ID:932499
 
I stand as a pretty decent programmer. There's many things I could learn, but I do alright.

My biggest personal problem, however, is designing something fun. A lot of times, I get through the mechanics and get the framework lain, then say "I wouldn't even play this" and drop it directly into the recycle bin. If you struggle like I do, perhaps this article can help!
Thanks for posting that. I find that many of your ideas apply not just to successful game design but success at a wide range of goals.
Meh, there are better articles. This guy contradicts himself a few times ( starts off by saying "your goal shouldn't be to make money" and ends by saying "try to make some money" in tip 23 ) and even mentions "publishing deals"... why an indie developer would be interested in a publishing deal is beyond me.
One of the problems in indie development is a developer who doesn't offer fans or investors a way to pay them.

There's a difference between intentionally designing Zynga and putting a PayPal button on your website. He actually gives a warning against publishing deals if you have no business understanding.
It's not a contradiction at all. "Your goal shouldn't be to make money" isn't the same thing as "try not to make any money".

Your goal is the thing that motivates you, the reason you're doing something. If your end goal is to make money, then even within the gaming industry there are better and more reliable ways to do it than developing your own games. That's what the article is saying. Have a better reason to be making games (or to be making even one particular game) then "I want to make money."

If your goal is to have fun or make something you enjoy and are proud of, though, that's another story.

And if you also include ways for people to pay for your work, that's icing on the cake.

And if you end up with something you think could generate a lot of icing... well, maybe it's time to think about broadening your distribution, which is where outside publishers can come in.
If you're using publishers, your game is no longer an indie game by definition. The whole concept of these indie teams ( not just games, this applies to music, literature, etc ) is to avoid all that nonsense and get your game out there yourself. You distribute your game digitally, and then if you want it on Wal-Mart's shelves, for example, you can pay for it using the millions you already made - or become a publisher yourself.

Also, pretty much no one ( except for the hobbyist developers who don't take it seriously ) develops games solely for enjoyment. People have bills to pay - they don't sit for hours on end developing massive indie games to hand them out for free so they can return to some shoddy 9-to-5 job at a factory. Not saying you should develop something you don't enjoy, but you have to be naive to think people like Notch for example developed their games and money wasn't the main thing motivating them. Also, I'm curious - what better, more reliable ways are there? Surely you aren't considering things like being a game master, QA, or working for someone else period.