Taking names, making games
Dead-Simple Dialogue for Simple 2D Games In Godot Engine
Escaping the Trough of Discontent without drowning in complexity
A successful documentary producer once warned me about what he calls the “trough of discontent,” probably because of my obvious excitement to work on a super secret project with a successful documentary producer.
This is the third installment in my series about making a very silly joke video game in a week. You can catch the introduction here.
The idea is that every creative work you attempt starts with a great idea that floods your brain with happy thoughts and dopamine. This rush gets you through the planning phase and even through starting the work.
Then, the happy juice runs out.
The work gets harder than you expected. The plan goes wrong. People and resources vanish. All of the “wouldn’t it be cool if I made this?” is replaced by “wouldn’t it be cool if I stopped this and never told anyone I tried it?” This is where many projects die.
The project’s survival at this stage requires a change in mindset. You need to pay attention to smaller parts of the work. It helps to love the craft for its own sake.
