Balancing Act

Creating a game means balancing a great deal of things simultaneously. Focus on one aspect too much, and the whole project risks falling apart.

Here's a list of things I'm always trying to balance:

• Development of the game itself vs marketing it on social media and blogs.
• Polishing the story vs polishing the gameplay.
• Spending time at the computer vs exercising and getting outside.
•  Purchasing assets vs keeping the costs down.
• Making the game polished vs actually finishing it!

And that's just an abbreviated list. There are lots more balancing acts to consider. For me, the secret to achieving a good balance is learning to prioritize and knowing when something is "good enough". There's the old saying that projects are never finished, they're simply abandoned. While I think that's a little harsh, there is some truth to that.

The good thing about modern games is they are very easy to update. That doesn't mean I want to release an unfinished game, but it does mean I don't have to feel that tabled features are gone forever. If the game is a success, I can always add to it later. In the words of Steve Jobs, "Real artists ship."