Yeah, but game development is hard, and I can never keep the momentum going long enough to actually finish something.

Just a small hint, if you care to take it. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. Start small. Small victories will build to large ones, and everyone can just use a win sometimes.

I had, had the WORST time completing a game project. I had gotten into the headspace where I thought I couldn't finish it (and, as for a large, wholly original project, maybe I can't).

I just decided to make a small match three game with minimal assets and minimal menu. Looks terrible. Unpublishable. But I finished it! I know how to plan it out, I know the warts that are involved, and I know how to get it on the platform I want should I want to publish.

There's something to be said for finishing an MVP of even a minimal project.

This advice is spot on.

Anytime I’m talking with someone at a meet-up who wants to learn gamedev, I advise them to make pong and add a new mechanic to it. If they can’t learn to do that, the odds of them making the game they envision is extremely low.

I’ve been in the industry for twelve years and have done the indie thing very successfully, and I still have low confidence when it comes to making a game that is any good. I keep waiting for it to get easier, but every time it does your ambitions increase to match.

My best (or possibly worst) advice is just finish 1 thing, and from there you can't go back to not finishing something. I used to flip projects every other month, now I go years on one thing and don't even want to change.

I say possibly worst advice because there have been times, and I'm currently in such a time, where I'm working on a fundamentally flawed idea but can't give it up in favour of something else. I need to finish it and finish it well, even if it feels undoable.

Eh it's not that hard, there's just a lot of aspects to work on so you have to work on it consistently. Maybe try a game jam sometime, like Ludum Dare and the sort.

I don’t wanna die making modals and rest apis.

Kind of, I just decide to focus on rendering graphics/GUIs or compiler dev stuff instead, as game development is hard, pays bad and expects everyone to work like slaves while being thankful of having given the opportunity to work on a game, only to be laid off at the end of a crunch cycle just because.

Having seen how the sausage gets made has made the lose the interest of being part of such industry.

If you want to have fun doing games, try some retro game development, homebrew, or game jams.

Naturally there are studios where the above doesn't apply, sadly they are still mostly the exception, on an industry that carries crunch time as medal of honor.

Join a game jam! Every time I do one I think “At the end of the weekend I will have made a game”. Feels super good.

I suggest Ludum Dare nd GMTK jam. But there are many jams going on check out itch.io/jams

Yup. Currently making one. Biggest challenge is the art. I can’t draw for shit so have to hire freelancers.

How's it been going? Any advice for people who are also terrible artists who will need to hire?

Have a budget. Be patient. Clearly communicate your vision for the game in writing.

yes I’m trying to make the leap, want to create something that people use to have fun

Everyone loves games, so yes.

Yep.