The common thread among dozens of successful people I’ve talked to…
I was faced with a very tough decision early on in my career.
Which game engine and framework should I focus on? Most people said that I should use Unity, some people said GameMaker Studio. Other people recommended Construct, Cocos2D, LOVE2D, and Pygame. Unreal Engine 4 was also beginning to pick up around then.
I was confused.
So, I tried almost all of them.
“That’s ridiculous!”
And yeah, you’re right. It could be ridiculous. But I was tired of wasting time thinking about which one to use. Then I told myself to just pick one, go all in, and if it doesn’t work out… switch.
So I picked GameMaker Studio and jumped in head first.
Fast forward a few months, I was still using GameMaker Studio. And later, I went on to build my second game, Overture, which did pretty well on Steam.
What’s the point?
If you think, “Use GameMaker Studio!” Stop skimming.
Here’s the point.
When you’re faced with a seemingly tough decision, it’s way too common for us to just sit back and deliberate.
I get it, we all want to properly analyze the situation and make the “right” decision.
But it’s about more than just game creation software. It can be about any decision.
Maybe you’re not sure what features to implement in your game next.
Maybe you’re thinking about pursuing a new genre for your next game.
Maybe you’re thinking about what platform to focus on developing for.
Whatever the case, what’s the best way to figure out what you should do?
Should you obsess over every tiny little detail?
NO.
Now, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t go and do your preliminary research, but you need to stop researching and start doing.
Here’s where things get interesting — I’ve talked to a lot of successful people in my career so far, and I noticed that they all have a similar thing in common.
After doing their initial research, they stopped. Then, immediately started taking action.
My take on this?
The difference between people who seemingly are “success stories” and people who are seen as failures?
The people who failed often never get started.
They stayed in their happy place and waited for things to be just right before they started executing.
Successful people get started before they’re ready, and adjust their sails along the way. Don’t fall into the trap of waiting for a moment of preparedness that will never come.
If you haven’t yet started, start now.
If you’re already on your path, keep going.
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About The Author
Daniel Doan is the Co-Founder & CGO of Black Shell Media and the developer of SanctuaryRPG and Overture, among dozens of unfinished game prototypes. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
