What are you trying to achieve?

Had this random thought pop in my mind. One which I kind of addressed to my self ..

"What are you trying to achieve programming wise?"

Is it notoriety?
Is it recognition as being a telanted programmer?
Or simply to sit back and share your hobby with like-minded people?
Are you ambitious and aiming for a big contract with a publisher?
Maybe you just want to use your hobby as a way of earning a few bob to tie you over?

For me its something which both keeps me off the streets and at the same time keeps the grey matter ticking over.
I have no real desire to become a recognised programmer/artist as such. Merely to participate in the world of creative programming.

What say you?

I'm losing the will to live with it all lately. Started a new job recently and I just can't be bothered with sitting at a computer when I get home as well.

It'll probably change when the SIA get their arses in gear and send me my security licence. I'll quit the office job and go into security fulltime I think.

I want make a living making brilliant games. I've managed the first part (the living) for 20 years or so; Now I want to concentrate on achieving the second part without any publisher interference. Although that most likely means being quite poor.

I just want to finish a 3d game... :oP 2d games, that's ok, i've finished some basic ones, but 3d games... so much media and stuff needed... and coding too.

A career that I enjoy. When I started with BlitzPlus in Dec 2004, it was for fun but I realised that I might actually be able to finish a viable game and sell it which would be a dream come true. Then I realised that to finish a game you really need to work on it full-time. So I've been putting aside paid work to do game programming just because I enjoy it so much and want it to be my full-time job. This also means I can in theory live anywhere an just use a PC and the Internet.

Purely a hobby.

However, they way my Oblivion game is going, I might gain notoriety.

Continue growing my programming business. It's been pretty good over the last 12 months making my busiest year to date.

In between working for customers I'm writing an application which I'll be marketing and selling online. It's something I've been wanting to do for a long time but paid work always comes first.

I already have offers from investors and I'm looking forward to the challenge of it all.

I never was a big fan of playing games, I like
much better to make them. Actually I like best doing
little apps and demos but that don't pay much. I'm not
it it for the dough tho' but for a little income beside
my regular job and maybe hit the jackpot by accident
one day :o) I can't even imagine programming for a living,
far to boring and rigid for my taste. But being able to
sit down when I feel like being creative and
actually see that I can make cool stuff (and a few bucks)
is pretty good payoff for what to me is a hobby :o)

I was like "wedoe", in terms of I would prefer to program than play games - now it is the other way around - certainly in the past couple of years as games have become so visually impressive.

"What are you trying to achieve programming wise?"

I've been knid of asking myself the same question lately - TBH, I really don't know, anymore. Frankly, I feel like I might be on the verge of jacking the whole lark in, again - maybe for good this time, dunno. I've certainly given up hope of making any money, let alone doing this stuff as a full-time job.

I think I am trying to achieve a few things. I don't exactly know for sure, lol

One part of it is trying to find `the right project` that I feel most comfortable with and that I can be most dedicated to turning into a sellable product.

Which leads to the second thing which is the gradual development of becoming more self suffiicent financially to maybe eventually be able to `be my own boss` and make plenty of money from this stuff so I don't have to work for other people anymore. So this part of it is to do with self improvement and taking it more seriously.

Then there's part of me that just likes to experiment and pioneer and to then teach and share that with others. I'm also not much of a big games *player* and I'm still not sure if my heart is closer to graphics applications or games, programming wise.

Overall I'm trying to do something original and worthwhile.

A game I dont get bored-of over one weekend

Why does it do that? Double post.

Excellence.

Programming used to be a job, then it was a hobby, now it is a means to an end. It's funny how things change with your perspective.

I just enjoy programming, and like making games as they are something I can 'play' , so it is a hobby, no interest in making money from it. Like a few others I don't enjoy playing many games - I find most of them too much effort to get into (I like the immediacy of the older arcade games).

It's also good to keep the grey matter working...

WORLD PEACE... failing that probably Whirled Peas... oh wait I had that last night... HUmmus anyone??? The Pita Bread is a wee bit stale but good!!!

Same here.

Develop software that enables me realise my dream of having the luxury of giving up work within the next 4 years, if I want to (by the time I'm forty). Somehow I don't think that's going to come from developing games :)

Avoiding a real job. :)

The fame and the wimmin!

Actually I agree with the perspective thing.

..wot they said

I work as a software architect/developer, but that is all business-related contracts and never games, and never in Blitz.

With work, 2 acres of gardening, running, bicycling, hiking, spelunking, and photography... it's hard to find time for another hobby like writing games.

So... my goal with Blitz is to actually write the several strategy games that I have twirling around in my head. I don't plan to sell a single game; just to write them, get enjoyment out of them, and hopefully to have other people enjoy them also. I used to write games as a hobby MANY years ago, but haven't for a lot of years. I bought Blitz3d about a year before BlitzMax came out, but never had the time to do anything with B3D. Now I've bought BlitzMax, and like it a lot better because of its OO nature. All of the games I want to develop are 2d and not 3d anyway; I'm not going to kid myself into thinking I can develop some decent 3d game in my spare time. I've actually started on my first Bmax game now, and am now pretty optimistic about getting at least a couple of games knocked out by the end of the year. I'm doing it with the help of Grey's framework and Sswift's sprite system. Since I have such a precious small amount of time each week to devote to this very enjoyable hobby, tools like Grey's and Sswift's are priceless.

So anyway, my goal is just to actually get those games out of my head and onto the computer!

Mark.

@ Indie.. same here but I've got 5 years to achieve my aim instead of the 4 you have.

@NoBoDo.. snap. Greys' framework has stepped me forward a great deal in the BMax world, after having dabbled in the B3D world. B3D is fun... but my time constraints limit me achieving what I desire in 3D.....

@NoBoDo & Blitzplotter: Glad to see my framework is helping you to enjoy programming games as a hobby/job and giving you that headstart that is soooo needed when doing it for fun. You guys are living adverts :-) thanks.

Toyed with the idea of making some cash in the past, but mainly it allows me to be creative which is a very appealing experience. Also, I do like the problem solving nature of programming.

Currently trying to build a demo to showcase that I can design/program 3D games and get hired by a pro company. The engine is still very early and media is lacking.