Alora Fane

Depression's reared its heavy, leaden head these past few days. I've got stuff done despite it, but it's still annoying! Also, the attention my posts get is reducing over time rather than increasing. How do people - including YOU, dear, beloved reader - actually hear about games and keep up about their releases?

Depression's nothing new. It's essentially a constant background presence in my life, though there are periods where it flares up and I end up spending more time than I'd like staring into space, feeling like my head's encased in lead, wishing I was dead. So that's fun!!

...I'd originally written a lot more about all that - the probable causes, how it feels - but I'm actually feeling better now, so I think I'll just leave it at this rather than dwelling on it in depth. It's like the weather, mostly; it comes and goes (speaking of which, the weather's terrible here at the moment; the power actually cut out because of it when I was typing this earlier).

I'm still not sure what to do about Patreon, after writing about it last week. I wrote a 'blurb' thing of text I could include if I did restart mine, but I'm reluctant for all the same reasons as usual, and I've not really had the time to devote thought to it.

I've not played any new games either, though I've been meaning to start Octopath Traveler. I was going to do that today, but ended up playing Pokemon Sword for hours on a whim instead. Whoops!! I finished ages ago, but I was just adding to my Pokedex (and getting frustrated at the "Max Raid Battles" that aren't exactly fun if you're given weak AI allies because you don't have friends to play with). I'll probably start that tomorrow instead.

I've been noticing that the attention these posts and my tweets get has been dwindling over time rather than gradually building, which is a bit of a concern. I mean, I hoped that as more and more people became aware of the project, the numbers would grow to reflect that.

I suppose though that interest in the final game and interest in the actual tedious production process aren't the same thing. There are some games that I've been looking forward to for years (Oddworld Soulstorm and Ori and the Will of the Wisps), but the developers wouldn't have a clue about that because it's not like I keep up with their social media or anything. I'm not even aware of it; I only realised that the Ori one has a clear, soon release date because I just looked it up! And I only saw that on Google, so my interest wouldn't register numerically to them at all.

Most of you reading this are more savvy about this kind of stuff, and I'm curious about how exactly you keep up with the games world. Is it all about being exposed on social media? Do you follow a bunch of developers who you like on things like Twitter? Communities who talk about this stuff? Does a lot of it just come from direct conversations with friends?

I can't remember how I used to find out about games back in the day, before the internet and before I went and hid in a hole for years. Maybe just talking with friends every (other) day really is the most important thing? I don't know!

I wonder if there'll ever come a day where I'm less socially isolated online. It feels like something that needs to happen if I've any hope of success, but at this point it feels like trying to integrate into society after spending a decade alone on a desert island. Daunting.

I'll definitely devote specific mental energy to this when there's a demo ready, but maybe it'd also be a good idea to at least take some baby steps out of my bubble in the weeks leading up to that...

5 COMMENTS

Maniafig222~5Y

Usually I come across games from word of mouth, be that in the Discord servers I use, or people I follow on social media posting talking about it. Rarely I come across something that piques my interest in the "recommended for you" tabs on YT or Steam or the like. Probably only really if it looks visually interesting or the title contains something like "Goblin".

I hope the depression stays away for a while! It must be annoying to deal with, since it just comes and goes as it pleases.

I do find following development logs interesting personally, but only really about games and from creators I already have some attachment to. It seems better at keeping an already engaged crowd hyped than pulling in new folks.

Speaking of getting one's stuff out there, I actually finished making a quest yesterday. I started on it seven years ago when people were still actively making quests, did bits and pieces of it over the years when I remembered it existed and then finished up the remainder the last week or so. It was an interesting experience sewing together stuff I made so long ago with stuff I made now, and I figure maybe you'd enjoy playing it since it's your engine and all, maybe it's nostalgic?

Not really sure how to upload it to this place though, so I'll just send it by mail. It shouldn't be TOO long I think, not longer than an hour I'd reckon, it's mostly about exploration and silly NPC banter!

I hope the depression stays away for a while! It must be annoying to deal with, since it just comes and goes as it pleases.

I do find following development logs interesting personally, but only really about games and from creators I already have some attachment to. It seems better at keeping an already engaged crowd hyped than pulling in new folks.

Speaking of getting one's stuff out there, I actually finished making a quest yesterday. I started on it seven years ago when people were still actively making quests, did bits and pieces of it over the years when I remembered it existed and then finished up the remainder the last week or so. It was an interesting experience sewing together stuff I made so long ago with stuff I made now, and I figure maybe you'd enjoy playing it since it's your engine and all, maybe it's nostalgic?

Not really sure how to upload it to this place though, so I'll just send it by mail. It shouldn't be TOO long I think, not longer than an hour I'd reckon, it's mostly about exploration and silly NPC banter!

Tama_Yoshi82~5Y

I think the vast vast majority of games I've played, I'd heard from influential sources (even games with weaker visibility like The Messenger were praised by The Completionist and well reviewed; it has 42 reviews on metacritics, apparently. Other more underground games on Steam I generally hear of because they have overwhelming praise attached. I don't think I'd have ever cared for Undertale had I not been beaten over with it everywhere on the Internet. My colleague at the job is more indie-savvy than I am, and he seems to keep abreast of a lot of upcoming titles; he often forwards interesting trailers and kickstarter campaigns. So I also end up hearing about some titles through him. Networking does it for players too.

It's interesting you talk about depression as a mood phase. I said I'd been feeling less inspired in my writing, but a recent uptick has allowed me not to break my New Year's resolution yet (I'm fairly ahead right now, even). It's really difficult going at it when you don't have "the answer" to what's coming next, but when you get "the answer," all of a sudden everything seems quite trivially easy.

The metaphor goes deeper, though: I actually got to read on bipolar disorder for some character development, and it's really interesting how cyclical the mood shifts are for such people (bipolar mania, bipolar depression). There's apparently multiple types of bipolar disorder, though a common trait is the cyclical nature of it. I find it weirdly hopeful thinking that a mood--regardless how strong--is explicitly nothing but a "state." If you can look at your own dark thoughts with a fleeting sensation that they're "not quite real," it can give you power over them, while they have power over you.

The adage "this, too, shall pass" describes this quite well.

It's interesting you talk about depression as a mood phase. I said I'd been feeling less inspired in my writing, but a recent uptick has allowed me not to break my New Year's resolution yet (I'm fairly ahead right now, even). It's really difficult going at it when you don't have "the answer" to what's coming next, but when you get "the answer," all of a sudden everything seems quite trivially easy.

The metaphor goes deeper, though: I actually got to read on bipolar disorder for some character development, and it's really interesting how cyclical the mood shifts are for such people (bipolar mania, bipolar depression). There's apparently multiple types of bipolar disorder, though a common trait is the cyclical nature of it. I find it weirdly hopeful thinking that a mood--regardless how strong--is explicitly nothing but a "state." If you can look at your own dark thoughts with a fleeting sensation that they're "not quite real," it can give you power over them, while they have power over you.

The adage "this, too, shall pass" describes this quite well.

Spectre35~5Y

Sorry for bad English in advance.

I learned about new games mainly from Youtube videos, recommendations from my friends, casual search on Play Store and Reddit. Most of them are usually advertised heavily on the internet.

I used to check the Play Store to see if those good old flash games I played have been ported there. Some of them were ported there, like Swords and Sandals, Bloons TD and Age of War. I believe many people also do the same. But since there wasn't that much news for Mardek, I think it had been faded away from many's memory. You have a lot to do for exposure of the game.

I came across this blog 2 months ago and now it has become my habbit to come here every week. I am glad that you decided to remake the game I once loved. Thank you.

purplerabbits148~5Y

I get most of my games from seeing other people play them. For example, that's how I found out about Slime Rancher, Subnautica, and The Witness.

A now going to be obsolete method is by seeing what's badged on Kongregate. That's how I found MARDEK, Submachine, Cube Escape, and Medieval Cop.

On Twitter, the algorithm shows me when the next pokemon games are nearing release, because of the artists I follow and the algorithm learning what I like.

I think most people are for waiting for when the project is nearing completion for any interest. I think it's a method of avoiding the sunk cost fallacy. So even though there is a decline at the moment, the near end completion would probably draw more people.

StrangeHawk6~5Y

The past few years, the way I find out about games tends to fall into one of several categories.

Reddit tends to be one of my two mains sources of information these days. Namely, a range of Nintendo subreddits alongside subreddits for games I've really enjoyed in the past (XCOM, Stardew Valley, etc.). Between following the works of studios/developers of stuff I enjoyed and recommendations by other fans, I tend to find a good amount of stuff for my list.

The other big source is from one of a small number of YouTubers/Twitch streamers who I follow even a little. Most of them tend to have similar tastes in games, and have been how I've found a lot of the indie games I've enjoyed ranging from less known games to now massive hits. Example titles are Darkest Dungeon, Slay the Spire, and Factorio.

Otherwise, I follow the websites/blogs of the creators of old Flash games that I really love(d) who happen to still be making games. I'm not the most consistent about this, but tend to remember to check in every few months at the least, and sometimes much more often (like here recently!). I do really enjoy following the development process of these games from start to finish. Some of these post a frequent mix of game dev and general life stuff (such as here and Epic Battle Fantasy's KupoGames), whereas others post much less frequent dev updates until beta-testing and release nears (such as Creeper World's Knuckle Cracker).

The only other thing I can think of is one of my other friend tends to talk about some niche games she comes across. I'll generally give those some extra research, since they tend to fall on either extreme of a game I'll love or hate.

The past few years, the way I find out about games tends to fall into one of several categories.

Reddit tends to be one of my two mains sources of information these days. Namely, a range of Nintendo subreddits alongside subreddits for games I've really enjoyed in the past (XCOM, Stardew Valley, etc.). Between following the works of studios/developers of stuff I enjoyed and recommendations by other fans, I tend to find a good amount of stuff for my list.

The other big source is from one of a small number of YouTubers/Twitch streamers who I follow even a little. Most of them tend to have similar tastes in games, and have been how I've found a lot of the indie games I've enjoyed ranging from less known games to now massive hits. Example titles are Darkest Dungeon, Slay the Spire, and Factorio.

Otherwise, I follow the websites/blogs of the creators of old Flash games that I really love(d) who happen to still be making games.  I'm not the most consistent about this, but tend to remember to check in every few months at the least, and sometimes much more often (like here recently!).  I do really enjoy following the development process of these games from start to finish. Some of these post a frequent mix of game dev and general life stuff (such as here and Epic Battle Fantasy's KupoGames), whereas others post much less frequent dev updates until beta-testing and release nears (such as Creeper World's Knuckle Cracker).

The only other thing I can think of is one of my other friend tends to talk about some niche games she comes across. I'll generally give those some extra research, since they tend to fall on either extreme of a game I'll love or hate.