Is it worth developing independent games anymore?

Question

I wonder if I'm alone with this. I have been seeing plenty of developers create game and pour their heart and soul in development and marketing.I heard about influencers who fail and get depressed, but since game development has become so accessible I wonder if this is happening to developers, too.It's clear to me what I need to do to promote my game (new trailer, contact the press, social media posts etc.), but it takes forever to get myself to do it because I'm afraid it won't be good enough or it would fail for whatever reason.I guess you get the initial rush when some people purchases the game in the beginning. Until you realise it wasn't enough. Have you had similar experiences? Any thoughts?

ThrowawayR2 · Accepted Answer

If you're basing the worth of building games on its success, not only is it not worth it, it was never worth it. I've been gaming since before the original IBM PC; the vast majority of games fade into the mists of history without ever having gained any particular acclaim or commercial success. The same goes for any other creative product; books, software, etc.My observation is that the people who last long enough to reach success in any creative field are those who derive satisfaction from the act of creation for its own sake. They are driven to create and have no way of stopping. Something to ponder perhaps.

navjack27 · Answer

Fail. Fail fail fail over and over keep failing because you like doing it. It's a compulsion. You need to make a game. A game is inside of you and you want to get it out!If not, just don't. Work for someone else who has this drive.

BoorishBears · Answer

marketing is more important than the game at this point.So can it be worth it? Sure. You just need to be extremely good at marketing, and most indie devs are not. So even if they spend tons of effort on marketing, they get drowned out by everyone else doing the same.

jdkee · Answer

Stardew Valley was developed by one person, if I recall correctly.

Is it worth developing independent games anymore?

Fail. Fail fail fail over and over keep failing because you like doing it. It's a compulsion. You need to make a game. A game is inside of you and you want to get it out!
If not, just don't. Work for someone else who has this drive.

marketing is more important than the game at this point.
So can it be worth it? Sure. You just need to be extremely good at marketing, and most indie devs are not. So even if they spend tons of effort on marketing, they get drowned out by everyone else doing the same.

Stardew Valley was developed by one person, if I recall correctly.