{"id":1731,"date":"2025-10-06T14:22:27","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T12:22:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.videogames4good.eu\/?p=1731"},"modified":"2025-10-06T14:28:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T12:28:15","slug":"5-mistakes-all-first-time-video-game-creators-make-including-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.videogames4good.eu\/?p=1731","title":{"rendered":"5 mistakes all first-time video game creators make \u2013 including us\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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From Square Enix\u2019s Final Fantasy VI: Pixel Remaster (2023)<\/h5>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Source: https:\/\/kritiqal.com\/articles\/final-fantasy-war \u200b<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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5 mistakes all first-time video game creators make \u2013 including us <\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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At Yuzupulse, we\u2019ve been working on our first commercial video game since sometime in 2023. That might seem like a long time \u2013 and it probably is. Or maybe not.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Anyway, we\u2019ve heard about several traps related to a small team\u2019s first video game project. Think teams of 10 people or less, including solo developers. People warned us against several, yet we\u2019ve fallen \u2013 to a degree \u2013 into almost all of them.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Really, video game creation takes time. And most, if not all, professionals we talked to or attended the conferences of agree on one thing about the first video game project of a team: the first project of the first studio of a team is more about learning the process to ship a game than about creating the next hit.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

And we might all hear the advices below, yet, without realising it, we might be ignoring most of them, if not all.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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1. Starting with your dream project <\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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If you want to create a video game, there are video games that you love. Chances are that in your wildest dreams, you would like to create one inspired by your favorite games. That\u2019s your first trap. Your favorite games are most likely to have been developed by a big team with a big budget, or for smaller indie games, by experienced designers or developers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Also, you do have to like your game project, but if you\u2019re in love with it, the chances for you to ignore feedback \u2013 from funders, players, and testers \u2013 are too high. Pride could get into your way.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

And if you want to go all in on your very first project, you might have nothing to fall back on in case you have to stop working on it, and your disappointment will be higher. So protect yourself from\u2026 well, yourself.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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2. Thinking too big <\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Ok, so you\u2019ve decided not to start off with your dream project. Congrats!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

But a new challenger appears: your second project idea has too big a scope for a first project. You think you\u2019ll create it in 3 months, but it might take you 3 years in the end.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u2018Nah, I\u2019m fine. This one is smaller than my dream project, so I\u2019ll totally be able to make it.\u2019<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Spoiler alert: until you\u2019ve created and shipped a game from A to Z, you aren\u2019t conscious of the challenges in front of you, nor of your ability to face them. Your enemies might not lie in the game creation itself, but in supporting tasks: testing, knowing how to take feedback into account, communication, marketing, localization, community management, partnerships, etc. So many jobs are necessary for video game creation, and it\u2019s unlikely that you\u2019re a full professional in all these areas. So you have to make smart choices.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The internet is full of examples of game projects that got smaller and smaller as production progressed: that\u2019s normal. You can\u2019t be innovative on 100% of aspects of your game on your first shot. And that\u2019s ok: your first game can still show your creativity even if it is short.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Again, the main point of your first project should be to learn how to ship a game. Then you\u2019ll be able to make a better one in a next project.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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3. Not having a source of additional income <\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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To link back to the fact that your project could take more time than initially planned \u2013 for reasons linked to production, or for personal reasons -, the resources (time and money) you have initially budgeted might not be sufficient.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

This is why we all receive the advice of having an (additional) revenue stream. You can offer freelance services in your area of expertise, have a part-time job, or use public or private funding opportunities. Ideally, this revenue stream should not be dependent on your game project though. Because if you need to cancel or pause it, then you\u2019re free to do so.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

But hey, why would you stop your game project?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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4. Not taking enough care of yourself <\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Because while you were committing to your game, you forgot about yourself. It\u2019s a work of passion, a work of art, and a technical piece. There are always things you could develop, you could improve, or you could learn. You forgot about your comfort zone and are always in your stretch or stress zone.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

You sacrifice your sleep because you want to make progress, or you can\u2019t get rid of your new ideas at night. Then, because you\u2019re tired, you meet your friends and family less often.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

But do you know what makes studios sustainable over time? A team. If your team or its key members burn out, your studio burns out as well.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

So keep living a healthy lifestyle on average, because your video game doesn\u2019t need you to burn out, it needs sustained work.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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5. Waiting for everything to be perfect before sharing your work <\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Self-censorship and imposter syndrome are likely to knock on your door. Learn how to set yourself goals and a roadmap to make sure your project, and ideally your mind, don\u2019t suffer from these challengers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

You will need to show your game while it\u2019s still a draft diagram, while it\u2019s still a quick sketch on paper, while it\u2019s full of placeholders, and, in sum, when it\u2019s still ugly. That\u2019s the only way you can get feedback from players, funders, publishers, etc.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

That\u2019s the whole point of the \u201cmake it exist first, you can make it good later\u201d trend in indie games.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Video game creation is an iterative process in all its aspects. So do iterat<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Conclusion <\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Is all I wrote in the article true? Maybe not for everyone. But my colleagues and I heard about these challenges in enough examples to be able to say that they\u2019re important to pay attention to.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

You can take the example of Miju Games, who started with the dream game that flopped, and then adopted a more targeted process and managed to release a hit: Strategic decisions for fast and efficient shipping: Planet Crafter | A. Bernardi & B. Cavallini (captions available):<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>