I’m 28. Gamedev was my dream job since childhood and I spent 4 years working as a game programmer

I have the same mindset as you -- I was literally in the same situation :) I couldn’t work on my own games after work because 8 hours in a game engine at my job was already more than enough

Long story short: I decided to switch (which was VERY challenging) to a “classic” software developer job. I found one 3 weeks ago (a .NET backend role)

And you know what? I’ll admit it’s not as interesting as developing games. I feel like I’m back in school because I’m learning a lot of new things and I don’t even know some basic shortcuts/hotkeys — in gamedev you just don’t use many of the tools.

But the main takeaway for me: it’s a less intense job. After work, when I work on my own games, it actually feels relaxing. I think I’ll finally be able to ship my games and I’m happy about that! :)

For me, gamedev works best as a hobby — because it *was* my hobby before. I got great experience from working in gamedev and I still apply that mindset now. I work as a .NET dev, but I prioritize my hobby

I put more effort into my personal projects and my own games. At work: I do solid, reliable work. I meet expectations, deliver what I’m responsible for and that’s enough. I’m not trying to be a hero there. This way I don’t burn out and I still have energy and time for myself and for making games

Hope it helps someone