Weekly play: annual report
Translation of the article “ Game a Week: Year In Review ” about how Adriel Wallick did all the previous year (or tried to do) one game per week.
I started the project “Game for the week” in order to find motivation.
As I have said many times before this, I began to adhere to the rules that I myself set to improve my productivity. It quickly became clear that setting deadlines created a sense of the significance of the task being worked on, and it doesn’t matter what consequences (or lack thereof) will arise if it fails to meet these deadlines.
')
So this was the “born” term of the week, and I started making games, adhering to this restriction.
I quickly entered the rhythm, overcoming the difficulties of the first few weeks. The work mode was not always “on top”, due to the fact that quite a lot of time was spent on procrastination, but I always strictly adhered to my intended goal: to finish the game by Sunday.
Every week I told you that I had to finish the game, because I HAVE to do it. I had to stop, sit down and concentrate on work because I had this “super-important” period, which I had to adhere to. In fact, there were no consequences if I could not finish the game (I was not paid a salary, I didn’t have a boss, etc.), but I tried to fully adhere to my intended goal. The idea of "playing for a week" became my boss.
Awareness of this came to me only when I started writing this post, but “playing for a week” really was my boss last year. If I couldn’t manage to finish the game, then I let the game down in a week. I had to write weekly reports on the work done to show the “game in a week”, what I achieved. If it seemed to me that it would not be possible for me to make another game in a week, then I needed to discuss it with “game for a week” in order to be sure that this mystical essence of “game for a week” will give good to my “vacation”. Everything revolved around my current position as a game developer at Play for the Week.
After a while, it all seems rather strange: I quit my job and could do anything, without having to report to anyone ... But in the end I thought of a fictional boss who would stand behind my back.
I had a great experience of participating in endurance sports, but I discovered running quite late (I ran my first mile without stopping in 2009). But then, after I began to run, I did not throw him. Soon after, I signed up for my first triathlon match, and then spent most of my free time training.
I clearly remember my first half-marathon. I trained as efficiently as I could, I only ate some food and slept a fair amount of time the night before the race. On the morning of the competition it was quite cold (the race was held in the middle of November in a suburb of Boston) and the heating of my car decided that it would not work. My friend and I got to the place of the race together, parked and walked alongside to warm up and calm my nerves. For myself, I set a secret goal: to run the entire distance in less than 2 hours. But, frankly, I would be glad if I just didn’t go the distance (ATTENTION SPOILER !!! I ran the whole distance in 1 hour 57 minutes and 56 seconds).
During the race, I went through 4 clear mental stages:
0-3 miles: I'm so tired, how can I run another 10+ miles? I will never do that ...
4-10 miles: Everything is great! I entered the rhythm, listen to Harry Potter, the script is gorgeous and everything ... Oh, look, another mile has passed. GREAT! A few miles to go!
11-12 miles: I AM SO TIRED, I CANNOT DO IT, I NEED TO GIVE IN RIGHT NOW.
13 miles: A little more, I can't stop now because the finish line is very close, I literally see it.
(After the race: I am so proud of myself! I CAN DO ALL THAT ANYTHING!)
I told about this experience, because while working on a “game for a week,” I went through the same psychological stages.
1-8 week:
Previously, I already wrote about the first few weeks of “playing for a week,” but, briefly, it was difficult. The goal seemed incredibly difficult and I needed the support of loved ones. Fortunately, I had Rami , who was constantly pushing me. It was he who came up with the idea of creating the game every week and he did not hesitate to point out to me how pathetic and ridiculous all my excuses were during the first few weeks. He was the observer who believed in me, and for the first miles he pointed out the direction to me and told me to keep running. It is worth noting that most of the games I did in the first month or two were terrible. In most of them it was impossible to play, some were just not very good. There were poorly designed games, and, in most cases, they could hardly be called completed.
9-46 week:
However, after the first weeks I found my rhythm and began to understand how to organize the work, find a good idea and plan the time correctly. I no longer needed someone who would constantly push me, because I took upon myself the duty, however, the thought that there was someone next to me who could support me and give useful advice, gave me strength.
Over the past year I have met many developers who were inspired by my experience and were planning to start something like “Games for a week,” but most of them stopped after a few weeks. According to science , it takes 66 days to form a habit, and it seems that the same applies to constantly updated projects. It can be quite difficult to break through the first few weeks, but as soon as you do this - BAM! - and it has become a part of your daily life.
Despite the ups and downs, my favorite ideas were invented during this period of time and, on the whole, I felt better about my abilities. At this stage, I did not think about the “Game of the Week” as some kind of casual work that I need to constantly be reminded of, I thought of it as a normal part of my life.
47-51 week:
Something went wrong.
It all started with the fact that I did not work on the game during the 47th week. There were many reasons for this, but in the end, it all came down to fatigue. I was tired, my brain was tired, and I just could not find the strength to do something. All the previous times when I needed to take a break and be distracted from the “Game for the week”, I felt renewed and full of strength. But this time it was different. I was still tired, I felt exactly the same as the previous week, and there was a feeling that nothing could fix this. At that moment, for the first time, I remembered my experience of participating in marathons. I was at the final stage, but each step was given with great difficulty. I only wanted one thing: to stop and allow myself to rest. But I understood that if I miss the next week, it will mean the end of everything: the moment will be missed, and I will not complete the year as I had planned.
Therefore, I did everything to "continue to run." I was tired, but I understood that there were only a few weeks left, and my feelings would be much better if I continue to work than if I give slack for a temporary respite.
52 week:
By the end of the year, I had very little energy left. 7DFPS , ProcJam and the knowledge that I will soon be able to rest, gave me the minimal amount of energy I needed to come up with a new idea. Despite the fact that I didn’t finish the games for 7DFPS or ProcJam, they inspired me and gave me the strength to bring everything to the end (as at the beginning of the way, I needed something that would keep me in good shape). I was not able to work in full force, but, at least, I managed to do something interesting to finish the year on a high note.
During the last year I was asked a large number of questions regarding “Games for the week”, so I decided to complete this article with answers to the most frequent of them (some answers will be copied from where I already answered them):
- How much time do you have to create a game in a week?
This time varies greatly and, of course, depends on how things are in general and how much I am interested in the idea of the current game. If I worked for-hire or were involved in other more urgent projects or events, then “Playing for a week” would cease to be my top priority. I never noticed exactly how much I spent on creating the game (one of my main regrets during this project), but I think it will be about 30-50 hours a week.
- Where did you get money for life?
I am quite lucky in many aspects of life. And the fact that immediately after graduating from university I managed to start working in a well-paid industry can also be considered luck. In addition, I lived very modestly for quite a long time, therefore, I had the opportunity to “stretch” my savings by almost 1.5 years. During this time I had to take up the job just a few times.
I always try to travel as cost-efficiently / cheaply as possible. I also try to save money on other aspects of life. When I was engaged in a side job, it was difficult for me to find time to continue the “Game for a week,” but I always managed to do it. At times, problems in financial terms influenced my mood, motivation and my sense of life in general, but as a programmer, I, fortunately, could quite easily find work when it was necessary.
Plus, I know that my family and my friends will always help me if a really difficult stage comes in my life. In my “adult life,” I never had to turn to them for financial help, but the understanding that there are people around me who would help me out definitely gave me some freedom in actions and an opportunity to take some risks.
- Why exactly year?
I have no decent explanation for this.
The year looks like the right amount of time for a similar project.
- Was the game worth the candle?
For me and for what I needed, yes. 100%
A year ago, when it all began, I was lost, and this project turned out to be a great way to steer me in the right direction, which I so desperately tried to find. The project allowed me to find strength and set a goal, at that moment when I was sure that I could never find either one or the other. The project helped me streamline the approach to self-learning, in those areas of game development where I had almost no experience. I became more experienced and confident in myself (if you compare me today with me "a year ago"), and this is an amazing feeling.
- Do you have a desire to repeat this project?
I do not think.
I don’t say no, but I don’t see a situation in which I would want / I would need / I would find the strength to start a similar project again. But, I would love to do something similar. Actually, I think it will be with my next step. I would like to take some of the games, and work on them in a more serious way.
Presumably, it will be something like “Games for the quarter”, where I will try to complete a full game in 3 months, and try to finalize 4 games.
- Would you recommend me to start a similar project?
Maybe.
Despite all the advantages, there are a large number of disadvantages / difficulties in this project that may or may not affect you.
This project was more psychologically exhausting than I had anticipated. MUCH more exhausting. There were weeks when I could literally drive myself into the ground, in an attempt to complete the game (or even start it). The first few times this happened, I was not prepared for this, and I thought I was weak. But it turned out that I am just a man, like all of us.
I think that the following advice will be the most useful of all the tips I have ever given regarding this project (or others like it): if you didn’t manage to finish the game in a week, THIS IS NORMAL! Give yourself a break and return to the project next week. Instead of reproaching yourself for feeling tired, let your body and mind rest, and rejoice that you take care of yourself.
People involved in game devs often ignore signs of fatigue and force themselves to work even harder until strength runs out. In a sense, this property is admirable (wow, look at how charged this person is!), But this is not the best way to work effectively for a long time.
It is very important to be able to return to the project after this week of rest. It is quite easy to lose the desire to work on a project and abandon it after “missing” a week. That is why you need to give yourself the opportunity to relax and recognize that rest is normal! By accepting this, you cut off a bunch of problems related to the “unsuccessful” week.
I talked a lot with people about the flaws of the “Games for the week”, though I’m not sure if these are flaws, really flaws, or just the result of my wrong work on the project. But, in any case, there are several points that I could not improve during the work on the “Game for the week”:
- How to sell the game.
- How to polish the game.
- How to promote the game.
The project helped me learn to create prototypes faster, sift out bad ideas and look at what I create from a critical point of view and analyze my mistakes. But I ask myself: how ready am I to create a commercially successful product?
In general, if you are just starting to make games, if you have practically no experience in game development, if you don’t know where to go next, if you don’t want to do something, if you have a huge amount of free time, if you understand how devastating (mentally) a similar project may be, if you have someone who can support you, if you like to test your strength, then yes, I would recommend a similar project.
- What's next?
Now I gave myself a little break. Despite the fact that I have a lot of ideas for new games in my head, I decided to concentrate for some time at work in order to improve my financial affairs and give my head a chance to rest. I also take part in Train Jam , and also enjoy spending time with my family and friends.
- Which games are your favorites?
I would choose the following (newer games - earlier in the list):
52 week (when I found out about shaders)
49 week (games about a rabbit that poops and eat carrots)
48 week (game metaphor of how exhausting a “Game of the week” can be)
45 week (game about gravity and space)
34 week (game about farting)
Week 27 (game about flying and feeling)
25 week (game, which is actually a twitter-bot)
Week 23 (time loop side-game)
Week 15 (a game that combines SpellTower and Fizz-Buzz )
Week 13 (game about growing a circle, as well as a game that the Firehose Game was hacked to make the record table swear)
10 week (a game that is an FPS text adventure)
5 week (the first really fun game)
2 week (a game in which too much screen shaking)
... and also John made me choose the most-favorite game of all of them, and I remembered that I was laughing and smiling the most when I was making the game of the 34th week . Therefore, I will choose the game of the 34th week as the most favorite (it should be noted that the gap from 45 weeks is ooooooooochen small).
- How are you feeling?
Well, I will reveal the secret: no one asked me this question, but I would like to answer it.
As I said earlier, one way or another, all last year I was involved in “Playing for the week.” And, despite the fact that I enjoy the respite, it seems to me that I returned to where it all began in November of 2013, when I felt lost and without a specific goal. I have rather vague plans for what direction I should develop in, and it scares me that I once again belong only to myself.
True, this time, I know more about myself and my working skills, but it doesn’t help much in choosing a future direction. At the moment I’m focusing on things other than “home” game projects, but I know that this is temporary, and after a while I’ll again want to return to this kind of work.
I know that I have gained a lot of knowledge and have learned a lot of things, but so far, I am also “lost” as at the beginning of the “Game in a week”. Of course, it will pass, but still, the end of the project is not as easy as it could be.
And yes ...
As I said at the very beginning: the most important reason for the start of the "Games for the week" was the search for motivation. At least I was able to find a goal for most of the previous year. I completed a rather serious stage, honed my ability to design projects and began to feel much more confident in a large number of aspects of game development.
I am proud that I was able to devote the last year to the "Game of the week." My brain is exhausted and I am a little sad because everything is over, but I am excitedly waiting for the next stage of my life.I'm a little scared because I don’t know what exactly will become the “next stage”, but, nevertheless, I wait for him with excitement.
And, at the end, 52 of my photos at different stages of the project:
I started the project “Game for the week” in order to find motivation.
As I have said many times before this, I began to adhere to the rules that I myself set to improve my productivity. It quickly became clear that setting deadlines created a sense of the significance of the task being worked on, and it doesn’t matter what consequences (or lack thereof) will arise if it fails to meet these deadlines.
')
So this was the “born” term of the week, and I started making games, adhering to this restriction.
I quickly entered the rhythm, overcoming the difficulties of the first few weeks. The work mode was not always “on top”, due to the fact that quite a lot of time was spent on procrastination, but I always strictly adhered to my intended goal: to finish the game by Sunday.
Every week I told you that I had to finish the game, because I HAVE to do it. I had to stop, sit down and concentrate on work because I had this “super-important” period, which I had to adhere to. In fact, there were no consequences if I could not finish the game (I was not paid a salary, I didn’t have a boss, etc.), but I tried to fully adhere to my intended goal. The idea of "playing for a week" became my boss.
Awareness of this came to me only when I started writing this post, but “playing for a week” really was my boss last year. If I couldn’t manage to finish the game, then I let the game down in a week. I had to write weekly reports on the work done to show the “game in a week”, what I achieved. If it seemed to me that it would not be possible for me to make another game in a week, then I needed to discuss it with “game for a week” in order to be sure that this mystical essence of “game for a week” will give good to my “vacation”. Everything revolved around my current position as a game developer at Play for the Week.
After a while, it all seems rather strange: I quit my job and could do anything, without having to report to anyone ... But in the end I thought of a fictional boss who would stand behind my back.
I had a great experience of participating in endurance sports, but I discovered running quite late (I ran my first mile without stopping in 2009). But then, after I began to run, I did not throw him. Soon after, I signed up for my first triathlon match, and then spent most of my free time training.
I clearly remember my first half-marathon. I trained as efficiently as I could, I only ate some food and slept a fair amount of time the night before the race. On the morning of the competition it was quite cold (the race was held in the middle of November in a suburb of Boston) and the heating of my car decided that it would not work. My friend and I got to the place of the race together, parked and walked alongside to warm up and calm my nerves. For myself, I set a secret goal: to run the entire distance in less than 2 hours. But, frankly, I would be glad if I just didn’t go the distance (ATTENTION SPOILER !!! I ran the whole distance in 1 hour 57 minutes and 56 seconds).
During the race, I went through 4 clear mental stages:
0-3 miles: I'm so tired, how can I run another 10+ miles? I will never do that ...
4-10 miles: Everything is great! I entered the rhythm, listen to Harry Potter, the script is gorgeous and everything ... Oh, look, another mile has passed. GREAT! A few miles to go!
11-12 miles: I AM SO TIRED, I CANNOT DO IT, I NEED TO GIVE IN RIGHT NOW.
13 miles: A little more, I can't stop now because the finish line is very close, I literally see it.
(After the race: I am so proud of myself! I CAN DO ALL THAT ANYTHING!)
I told about this experience, because while working on a “game for a week,” I went through the same psychological stages.
1-8 week:
Previously, I already wrote about the first few weeks of “playing for a week,” but, briefly, it was difficult. The goal seemed incredibly difficult and I needed the support of loved ones. Fortunately, I had Rami , who was constantly pushing me. It was he who came up with the idea of creating the game every week and he did not hesitate to point out to me how pathetic and ridiculous all my excuses were during the first few weeks. He was the observer who believed in me, and for the first miles he pointed out the direction to me and told me to keep running. It is worth noting that most of the games I did in the first month or two were terrible. In most of them it was impossible to play, some were just not very good. There were poorly designed games, and, in most cases, they could hardly be called completed.
9-46 week:
However, after the first weeks I found my rhythm and began to understand how to organize the work, find a good idea and plan the time correctly. I no longer needed someone who would constantly push me, because I took upon myself the duty, however, the thought that there was someone next to me who could support me and give useful advice, gave me strength.
Over the past year I have met many developers who were inspired by my experience and were planning to start something like “Games for a week,” but most of them stopped after a few weeks. According to science , it takes 66 days to form a habit, and it seems that the same applies to constantly updated projects. It can be quite difficult to break through the first few weeks, but as soon as you do this - BAM! - and it has become a part of your daily life.
Despite the ups and downs, my favorite ideas were invented during this period of time and, on the whole, I felt better about my abilities. At this stage, I did not think about the “Game of the Week” as some kind of casual work that I need to constantly be reminded of, I thought of it as a normal part of my life.
47-51 week:
Something went wrong.
It all started with the fact that I did not work on the game during the 47th week. There were many reasons for this, but in the end, it all came down to fatigue. I was tired, my brain was tired, and I just could not find the strength to do something. All the previous times when I needed to take a break and be distracted from the “Game for the week”, I felt renewed and full of strength. But this time it was different. I was still tired, I felt exactly the same as the previous week, and there was a feeling that nothing could fix this. At that moment, for the first time, I remembered my experience of participating in marathons. I was at the final stage, but each step was given with great difficulty. I only wanted one thing: to stop and allow myself to rest. But I understood that if I miss the next week, it will mean the end of everything: the moment will be missed, and I will not complete the year as I had planned.
Therefore, I did everything to "continue to run." I was tired, but I understood that there were only a few weeks left, and my feelings would be much better if I continue to work than if I give slack for a temporary respite.
52 week:
By the end of the year, I had very little energy left. 7DFPS , ProcJam and the knowledge that I will soon be able to rest, gave me the minimal amount of energy I needed to come up with a new idea. Despite the fact that I didn’t finish the games for 7DFPS or ProcJam, they inspired me and gave me the strength to bring everything to the end (as at the beginning of the way, I needed something that would keep me in good shape). I was not able to work in full force, but, at least, I managed to do something interesting to finish the year on a high note.
During the last year I was asked a large number of questions regarding “Games for the week”, so I decided to complete this article with answers to the most frequent of them (some answers will be copied from where I already answered them):
- How much time do you have to create a game in a week?
This time varies greatly and, of course, depends on how things are in general and how much I am interested in the idea of the current game. If I worked for-hire or were involved in other more urgent projects or events, then “Playing for a week” would cease to be my top priority. I never noticed exactly how much I spent on creating the game (one of my main regrets during this project), but I think it will be about 30-50 hours a week.
- Where did you get money for life?
I am quite lucky in many aspects of life. And the fact that immediately after graduating from university I managed to start working in a well-paid industry can also be considered luck. In addition, I lived very modestly for quite a long time, therefore, I had the opportunity to “stretch” my savings by almost 1.5 years. During this time I had to take up the job just a few times.
I always try to travel as cost-efficiently / cheaply as possible. I also try to save money on other aspects of life. When I was engaged in a side job, it was difficult for me to find time to continue the “Game for a week,” but I always managed to do it. At times, problems in financial terms influenced my mood, motivation and my sense of life in general, but as a programmer, I, fortunately, could quite easily find work when it was necessary.
Plus, I know that my family and my friends will always help me if a really difficult stage comes in my life. In my “adult life,” I never had to turn to them for financial help, but the understanding that there are people around me who would help me out definitely gave me some freedom in actions and an opportunity to take some risks.
- Why exactly year?
I have no decent explanation for this.
The year looks like the right amount of time for a similar project.
- Was the game worth the candle?
For me and for what I needed, yes. 100%
A year ago, when it all began, I was lost, and this project turned out to be a great way to steer me in the right direction, which I so desperately tried to find. The project allowed me to find strength and set a goal, at that moment when I was sure that I could never find either one or the other. The project helped me streamline the approach to self-learning, in those areas of game development where I had almost no experience. I became more experienced and confident in myself (if you compare me today with me "a year ago"), and this is an amazing feeling.
- Do you have a desire to repeat this project?
I do not think.
I don’t say no, but I don’t see a situation in which I would want / I would need / I would find the strength to start a similar project again. But, I would love to do something similar. Actually, I think it will be with my next step. I would like to take some of the games, and work on them in a more serious way.
Presumably, it will be something like “Games for the quarter”, where I will try to complete a full game in 3 months, and try to finalize 4 games.
- Would you recommend me to start a similar project?
Maybe.
Despite all the advantages, there are a large number of disadvantages / difficulties in this project that may or may not affect you.
This project was more psychologically exhausting than I had anticipated. MUCH more exhausting. There were weeks when I could literally drive myself into the ground, in an attempt to complete the game (or even start it). The first few times this happened, I was not prepared for this, and I thought I was weak. But it turned out that I am just a man, like all of us.
I think that the following advice will be the most useful of all the tips I have ever given regarding this project (or others like it): if you didn’t manage to finish the game in a week, THIS IS NORMAL! Give yourself a break and return to the project next week. Instead of reproaching yourself for feeling tired, let your body and mind rest, and rejoice that you take care of yourself.
People involved in game devs often ignore signs of fatigue and force themselves to work even harder until strength runs out. In a sense, this property is admirable (wow, look at how charged this person is!), But this is not the best way to work effectively for a long time.
It is very important to be able to return to the project after this week of rest. It is quite easy to lose the desire to work on a project and abandon it after “missing” a week. That is why you need to give yourself the opportunity to relax and recognize that rest is normal! By accepting this, you cut off a bunch of problems related to the “unsuccessful” week.
I talked a lot with people about the flaws of the “Games for the week”, though I’m not sure if these are flaws, really flaws, or just the result of my wrong work on the project. But, in any case, there are several points that I could not improve during the work on the “Game for the week”:
- How to sell the game.
- How to polish the game.
- How to promote the game.
The project helped me learn to create prototypes faster, sift out bad ideas and look at what I create from a critical point of view and analyze my mistakes. But I ask myself: how ready am I to create a commercially successful product?
In general, if you are just starting to make games, if you have practically no experience in game development, if you don’t know where to go next, if you don’t want to do something, if you have a huge amount of free time, if you understand how devastating (mentally) a similar project may be, if you have someone who can support you, if you like to test your strength, then yes, I would recommend a similar project.
- What's next?
Now I gave myself a little break. Despite the fact that I have a lot of ideas for new games in my head, I decided to concentrate for some time at work in order to improve my financial affairs and give my head a chance to rest. I also take part in Train Jam , and also enjoy spending time with my family and friends.
- Which games are your favorites?
I would choose the following (newer games - earlier in the list):
52 week (when I found out about shaders)
49 week (games about a rabbit that poops and eat carrots)
48 week (game metaphor of how exhausting a “Game of the week” can be)
45 week (game about gravity and space)
34 week (game about farting)
Week 27 (game about flying and feeling)
25 week (game, which is actually a twitter-bot)
Week 23 (time loop side-game)
Week 15 (a game that combines SpellTower and Fizz-Buzz )
Week 13 (game about growing a circle, as well as a game that the Firehose Game was hacked to make the record table swear)
10 week (a game that is an FPS text adventure)
5 week (the first really fun game)
2 week (a game in which too much screen shaking)
... and also John made me choose the most-favorite game of all of them, and I remembered that I was laughing and smiling the most when I was making the game of the 34th week . Therefore, I will choose the game of the 34th week as the most favorite (it should be noted that the gap from 45 weeks is ooooooooochen small).
- How are you feeling?
Well, I will reveal the secret: no one asked me this question, but I would like to answer it.
As I said earlier, one way or another, all last year I was involved in “Playing for the week.” And, despite the fact that I enjoy the respite, it seems to me that I returned to where it all began in November of 2013, when I felt lost and without a specific goal. I have rather vague plans for what direction I should develop in, and it scares me that I once again belong only to myself.
True, this time, I know more about myself and my working skills, but it doesn’t help much in choosing a future direction. At the moment I’m focusing on things other than “home” game projects, but I know that this is temporary, and after a while I’ll again want to return to this kind of work.
I know that I have gained a lot of knowledge and have learned a lot of things, but so far, I am also “lost” as at the beginning of the “Game in a week”. Of course, it will pass, but still, the end of the project is not as easy as it could be.
And yes ...
As I said at the very beginning: the most important reason for the start of the "Games for the week" was the search for motivation. At least I was able to find a goal for most of the previous year. I completed a rather serious stage, honed my ability to design projects and began to feel much more confident in a large number of aspects of game development.
I am proud that I was able to devote the last year to the "Game of the week." My brain is exhausted and I am a little sad because everything is over, but I am excitedly waiting for the next stage of my life.I'm a little scared because I don’t know what exactly will become the “next stage”, but, nevertheless, I wait for him with excitement.
And, at the end, 52 of my photos at different stages of the project:
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/247919/
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