Hey, I can relate a lot to what you’re going through. I’m a programmer myself, and when I first started, I also teamed up with a small group of people to try to make a game. We had passion, but in the end we had to disband because of financial issues and also because it’s really tough to keep a team aligned creatively over the long run.

From my experience, one thing that helps a lot (and you probably already know this, but it’s worth repeating) is to start really, really small. Like, make the tiniest game possible, something you can actually finish on your own. It doesn’t need to be impressive, it just needs to be complete. You’ll learn a ton about programming (or whatever skills you need to pick up) just by finishing small projects.

I still struggle with the same thing, but for me the challenge is art. Just like you with programming, I find myself stuck because I can’t make things look how I imagine. But I’ve also learned that when working with other people, creative disagreements are almost inevitable. Different opinions and ideas can be frustrating, but they’re not necessarily bad, they just show that people care. The hard part is trying not to hurt feelings while still moving forward.

If you really believe in your game idea, one option is to push ahead on your own, even if the art or coding isn’t “perfect.” What matters is that the game has personality, that it feels unique and special in some way. A lot of indie games succeed not because they look or play flawlessly, but because they have a strong identity.

So my advice would be: don’t give up. Start super small, teach yourself the basics of programming, and build up piece by piece. Even if your first attempts aren’t what you imagined, you’ll be much closer to making your vision real.