Tricks to Staying Motivated?

[Hare]

Hello everyone! 

How do you stay motivated on a game? Do you have any tricks?

Oftentimes you just have to suck it up when you're tired and do the work, that's normal. There's no easy out of trick that will make work not be work.

With that said, though, you can trick your brain into making the work a little less streneuous like thinking about the work in smaller portions, setting small daily goals, rewarding yourself, and finding ways to change up the work to keep it interesting. 

What are some others?

 

[Digital]

I have found breaking work into manageable little parts help, and even attacking the parts that I find more interesting while adding in more boring parts in the middle can help make it a little better.

Motivation is always about dedication and discipline to me. I have to force myself into doing it to keep myself motivated about it!

 

[SingSong]

Honestly, I find that I force myself to complete things. I have to keep telling myself why I am doing this project and imagine the final product. When I have those things in mind, it's easier to push through. The fact is, most of the parts involved in building a game aren't fun. Aside from the idea and brainstorming process, I don't have much fun completing things. I just like the feeling of seeing things accomplished and knowing I'm one step closer. That's the plus for me.

As Digital mentioned, dedication and discipline are key factors in whether you'll see something to the end or not. Passion is important to me as well.

When I am not trying to finish a particular part of my game, I jump around a lot, so that at least I get some things done before getting exhausted mentally from boredom.

My personal trick: I spend every free moment getting a small part done for my project, and then I let myself have a few days off. Somehow this works for me, because I so dislike having things on my plate that I have to think about. It's only after they're done that I can relax, and I can appreciate those relaxation days that I give to myself.

 

[Digital]

I like @Matthew suggestion of tackling the quick win as a means to give one the motivation to propel into the next task!

 

[Anoua]

Breaking things into more manageable chunks is really important for me in general. My natural tendency when something feels overwhelming is to just avoid it. Which is obviously not a good response. But if I can force past that a bit and then just get an overview, and break things down, that helps a lot. One of my professors in particular during school helped me get to this point as learning to program was initially hard for me.

I also get motivation from my players now that I have games that are released. They aren't always enthusiastic, but I enjoy having something to release for them, and when they are it's fun. This is especially true for Animal Acres. With Eliyo it's more a personal creation that I want to happen, so I do it because I have a vision I want to finish for it. I think people will like it, but it's probably more for me than them.

 

[Digital]

I also get motivation from my players now that I have games that are released. They aren't always enthusiastic, but I enjoy having something to release for them, and when they are it's fun. This is especially true for Animal Acres. With Eliyo it's more a personal creation that I want to happen, so I do it because I have a vision I want to finish for it. I think people will like it, but it's probably more for me than them.

I am feeling the same about the Adoptables here on these forums, the feedback and input from our members have been a major force in me wanting to deliver great features.

 

[Anoua]

@Digital Nice! Well I know I like the adoptables. Not really why I joined, but they are super cute. Hard to pick just one.. so I picked two.  :laugh:

 

[Digital]

@Digital Nice! Well I know I like the adoptables. Not really why I joined, but they are super cute. Hard to pick just one.. so I picked two.  :laugh:

Thanks goes to @Hare for the art. They are a fun side aspect to the forums.