The Guy making Red Button Games

It’s truly amazing what a difference a few days can make surrounded by peers. In an industry wrestling with poor employee retention, oppressive crunch time, and issues protecting your ideas, things can get pretty demoralizing. GDC provides us game developers with a constructive place to gather and share in our suffering, frustration, and – here’s the important part – triumph.

This was my first time attending the Game Developer’s Conference. Like many new independent developers, I hesitated for years about attending GDC. Sure, it’s the largest gathering of game developers, a chance to bump shoulders with legends, and to network with people from all over the world. Instead of being overjoyed with excitement, I stayed at home year after year and longingly saw twitter and blog posts fly by. This year, I finally bit the bullet.

I knew it was worth it beforehand, but I didn’t expect the raw emotion I felt while I was there. I expected valuable insights from the panels, the ever-growing pile of traded business cards, and the invigorating nights out after a full day at the official conference. What I didn’t expect was the overwhelming sense of camaraderie and encouragement.

The World of the Indie Game Developer

All game developers go through similar issues, but everyone has their own niche of problems. Mine is the world of the independent developer. All developers worry on some level about the performance of their product. In some (or most cases), the quality and reception of the product can cause anything between a nice bonus to unemployment. With indie developers, the stakes are higher. Not only is your job on the line, but so much more – your health, your finances, your mortgage, the list goes on and on. The deeper you dive into development, the more you put on the table.

Nothing at GDC expressed this more succinctly than the screening of Indie Game: The Movie. This documentary follows (among other vignettes) the development of Super Meat Boy and Fez. The film is packed with so many struggles and triumphs we indie developers can relate to, but one quote from Phil Fish (the creator of Fez) stood out. He said, “I’m not even Phil Fish anymore…I’m just the Guy Making Fez”. Also shown in the film, Tommy Refenes (one of the two member team behind Super Meat Boy) expressed how if he didn’t finish making Super Meat Boy, he would die. When you try to make something bigger than yourself, that game becomes more important than yourself. You sacrifice sleep over it. You eat food that takes 2 minutes to make to save time. You decline social engagements to meet deadlines. To exacerbate these sacrifices, you stress over every element of the game to perfection.

There is a bright side – found in the success of a game. This isn’t guaranteed of course, but the payoff can make up for all the stress. Whether seen in the financial and critical success of Super Meat Boy, the stuttering words of Phil Fish as he accepted the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the Independent Games Festival for Fez, or the inspiring story of Justin Beck (of PerBlue) growing a company from nothing to 35 employees over three years, there were plenty examples at GDC to be seen of reward after a long hardship.

The Turning Point

Before GDC, I had planned on continuing game development on the side until a game was successful enough to support full-time development. At a panel entitled “Bootstrapping 101”, Justin Beck was going through the same process as I. He was working as a Microsoft intern, doing game development on the side, and sleeping – with little time for anything else. As the internship ended, he received a generous offer from Microsoft, and had to make a tough choice. The turning point for him was the realization of this: Microsoft will always be there. It’s not going away. So the opportunity cost was low – he would always have that prospect at Microsoft if the game development venture was a complete failure.

I find myself in a similar situation. I’m in a very comfortable position at a successful company (BlueGranite), with enough experience under my belt to re-enter the job market later if I need to – likely even at the same company. Just that change – from a part-time project to a full-time studio – drastically improved the Justin’s quality of life. Instead of working two jobs and his brain burning out, he was able to focus everything on what was important to him – making games.

On the last day of GDC, I made a pact with some fellow developers. We all had been complaining about our issues all week – either unable to find a “big” publisher for a game and sinking further in debt, unable to move to full-time game development, or unable to have a published product to show and talk about. All of these complaints rested firmly on our shoulders – so all of us vowed to come back next year with our goals accomplished. Next year we would be back, more experienced, more invested in our craft, and celebrating our success together again.

The Future

After a lot of soul-searching, and talking it over with friends, family, and colleagues, I solidified my decision. Starting June 1st, I’ll be leaving my salaried job and transition to full time game development over the next few months. It’s been a scary (and sometimes overwhelming process), but I’ve had nothing but support from everyone in my life. Even my boss of over seven years, although sad to see me leave the company, is excited to see what Red Button Games turns into and has offered an amazing amount of support.

I’m taking the leap. It’s an exciting, frightening, stressful, and rewarding time all at once. But every day that passes I know I’m heading in the right direction. Stay tuned to Red Button Games for some exciting announcements coming up! Of course you can subscribe in a few other ways:

About dfrandsen

Software Engineer at Google, with prior experience in Business Intelligence, and still (barely) making video games on the side. @dfrandsen
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2 Responses to The Guy making Red Button Games

  1. Simon Tower says:

    Dude, this is awesome. This is the most awesome thing I may have ever seen from anyone. You’re taking the plunge and the best part is – you can do it! I believe in you man you’re going to rock!

    Although you’re making me want to quit my job and follow suit. Can’t wait to see what you do with this decision, and let me know if I can help at any point. You’ll always have a place to crash in SF.

  2. I’ve always looked at it this way:

    I’d regret the chances I DIDN’T take, when I had the opportunity, than the ones I did. When you look back you can always say “I tried, and I had a blast.” Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

    And like you said, you have the talents and skills to always make yourself applicable in the job market.

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