Dec 31, 2024
Unsung Ballads - Read Play Code
Happy New Year to all!
It has been a very challenging year here at Read Play Code, but ultimately fun too. I personally read a lot of opinions and stories of game devs getting laid off, burned out, or struggling with their games, and I realized a few things this year:
That being said, our game has been in development for over two years now. It was released in Early Access at the beginning of this year in an admittedly pretty poor state. Since then, it has received (*quickly checks notes*) a dozen patches that have gradually improved many aspects of it. Next year expect more to come.
It has been a very challenging year here at Read Play Code, but ultimately fun too. I personally read a lot of opinions and stories of game devs getting laid off, burned out, or struggling with their games, and I realized a few things this year:
- We are lucky to be alive at a time when there are so many video gaming options: many different games and game genres, platforms, gaming accessories... Of course, that also means competition is meaner...
- Generative AI is here to stay. Even though in terms of quality and accuracy, it's not there yet, I have seen successful games blatantly using generated images as their Steam capsule - blatantly because if you look closer, you can notice defects specific to generation. Now, we also used generative AI in our marketing material but also retouched it to deal with glaring issues. Does that matter? Probably not. What matters is that generative AI is here in many different forms, and we all need to learn to live alongside it but also look at what it is offering and what it's taking away.
- Making a video game is hard, making a good video game is harder, and making a good video game alone is almost impossibly hard. But that doesn't matter to the player. The only thing that matters is that the video game is being made or that it has already been made!
- Everybody has an opinion or two, but fewer and fewer stop to listen and critically think about that opinion and then have a civil argument. AI has the potential to make this even worse.
- Mental health has a bad reputation. It badly needs a rebranding, and it needs to be taught about in schools. Even more so with the current intrusiveness and insidiousness of social media.
- Exciting times ahead. Aren't they always? Funny thing that.
That being said, our game has been in development for over two years now. It was released in Early Access at the beginning of this year in an admittedly pretty poor state. Since then, it has received (*quickly checks notes*) a dozen patches that have gradually improved many aspects of it. Next year expect more to come.
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