I evaluate indie games on what they could have been.

In fact I evaluate all games what they could have been.

I have been asked:

“What justification could you possibly have for judging a game for what it could have been?”

“All games COULD have been more.”

That is not true.

At this point in history there are many games that can’t be more because of technological limits.

The limitations of Virtual Reality (such as the Oculus Rift) and Brain Computer Interfaces (such as the EPOC, made by Emotive) are two examples of how technology is limiting game development.

All of us have limitations. However…

If you give ten people the same programming language, art skills, and deadline to work with—all of these people will have the same limitations. They will have the limitations that are akin to the design limits of the programming language, the art skills given to them, and the deadline.

After taking the limitations of time, art, and code into consideration you have to realize that some people will do the minimal amount of work with their resources and other people will push harder to achieve more.

While some people strive to meet their full potentials, and take their games as far as they can, other people settle on something less than their full potentials.

That is why some people start businesses, climb mountains, sky dive, and run for political office. While other people take the easy road through life by working jobs they hate so they can go home and watch TV every day.

It’s a matter of striving to meet your full potentials or not.

I evaluate games what they could have been.

And so do you.

It is common sense that people evaluate games on have’s and have not’s.

What does the game have?

What doesn’t the game have?

Where does the game exceed when compared to other games that are similar?

Where does the game fail when compared to other games that are similar?

Realize when you talk about what a game does not have you are in fact referring to what the game could have been if the game had X, Y, and Z.

It seems to me that most game developers on Gamejolt do the minimum and expect praise for it.

They spend a weekend or two working on a game and then they expect five stars for that small amount of effort and dedication.

Furthermore, when they didn’t get the praise the 5 stars were expecting, they get pissed off.

If you want browny points you have to earn it by putting more into your game than the minimum.

If you go out into the world (that exists outside of gamejolt) and try to sell your game after putting in the minimum amount of effort and time, what kind score do you expect to get for your game?

At best, you’re going to be ignored.

At worst, you’re going to be laughed at.

All of us have limitations….

But using our limitations as an excuse to not meet our full potentials is lazy.

I don’t reward people for being lazy.

You have been in school, right?

When you turned in a half-assed home work assignment or a half-completed test, did the teacher give you a good grade or a bad grade?

IF you didn’t put in the effort….you get a low grade.

If you didn’t complete your test or homework assignment….you get a low grade.

“It’s just a hobby for me!”

And hey that is fine.

But if that is true then why do you care about someone else’s opinion of your hobby?

Are you making games for fun or are you trying to impress people?

If are you trying to impress people then you need to change you attitude about the amount of time and effort you put into your games.

If you are making games with dreams of making a decent living from game development, then you need to buck up and accept criticism and low ratings when you make a clone or some other cheap game.

Why can’t I give indie game developers a break?

Why do indie game developers deserve a break?

When compared to traditional game publishers, indie game developers have several advantages.

#1

Funding

Do you require millions of dollars to make a game?

No.

Great indie games can be made with little to no budget.

If you can’t do great art or you suck at writing code, learn how to do it better.

There are hundreds of free tutorials on the web.

If you have really have put in the effort to learn and still suck in one area then join a team or start a team. There are so many people who are glad to help just so they can get their foot in the door and learn the ropes of game development.

#2

Deadlines

Do you have any deadlines for your game?

If you fail to put a game out by the start of the coming year, will you lose your house?

Most game publishers don’t have a second source of income large enough to support a dying company.

When game publishers don’t meet their deadline they risk going out of business.

#3

Software

Major game publishers are convinced that they HAVE have to use C#, Java, or Delphi.

To a major game publisher it is unprofessional to even think about using Gamemaker or Unity.

And that mindset is costing them a lot of time and money.

When you compare fully packaged software like Gamemaker or Unity to what I call bare bones production software (C#, Java, or Delphi) you realize that people who make games with Gamemaker or Unity have a huge advantage.

Maybe you have never used C#, Java, or Delphi….

So, think about all of those things that Gamemaker and Unity do for you.

Both, Gamemaker and Unity, provide you with a working game engine.

And, they handle:

1. all of the graphics pipeline issues,

2. all of the artwork,

3. and how your game will interact with an operating system.

And by using Gamemaker and Unity we are able to effectively change those parameters with a few lines of code.

Whereas, when you use C#, Java, or Delphi you have to make you own game engine and everything else from scratch.

Compared to C#, Java, or Delphi, it’s far too easy to make the basics of a video game with Gamemaker and Unity.

And because these advantages I expect something more out of indie developers and I expect more out of myself.

To make a long explanation short: Effort means something to me.

I evaluate games on what they could have been IF that person had striven to meet their full potentials and taken the game as far as they can with their resources.

If that person does not put in the effort, I dock points.

And I expect the same grading system for my games.

Effort shows through in the end.

And so does a lack of effort.

It’s common sense that people WILL grade your games based on the results of your effort or the lack thereof.

If you are a person who dreams about being an accomplished game developer then I expect more from you than imitations (clones) and cheap games that only took 48 to 72 hours to make.

This is a world filed in awesome, incredible beings of vast intelligence, innovation, creativity and ambition.

You should expect more from yourself.

Strive to meet your full potentials and I will be the first to congratulate you for your achievements, even if the game didn’t turn out the way you planned.

Effort means something to me.

And effort should mean something to you.