Log1 (English Version) Rolling the Stone Uphill
I’m trying, for the first time in my life, to truly learn something. This may sound like an understatement, but it isn’t. Throughout my life, I’ve started various projects and hobbies: drawing, playing an instrument, painting, skateboarding, getting good at a specific game, reading fiction, writing this blog, learning a difficult subject in college, and many others. But for some reason, nothing ever "clicked" with me. They were fleeting whims. All the inspiration and desire to learn would leave as quickly as they came. Without delving too much into my psyche but to give a brief summary, all these blocks come from an irrational need to find a functional purpose in my hobbies. And when I turned the experience into a task, I would soon lose all motivation. I touched on this briefly in my first blog. However, fortunately, after a few years of therapy, I’ve been breaking these patterns, and for the first time in my life, I’ve managed to invest time in something that isn’t an obligation and has motivated me to spend my time freely. And since I feel like this is happening for the first time, I thought it would be a good opportunity to document here how this experience has been.
Game development
Game design, to be more specific. However, since I don’t know anyone who is good enough at programming to simply bring all my ideas to life whenever I want, I’ve been learning programming as well, as much as possible (which I imagine is how most people start). It’s been a difficult journey, especially the programming part. Although I started with Godot, which is a very intuitive engine for creating prototypes, like any other software, the learning curve gets steep once you move beyond simple projects. Even so, the learning process in this field has been very rewarding. There are few words to describe what I felt when I managed to implement a turn-based system between characters in the prototype I was working on after several grueling days.
I was on cloud nine. The Programming Wizard. However, the higher you fly, the harder you fall.
Right after getting this system to work, I started working on the next step: a simple box-pushing system on the map, in the best Sokoban style. What followed couldn’t have been more frustrating. I just couldn’t do it. What was supposed to be something theoretically simple became one of my worst nightmares. I tried many different approaches. I read forums, watched tutorials, asked other people. Nothing could remove this giant stone from my path.
It was the Dunning-Kruger Effect claiming another victim.
In the past, this could have easily been the reason for my downfall. The end of the line. And the return to my old habit of shelving yet another project. But I couldn’t give up, not now. I’m sure many others have found themselves in this situation before. That’s why I’ll list here some of the things I did that might help you roll this stone back up the hill again.
Titian: Sisyphus. Sisyphus, oil on canvas by Titian, 1548–49; in the Prado Museum, Madrid.
- Don’t feel guilty about pivoting to another project. Starting a different project may spark some knowledge that could help your current one.
- Set aside time for passive learning. Watch videos, read about the subject, listen to podcasts. Any way you can "turn off" your brain from that specific task and continue learning about the topic tangentially will help.
- Shelf the project for a few days or weeks. Letting your subconscious work on it can also be very effective.
- Always leave the possibility of returning to the project. The important thing is to understand that, even though you’re stuck on this front, it still contributed to your overall knowledge of that particular field.
Well, I think that’s about it. The experience of learning game design, programming, and Godot has been a unique journey in my life. Not only in learning these subjects, but also in self-discovery.
#godot #gamedev #gamedesign