It’s Not Good for a Game Dev To Be Alone
“It is not good for the man to be alone.”
At the beginning of our story, Adam worked alone. Of course, God was there with him, so he wasn’t completely alone. Nevertheless, he was the only human and the sole caretaker of the garden, and God saw that it wasn’t good for him.
Likewise, after spending nearly two decades in game developer communities, I can confidently say: It’s not good for a game developer to be alone. Just as isolation was not good for the first human, it remains harmful for us today.
I have witnessed incredibly talented, creative game developers work extremely hard on their own projects in isolation, sometimes for years, and yet fail to ship. Some hop from idea to idea. Some get lost in an ever-expanding scope. Some lack discipline and get distracted by games, social media, and other forms of entertainment. And some lose confidence, hope, and their way.
All are common; no developer is immune to them. I’ve experienced many of these things firsthand with my own efforts on personal projects. It’s a shame, yet I continue to see this pattern play out in our communities today.
Earlier this spring at GDC, some Christians in the industry gathered for food and fellowship, thanks to Wedgwood Circle and Imladris. Out of those gatherings came a key conversation: the need for more examples of quality games made by Christians. One suggestion I agree with is promoting the creation of smaller games. While this is definitely a piece of the equation, I kept thinking about our overall approach.
It’s little wonder there are so few examples to point to when many of us approach development alone.
I understand the reasons many of us are attempting it: inexperience, lack of budget, lack of contacts, fear, pride, social anxiety, not knowing how to ask for help, etc. Arguments can be made to defend and rationalize it, but from my vantage point, it's not wise.
Before you tell me that AI will change all of that, I need to stop you there. AI will help, it’s helping now. It’s an amplifier of output, a remover of drudgery, a researcher, a brainstorming assistant, and much more, but ultimately, it is just another piece of the equation, like making small games.
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!”
We need each other—by design. This was an intentional choice that reflects God’s very nature and image, which is why AI will never be the whole answer. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” We will always need that strong human counterpart to sharpen us, lean on, refine us, refine our thinking, complement our strengths and abilities, and sometimes call us out on our B.S.
So if we want more great games by Christians, we will need to make them together.
