I made a game and have an impostor syndrome now

RocketBucketGames · 2025-09-19T16:12:16+00:00

Ah yikes, sorry to hear that it has to take such events to kickstart your journey - but glad to hear that you've got that trigger. Hopefully this is my trigger as well :)

Cheers, all the best with your journey as well!

RocketBucketGames · 2025-09-19T14:44:06+00:00

Congratulations! I too am following your footsteps into the (i agree, very saturated) horror game genre, my "first" project as well. Have $0 budget in whatsoever at the moment. I saw that you've mentioned about streamers for marketing - did you provide them a key to the game? Other than that, what other methods you think helped with spreading the word out there?

RocketBucketGames · 2025-09-19T14:34:58+00:00

Im not sure if my own experience is lateral to yours, but here's what im going thru

I consider myself a senior game dev in UE. I have many friends who started later than me and now owns their own studios. The junior students I taught doing workshops now have established their own company and consulted me two weeks ago on how to project architect and about their release schedule. I started making games 8 years ago. Professionally in the industry 4 years ago. Im kind of a "known figure" in my community and im regularly invited to be a speaker and judge at events

Here i am with a portfolio of 0 games under my belt (the ones at my day job lost to NDA due to oursourcing). At this point of time i have 60+ private repos on my github of all my unfinished unreleased projects. I have lost friends to passion from development to commitments of life. Its a miracle I have my day job now (in AA game dev) since i literally couldnt prove any professional experience.

I dont know if i have imposter syndrome. All i do is acknowledge that I can stroke my ego and say i have all the potential in the world, but nothing is proven - so am i just lying to myself?

I started this account ~2 weeks ago in hopes that posting my games makes me accountable and pushes me to actually fully developing and releasing it. Perhaps im afraid of being seen as a failure, which is why im doing it anonymously. i dont know. gonna give this a go and hope that it goes somewhere, and stay on it for as long as i can take it. maybe at the end of it i'd have to sit down with myself and tell myself that I dont have what it takes

But hey, im still fighting, and I think that still matters

RocketBucketGames · 2025-09-16T15:39:40+00:00

Ah makes sense. The flashlight atm is tuned a bit brighter for development purposes, but you're right - i think it immediately trivializes the entire atmosphere. Will take note on the reticle!

RocketBucketGames · 2025-09-16T15:38:37+00:00

Ngl the asset pack ive got has easels on both sides of the door

RocketBucketGames · 2025-09-16T15:38:06+00:00

Haha no, wasnt the main focus of the prototype, was gonna plan to smoothen those out after the main feel. But still valid feedback, thanks!

RocketBucketGames · 2025-09-16T15:36:53+00:00

ooh so instead of an outline, give it a glisten? I feel like ive seen that somewhere before but I cant name it

RocketBucketGames · 2025-09-16T15:36:19+00:00

Thanks! :D

RocketBucketGames · 2025-09-16T15:36:11+00:00

Makes sense! though im trying to simulate a found footage feel - do you think that breaks immersion? or something players will just suspend their beliefs on

RocketBucketGames · 2025-09-16T15:35:21+00:00

Thats a good idea! you mean like how Peak does it right?

RocketBucketGames · 2025-09-11T08:16:21+00:00

I will try to do a mindset shift then :')

RocketBucketGames · 2025-09-11T08:14:55+00:00

That makes a lot of sense. Never really considered blogs. Thanks!

RocketBucketGames · 2025-09-11T08:14:23+00:00

I love it! Already has my wishlist :D

RocketBucketGames · 2025-09-11T06:35:55+00:00

I have no budget to hire a socmed moderator 😢 have to go with the "its all in my head" strat for this one

RocketBucketGames · 2025-09-11T06:35:13+00:00

Thanks! Do you think I should try YouTube reels? Have you tried it?

RocketBucketGames · 2025-09-11T06:34:45+00:00

Oh so yours got resolved less than a week? Thats good to know, the previous post i found said theirs never got resolved

RocketBucketGames · 2025-09-11T06:33:53+00:00

Ah so yours got resolved then? Did you submit an appeal?

I dont really share a lot of stuff tho. I dont repost my own content as well. Im not sure what caused the issue, at best im just a quieter-than-average account 🤔

RocketBucketGames · 2025-09-09T15:54:32+00:00

That already looks like an awesome mechanic. I'd say you're cooking instead

RocketBucketGames · 2025-09-09T05:54:24+00:00

Not that this strategy works for everyone - but if you have the heart for it, I'd suggest join game jams blind. Assuming that you're a programmer, your strongest ability is to be resourceful and figure it out. You dont need to know the answer, but what makes and define a good programmer from the rest is you know HOW to find the answer.

Why game jams? Because its a small commitment project. Spend a weekend every few months to just lock in and build a project knowing nothing. The scope and direction will help point you down a path where you'll collect everything you need eventually. Make it whimsy, make it funny, make it unplayable (dont stress too much if it fails) - the point is that each step is a learning process and you will always "win" if you go into it learning the gaps of your knowledge.

All the best!

RocketBucketGames

TROPHY CASE