedom to make literally anything I want. I recently made a game with my 2-year-old daughter for #KIDSJAM, which really was an amazing experience to see her play and love her own game. Thanks for validating and appreciating the love that goes into non-professional games!

[@darkmyro]

the game about sending the dude's wife back in time to kill dinosaurs sounds amazing XD like even if it's bad or not very fun it sounds like a fun idea XD

[@StoneBakedGames]

stone-baked-games.itch.io/clever-girl ;)

[@clayxros576]

I seriously love how you're going around sharing that link dude. My freaking hero!

[@StoneBakedGames]

Haha! Well, a bit of self promotion never hurt, right?