The Thomas Brush Show Why I Spend 14 Hours A Day Making My Indie Game
Oct 31, 2025
Join a deep dive into the realities of indie game development, where crunch and delays are part of the journey. Discover how working full-time can ease pressures and why multiple skills are essential to avoid setbacks. Hear about the importance of early testing and feedback, and how design decisions can lead to unexpected twists. Plus, learn the right order for locking in game systems and the value of experience in reducing delays. Thomas shares personal anecdotes that reveal the challenges and triumphs of creating a captivating game.
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Crunch And Delays Are Normal
- Crunch, burnout, and delays are real and common in game development, especially near the end of a project.
- The final 10% of a game often feels like the final 50% and stretches timelines unpredictably.
Game Dev Requires Many Senses
- Game development requires many distinct skill sets like code, art, music, UX, optimization, and marketing.
- Developers lack many senses and must rely on others to supply missing expertise.
Journal Pickup Shows Hidden Complexity
- Thomas demonstrates a pickup journal mechanic that looks simple but involves multiple scripts and overlays.
- He uses this to show how even small features are composed of many interconnected systems.