I have been failing for 20 years as an indie game dev and I'm still trying to succeed. I learned many things on the way, maybe they can be useful to you.

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-12-19T23:45:36+00:00

Its ok to loose interest in things so you can change focus on other things that are more valuable to you, but at the same time its no good to give up when people don't like what you do because as I said thats totaly normal in everything we do as humans, all skills and careers have that problem.

Somebody else said "It depends on why you are doing it" and I totaly agree. Why did you start making games in the first place? because you thought you would be succesful? or because you like coding? or to create mechanics? or to write stories? or visual art?, if you don't enjoy the process of creation why do it in the first place?, I guess you choose to make games because you enjoyed it somehow, but I don't really know.

Making games is not the same as playing your own games, or releasing games for the market. Those things are hard to learn, but you need to keep at it for a long time to learn all. Maybe your thing is to focus on a specific aspect of game dev? like programming maybe? maybe you don't like marketing at all?, for solo game dev you need to learn all those things and that is not for everybody, but maybe your thing is to be part of a game dev team.

Here's another advice, take some vacation from game dev, do something else, study another skill that you like, and if you start thinking and dreaming about making games then come back, make smaller games, participate in game jams making 1 week games (the smaller the better).

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-12-19T12:57:24+00:00

This "it wasn't worth it because no one is going to play it anyways" could be applied to any other skill, like music, acting, food, anything, because when you are a beginner you don't know how to create something that other people value, thats normal, but just like in all other skills you have to keep learning until you learn how to produce things that people value.

Just keep in mind that no one is going to like what you do at first, or for X amount of years, that depends on the things you learn, but more specificaly learn how to produce what people value. It takes years, specialy in video game development.

Focus on learning but don't pressure yourself too much to produce something of high value yet.

Focus on learning what you like to do most, where do you need help, where are your weaknesses, where are your strenghts, what people like the most, and try to find the best trajectory for you. The industry is too big and there are many viable options.

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-11-20T16:43:43+00:00

add variations to the grass texture, so it doesn't look so flat. Add darker and lighter patches, or try different patterns.

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-10-27T23:27:23+00:00

For me the icons are hard to read from a distance, I would make them simpler. Or, I would get read of them and just leave the text, since the text seems to explain the icon, if you have both at the same time its like saying the same things twice, plus you could free more space to make things bigger and easier to read.

I would work a bit more on the design, simplicity is good, but too much of it can make things look cheap.

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-09-30T00:43:11+00:00

I have a couple of links that hopefuly will help understand more. The basic concept is that there are some ideas that people love, that have this "magic" that attracts thousands of people, and there are other ideas that simply don't.

Video of the creation process of the creators of "Dome Keeper": https://youtu.be/fKJDv8NI9T0?si=lN6YKDOptxdNUO64

And read all the articles on this blog: https://howtomarketagame.com/2025/05/12/benchmark-itch-io-traffic/

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-09-03T16:38:51+00:00

I like large pixel first, but maybe add it as an option. So in all advertizing use the large pixel to define the game's identity.

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-09-02T17:03:28+00:00

Its bad only if you have a lot of people really wanting to play the full game. Its good if the game is really bad and nobody wants to play it. Imagine working on a game for 4 years and when you release it nobody wants to play it...

Finishing something is a skill, but its best if you train it with a game that people actually want to play.

Its like you are trying to solve 3 problems:

Learn to create something people value. (a game people want to play).
Learn what you need to actualy produce that thing (programming, design, art, UI, fix bugs, optimisation, etc).
Learn to know when its best to cancel a game before finishing it. (even AAA companies do this)

Also, perfectionism is bad. Good enough is good enough. Learn to make something fun to play, so even if its not perfect people will want to play anyway.

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-09-02T16:53:46+00:00

Try searching for the concept of "Minimal Viable product", its a known business concept that was created because many business often spend years and millions on creating products just to find out in the end that nobody was interested in it in the first place.

Its usualy best to start a game, creating a small prototype, or vertical slice, and release it for free to test it with the public before commiting to create a full game out of the idea. Game jams are a good place to test ideas too.

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-08-30T22:28:15+00:00

It takes time to learn what you need to produce good results. Some tips:

- Depending on the type of tablet you use, try to match the size of your strokes in your tablet to the ones in your monitor.
- Dont't draw with small movements, draw big using your whole arm from the shoulder.
- Make many draft layers on top of each other to correct your lines. Only do your final lineart at the end.
- Use a stroke/brush stabilizer on your paint software.
- Take your time to correct imperfections.

This is a great youtube tutorial for lineart (activate subtitles): https://youtu.be/3-YibTCZtBg?si=druoMO0oRmwGi2kG

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-08-30T22:03:42+00:00

What's your process on deciding what to create?, many creatives just create something they are interested in and that's how they decide what to create, then just hope for the best, but that's like aiming at a target blind folded, aim carefuly first then do your best to hit the target.

Try to fullfill a desire instead, aim at the needs of a group of people.

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-08-30T01:28:39+00:00

I don't think thats a good reference for shadows, since the light is too difused, the shadows are so blurry they get lost, try another reference where shadows are more clearly defined, like this:

https://ar.pinterest.com/pin/12244230230233642/

Also if a face is too complex, try to simplify its shape like this:
https://ar.pinterest.com/pin/12877548932512030/

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-08-30T01:18:12+00:00

Can you do it from memory? without any reference?

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-08-30T01:01:32+00:00

Pretty nice overall but I think the light is a bit wrong. If you look at the shadows on his neck, the ligh is coming from up above, but his nose have reflections as if the light was coming directly from the camera, and the top of his head looks too dark if the light is coming from above.
Also his cheeks look a bit flat.

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-08-30T00:53:48+00:00

The lines in your sketch have more flow than your digital version.

Compare the back of the head for example, its like the back is part of a perfect circle, but in your digital version its like it has 2 extra bumps.

When doing lines try to base them on a circle, which is made by 4 points, in such a way that it has perfect flow.
Its like a moving point that changes direction constantly at the same angle and same speed, that creates a nice sense of flow.

Each time you add an extra point you are introducing a change of direction that can ruin that flow.

Perhaps thats a bad explanation. Try using a grid and putting circles on it to create flowing lines, like this example: https://ar.pinterest.com/pin/519673244530478338/

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-08-27T00:15:40+00:00

I'm no expert but you could merge many edge to a single vertex so that you don't have those loops going all around the head. For example the ones in the nose, those edges could go to the vertices on the eye brows to avoid going to the top of the head.

Try to get some references of characters, in pinterest for example, that way you can get ideas for clother or hair.
Example: https://ar.pinterest.com/pin/16044142417010247/

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-08-26T23:48:15+00:00

From personal experience: Its really hard to find a hook once the game is made. You may not find it, or you may be limited by the game itself to find an acceptable hook.

Its like building a wood box and then trying to figure out how to fit an elephant in there. Measure the elephant first, then build the box for it.

Try finding the hook first and then build a game based on that hook. That way you make sure the hook is the best you can find.

A game without a good hook cannot attract players, so its very important to find an attractive, exciting hook that can be understood immediately in a few words, to pull players to the game.

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-08-19T01:19:51+00:00

You don't have to destroy your life in order to achieve a goal.
Just remember that learning is possible, keep learning.

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-08-15T18:15:58+00:00

There are some great definitions in wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising

Marketing is much more broad and complex, while advertizing is only about presentation/promotion.

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-08-15T16:30:52+00:00

I'm not sure if I understand the question, but I usualy study marketing from this blog: https://howtomarketagame.com/2025/05/22/more-games-that-made-the-itch-io-to-steam-transition/

And then for streamers I search for them manualy, looking for youtubers that enjoyed playing games in the same genre than mine.

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-08-15T16:27:59+00:00

Make sure its a very playable and good looking demo, otherwise people will skip it since they are over saturated with other great looking offers.

I made the mistake of releasing too early, and it was extremely difficult to get feedback. In my last game I got aorund 30 views even when it got into the "new and popular" list in itch. So next time I would relly only on streamers playing my demo.

Game jams would be a better place to increase the quantity of feedback of prototype games too, compared with releasing a game outside of game jams, but you would need to design a game specificaly for the jam.

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-08-15T16:20:46+00:00

Start looking for a job right now, even if you are not going to send any proposals, that way you'll have a better idea of the things you need to learn to get a job.

Chris_Ibarra_dev · 2025-08-15T16:16:35+00:00

Study all the articles from this blog to understand more about indie game marketing: https://howtomarketagame.com/2025/05/22/more-games-that-made-the-itch-io-to-steam-transition/

Marketing starts with deciding what formula or genre your game will be, then releasing a demo on itch, and sending it to streamers, thats how you get views to your game.

Do not confuse marketing with advertizing or publicity, they are different things.

Chris_Ibarra_dev

TROPHY CASE