Making Indie Games Solo: Challenges and Solutions

Personal Experience

Initial Struggles: Felt isolated and unhappy with desk job; dream was to make indie games.
Lengthy Development: 3 years working on 'Pinstripe' without significant progress. Key challenge: solo development felt like a pipe dream.

Self-Care and Decision Making: Easy to be careless and make decisions that delay the project.
Constant Changes: Frequently changing story, character design, logo, art style, mechanics, etc.
Psychological Toll: Self-induced psychological warfare due to being the sole developer.
Multiple Roles: Took on ~20 different roles (coder, artist, musician, designer, QA, marketer, etc.).
Time Management: Balancing development with personal life led to burnout.
Failed Milestones: Example – 'Pinstripe' rejected by IGF, leading to severe disappointment.

Milestone Documents: Created a milestone document and had it co-signed by an accountability partner to stay on track.
Leveraging External Resources:
- Using Unity Asset Store for templates.
- Websites like Turbo Squid for assets.
- Platforms like Fiverr for contract work.
- Epidemic Sound and Pond5 for music.
- Utilizing publishers for marketing and funding.

Small Festivals: Submitted 'Pinstripe' to smaller festivals, leading to fruitful connections.
Kickstarter Campaign: Successfully raised $100,000, allowing him to become a full-time developer.
Publisher Partnerships: Partnered with Armor Games and Serenity Forge.

Use Assets and Templates: Don't feel guilty about using external resources to speed up development.
Stick to a Schedule: Follow a structured schedule or milestone checklist.
Secure Funding: Use crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter or pitch to publishers.
Maintain Balance: Avoid burnout by managing time effectively.

Free Courses and Kits:
- Free 3D course for quick game development.
- Free 2D game kit used to make a game for PewDiePie in 14 days.
- Webinar on securing six figures in funding with just a demo.

All resources are free and aimed at helping solo developers succeed.

Key Takeaway: It's possible to make a game solo without it being a miserable experience.
Final Advice: Don't take yourself too seriously, use available resources, and stick to a plan for the best outcomes.

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