To answer your question, “How long does it take to support yourself as a solo indie developer?”. Nobody knows. Not even you. It’s a path you walk, not the flick of a switch
HOWEVER, there are a lot of factors that go into this question that will determine the answer and I have a lot to personally say.
Number 1: What specific profession/job do you currently work? Why did you choose that position? Depending on your answer, you will already have a core set of starting skills and attributes (or lack therof).
Number 2: Please understand that a job with busy work, bloated hours, consistent paycheck, and a reliable schedule, is a MUCH different lifestyle than being on your own.
If you commit to supporting yourself with your own game dev projects, you must be prepared for the work and dedication it takes.
- You must be disciplined enough to get things done without a manager looking over you.
- You must be willing to work more hours than your job can legally assign you + the job you already have.
- You must learn how to manage your mental health and psyche (I’m serious).
- You must be willing to fail, A LOT. And not only fail, but truly learn from those failures in order to grow.
- And much more…
How do I know all of this? Because I’m the crazy person who has their passion project as their top priority even with a job where I work 30-40 hours a week. It took me years, YEARS, just to learn to live the lifestyle required to sustain this. And I’m only just getting started.
My lifestyle is as follows:
- Self-care (Sleep, hygiene, food, etc)
- Game Development (Currently developing a prototype for a PvP third-person shooter)
- My day job + other misc responsibilities
- Free Time
I maintain this by first, getting enough sleep via a sleep schedule and naps. Sleep is VITAL for any productive work and mental resilience. I then clean myself; it keeps me in good spirits. Then, I eat some nutritious and delicious food so I am properly fueled and have another thing to look forward to (I’m a foodie).
I wake up around 6-9 hours before my day job shift starts. I use the first hour on self-care. Then, spend around 3 hours working on my game; take a 1 hour break; then work for 3 more hours. Getting plenty done. After that, I nap before work or else I’ll hate existence. I work my shift, go home, have some free time, and go to sleep.
Despite all of this, I love this lifestyle. I’m the type of person who enjoy working over most things. I’m also a creative; I do game design, programming, art/story/world brainstorming, socializing, there’s a lot I enjoy.
On bad days-- Well, to me, there are no bad days. There are challenging days, but I use the frustration as a motivator and remove the anger/entitlement. Took a long time to build that mindset.
For motivation, I always have motivation. Seriously, it’s limitless. It’s been like that for the past 5+ years. What’s stopped me in the past my own engrained bad habits and not studying my own subconscious.
I have too so dang much to say here!
As for learning all this? Well…
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It sounds crazy, but study yourself. How you act, what you do, why you do them, what you think, etc. All your actions, conscious and subconscious, come from within. Learn and master yourself. For reference, this took me about a year after I turned 19. (I’m 20 now). You posted this question for a reason… Find it.
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Really evaluate what you want out of life. Because what you want is never a material substance like money or a finished product like a game. What you want is an engaging and fulfilling day-to-day life. Even if you don’t achieve your goals, your still living life to the fullest.
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Start small. Get into some Godot intro tutorials on GDscript and the engine itself. There’s plenty of resources on the Godot docs website. Work for a long as you feel like it. Even a 10 minute session is better than no progress.
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Learn how to learn. What I mean is, get into the habit of understanding how things truly work, what you did wrong, and what you could’ve done better.
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You only fail if you quit. To me, I never truly fail. Every time I make a mistake or don’t know something, instead of ruminating over it, I get to the bottom of it. I ask questions, troubleshoot, take a leap of faith, ect, etc. When you make a mistake, get back up. You’ll be fine.
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Share your progress, even if it’s shoddy. I still haven’t learned this one, but sharing your stuff is a big motivator. Even if only 1 person see it.
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Take constructive criticism. If you share your work, (if your a game developer, you will), understand that constructive criticism is there to help you improve yourself and your project. Plus, it shows the person cared enough to not only play your game, but tell you something to improve. No amount of money could ever replace that.
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You can’t do it alone. If you think your a “solo” dev, think again. I’m not talking about having other development team members, I’m talking about your players, your friends, your family, and random commenters like us. You are never alone, never think that you are alone, there are many people here who are here to support you. Use that support and support others where you can.
There’s so much more I can say. There’s so much other people here can add. But at the end of the day, it’s only YOU that can push your life forward. Whether
that’s with a corporation, freelance, or whatever else you might pursue; your the only one that can make it happen.
I want to commend you for posting this question @NightKnight . It shows your willing ask questions that lead to change. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask away on the forum; or better yet, read the Godot documentation.
