1 free read left. Create a free account for unlimited reading + AI research.
Create free account7 Game Development Mistakes I Made When I Got Started!
Key insights
6 takeaways- 01Distinguish clearly between designing for personal enjoyment and designing for a commercial audience to ensure the product meets market needs.
- 02Prioritize iterative prototyping over committing to a single large-scale project to validate market potential and avoid wasted development time.
- 03Conduct thorough pre-production research to confirm market demand for unique mechanics before committing to full-scale development.
- 04Validate the understandability of core gameplay mechanics early; if the concept is not immediately graspable through visuals or footage, its commercial appeal is significantly compromised.
- 05Implement frequent feedback loops by releasing prototypes to testers early to avoid the 'one more feature' trap that delays production.
- 06Build community investment and project visibility by sharing development progress, screenshots, and videos publicly from the earliest stages of production.
Ask AI about this video
Transcript
hey this job is making games with you and the goal of this YouTube channel is to let you learn from my mistakes and I made some major mistakes in the last three months so if I could go back in time and start with game development three months ago here's what I would do first big mistake I made was I started with the first idea that came to my mind I didn't try different things I just had one idea and I got started right away that was way too impatient what I should have done is I should have made ten little games and see what works best and then go for that not just growth for the first idea right away and you're probably missing out if you do that second big mistake I made is I overestimated my experience because I've been making games for a very long time what I didn't take into consideration is that making games for fun and making games for a real audience for the market are two very very different things making games for fun is great in all and you can make fun games that you enjoy yourself that's cool and I'm very good at that making games and other people enjoy and getting other people excited for your
game is an entirely different story and I have to learn that side as well I don't know all that much about it so yeah I overestimated the experience I have so once again what I should have done is I should have started with smaller projects to get used to this to have a little faster learning experience starting with one monster project when you don't have any experience here if you don't have any idea how to get something out there into the real world into the real market it's probably smarter to make a couple of small experiments than just going for one big idea right away start small start small the next time I should have invested a little more time into pre-production once again that just comes down to me being a little too impatient I should have tried to confirm that there's a demand for the game I'm making it should have confirmed that there's a demand for a unique strategy game with very different controls because slowly but surely I'm figuring out that maybe people are just not interested in that and I'll try to find that out but maybe you should try to find that out before
you get started what about that so next time I'll make sure to do that and try to figure out if people are interested in my game before I invest too much time into it that's definitely a mistake I made that's something I'll do different next time then another thing I learned is that understandability is a big deal I don't know if the word understandability exists but yeah understandability is super important if people don't understand your game that destroys a lot of the appeal if people understand what's going on there's a lot higher chance that they will think oh I want to try that if they don't understand what's going on and they see your screenshot or game play off your game they will probably not think oh I want to try this why would you want to try something that you don't understand how easy your game is to understand just by watching at screenshots and watching gameplay footage is a massively big deal and I will pay more attention to that next time then the next one is a point I already knew about get more feedback earlier and even though I'm a huge fan
of getting a lot of feedback very early on I didn't really do it enough so I should have published my game earlier to you I should have released it earlier so you can play it and test it and this I just need to add one more thing mentality before I put it out there that's pretty harmful just get your game out there as quickly as possible I mean sometimes it doesn't make sense to release it to the public but just try to get a lot of feedback then maybe find a couple of friends you know find some way to get more feedback earlier you need more feedback and you need it to earlier you need to find out if your game works and you don't want to find that out when you against and you want to find that out when you get started I think we can sum all of the mistakes I made so far up in be patient be a little more patient when you get started with a new project when you should try to do is learn as much as possible figure out what works and what doesn't just jumping right into the pool and trying to be successful right away it's not the best strategy be more patient if I got started now I would definitely try to be a little more patient and hopefully still look for quite a while so there's not really a
shortage of time I should just I should just have been a little more patient how about we mix one thing in here that I'm quite happy with and that went quite well put yourself out there post screenshots of your game post videos of your game on the end that's something that helped me tremendously firstly it gets you invested into my game it makes you excited for my game and I think just doing that as early as possible it's a really smart idea I'm obviously just talking from my experience right now I don't regret putting myself out there at all and I would do it pretty much the same way if I got started now if we could go back in time three months and I would have to start the game development process all over again I would still post a lot of videos I would still post a lot of screenshots that helps you to get a lot of feedback and it helps you to get visibility and reach and my only regret is maybe I should have done more of it maybe I should have quadrupled down on it people will get invested in your game and they will give you useful advice and feedback and ideas and it's
awesome put yourself out there so that was what I learned in the last three months of game development I hope you don't have to make the same mistakes if you found this useful leave a subscription make the world your playground see you in the next one peace out
Summary
Transitioning from hobbyist game development to professional commercial production requires a fundamental shift in strategy and mindset. The primary challenge for new developers is the tendency to prioritize speed and personal interest over market viability and user experience. Success in the industry is rarely instantaneous, and developers who attempt to launch a single, large-scale project without prior experience often encounter significant obstacles that could be mitigated through iterative testing and disciplined pre-production.
Key strategic errors include committing to the first idea conceived rather than prototyping multiple concepts to identify market potential. Developers frequently overestimate their existing skills, failing to distinguish between creating games for personal enjoyment and designing for a commercial audience. Furthermore, neglecting pre-production research—specifically validating market demand for unique mechanics—often leads to wasted development time. A critical, often overlooked factor is game understandability; if potential players cannot immediately grasp the core gameplay through visuals or footage, the product’s appeal is severely diminished.
To improve outcomes, developers should prioritize early and frequent feedback loops, releasing prototypes to testers as soon as possible to avoid the "one more feature" trap. While patience and incremental progress are essential, visibility is equally vital. Sharing development progress, screenshots, and videos publicly from the earliest stages is a highly effective practice that builds community investment, generates valuable feedback, and increases project reach. Ultimately, the transition to professional development is best served by a methodical approach that balances rapid experimentation with a commitment to understanding the target audience’s needs.
