Prologue#
Another busy year, finding time amidst the leisure to write this article and ask myself: what do I really want?
After crossing the threshold of 30, time seems to have accelerated to double speed—things and people come and go in a rush.
The scarcity of time is the anxiety of the present, and it’s not just a personal feeling; it’s the anxiety of the entire industry.
And is all this truly worth it?
Creation and Decision-Making#
This year, I began pondering a question: Is there a way to reduce anxiety while maintaining the creative process? To enhance the sense of happiness in creation to a greater extent?
The source of anxiety lies in the inability to make final decisions. Decisions often come from higher-ups, including the scope of my primary responsibilities. There have been multiple instances of disruptive decisions, and once they are implemented, the burden of cost is shared by the team. The process of bearing this burden requires mental effort to map out the entire journey, often resulting in more losses than gains.
Currently, the solution seems to be preparing more flexible plans. In a volatile team, plans must also be adaptable and flexible. It’s essential to define one’s controllable scope more clearly and resolutely defend it.
Boundaries#
To create high-level work, one must understand the boundaries of the engine and technology. What is the best achievable effect with the current generation of engine technology? What price must be paid?
This is precisely the boundary that needs to be expanded to create a great work. It requires continuous testing in projects and demos, debugging the entire pipeline and tool flow. I’ve noticed that the industry has established the role of TD (Technical Designer) specifically to handle this.
Happiness#
Recently, my happiness has come from family and friends. Going out together and having heartfelt conversations has alleviated much of the unease from recent troubles. Inner unease stems from uncertainty about events, but shifting perspectives on the same situations can lead to different conclusions.
Another layer of happiness comes from pursuing what I want to do and clarifying the path. Once a direction is set, I pour my utmost effort into each creation, pushing against boundaries, seeking ways to break through them, and finding opportunities to produce work at a higher level.
Opportunities and Costs#
This is a better era for creators. We should strive to expand the boundaries of creation rather than confine ourselves within the limits of our profession. Looking at current cutting-edge technology, future creative methods will likely blend the virtual and the real.
Finding such projects and exploring them together with team members is key. The technical and artistic limits of the team largely determine the upper bound of the collaboratively created work.
However, whether a work has soul or can ascend to a higher level ultimately depends on the design capabilities of the planner.
In Closing#
This year marks my 11th year in the industry. Including the time since high school when I first connected with friends in the field, I’ve been striving to make games for 16 years. There have been countless moments of hesitation and thoughts of giving up along the way, but looking back, they are all part of life’s journey. I want to muster the courage to catch up with the industry’s pioneers. In the next decade, I hope to have the honor of participating in a major title.
💡 Thank you for reading! Feel free to share this article or reach out to me via email.
The RSS address for this site has been updated. Please resubscribe, dear readers!