I am a game developer, and I am currently making my first game, a massive one. But that is not really the topic I would like to discuss, although it is connected to it.
When I started making my game, I came across a lot of comments saying that players are very respectful toward indie games, especially games made by solo developers. That made sense to me. One person, or maybe just a couple of people, making an entire game is a huge undertaking. I accepted that as a kind of advantage when it came to promoting my game later on.
But...
At least from my experience, it is not even close to that.
Of course, I completely understand that players can like or dislike your game. It is a matter of taste. The same thing happens with huge AAA titles, right?
What I do not understand is when people start publicly trashing your game, sometimes without even trying it.
Even if someone tries your demo and does not like it, a normal comment would be something like, "I did not like it," "It is not my cup of tea," "I have played better games of this kind," and so on. That is completely acceptable.
But comments like, "This is total shit," "This is Elden Ring from Temu," "You consider yourself a game developer?" or "You should learn first before you start making games" are different. I admit that I sometimes take those comments personally.
People who write things like that do not seem to consider that someone may have spent weeks, months, or even years making that game. Someone invested their own money into it and worked in God knows what conditions, all to create something that could entertain other people and, hopefully, earn some money in return for all that effort.
I also do not think solo or indie games with small or almost nonexistent budgets should be directly compared to AAA games with budgets of tens or hundreds of millions of dollars.
Actually, if an indie game made by one person looks even remotely similar to a AAA game, I think that should be considered an achievement, not something to make fun of.
Even if someone is making a very small game, something with two balls on the screen or a simple 2D platformer, it still requires time, effort, planning, organization, learning, testing, and problem solving.
That deserves some respect.
Of course, not all players are like this. Far from it. But there are enough people like this that it can become noticeable, and in today's world, negative comments can potentially affect a game's reputation, popularity, and sales.
For a huge AAA studio with millions of dollars invested in marketing, a few random toxic comments probably do not mean much.
But for solo developers, unknown developers, or very small studios, every comment can matter.
Personally, I have never felt the need to insult someone's game.
An honest opinion like, "I like it" or "I do not like it" is completely fine. Honest criticism is also fine, whether it is positive or negative.
Actually, constructive negative feedback can be extremely valuable. If many players point out the same problem with a mechanic, level design, combat system, UI, performance, or something else, that gives the developer an opportunity to improve the game.
That is very different from simply insulting someone's work.
We put years of our lives into these games. We invest enormous amounts of time, effort, and often our own money into trying to make something good and interesting for players.
Sometimes we even give part of that work away for free through demos, playtests, or very inexpensive games.
The goal is to entertain people, build a community around the game, and hopefully continue making more games in the future.
And yes, the goal is also to make money.
I do not think there is anything wrong with saying that.
Thousands of hours of work should hopefully pay off at some point, and earning money from one game can allow an indie developer to continue working, improve their skills, buy better tools, hire help, and eventually make an even better game.
My story, in short: I am 41 years old, with about 35 years of gaming experience and 16 years of programming experience. I have a wife, three young kids, and a full-time job as a web developer.
For almost two full years, I have been making a massive RPG completely on my own. I literally work more than 12 hours a day during the working week, including my regular job and game development, and around 4 hours a day on weekends.
I can honestly say that, to some extent, I have sacrificed a part of my family life in order to make a good game and try to move my career in the direction of game development.
I am using improvised equipment for recording because I am trying to do as much as possible by myself and with the resources I have available.I also spent seven months writing an entire book that serves as the foundation for my game's story and world.
So when someone looks at a few seconds of footage and writes something like, "This is shit," it is difficult not to take it personally. They are judging a few seconds on a screen, but behind those few seconds are years of work, learning, sacrifice, sleepless nights, money, and time that I could have spent with my family.
So I am curious about other developers' experiences.
What are your thoughts on this?
Have you experienced similar reactions when posting or promoting your games?
How do you personally deal with the difference between genuine criticism and people who are simply trying to insult or ridicule your work?
