December Holiday Ramblings

First, I want to say that I hope everyone reading this is having a pleasant Holiday Season, no matter which holiday(s) you might celebrate.

Now, on to the ramblings…

November and December were caught in my creative down-cycle.  I haven’t stopped creating, but I have pared back a bit.  I’ve been watching what others are doing, and TRYING not to rehash what they’ve been up to.

I was chatting with someone who mentioned (paraphrasing) “you say you have so many ideas for games.  Like what kinds of ideas?”  I ran off a short list of ideas which I haven’t invested any real time on… which means they didn’t go onto the site, here.  After five or six ideas, “I would totally play every one of those games.  Why don’t you start your own game studio?”  Because I know enough to know I don’t have what it takes to run such a business.  “Hire people to do it for you.”  That takes money.  And no one will invest in someone who hasn’t finished a single project yet.  “Then finish one.”

*sigh*

It sounds so easy, on paper.

In my day-to-day life, I’m laid-back and casual.  When it comes to creating something… my inclination and instinct is to go for perfection and accept nothing less.

In software design, they have a concept called Minimum Viable Product (MVP) – the most basic, featureless composition you can offer and still have it be ‘your software’.  I’ve done that on two projects… and I was left wanting more… so much more.

Mentally, I generally approach software design from the ‘wrong direction’.  I usually start with a story or concept, and then build from that.  Wrong.  I like to build bottom-up.  Wrong, too.  I enjoy creating from passion and inspiration.  Wrong three – STRIKE!  YOU’RE OUT!

(I know I got the wording wrong, but… meh.)

In all seriousness, I do not code / program / write as a career, because I go about it all wrong.  But…  going about it the ‘right way’ doesn’t feel right, either.  Maybe I’m just being rebellious?  Maybe I was meant to find success doing things the ‘wrong way’?  Maybe I was meant to quest forever, seeking my elusive goal, never to find it.

*shrug*

Don’t know.

So anyway…  I’m still up to my usual activities…  writing, coding, designing, creating, and all while trying to get by… month-to-month, day-by-day…

-Cam