First I'll just say I don't have a great track record for finishing projects up to this point. Even the ones I finished were finished to the point of playable, but not fully polished enough to release. Because of this, I have a pitiful portfolio.

I'm getting to the point now where I've been "trying to get into the industry" for too long, and I'm ready to throw in the towel and just say "maybe it's not for me." Before I do, I'd like to give it one last really meaningful effort. It's an industry I've seen myself getting into all my life, but up until this point I've failed to truly chase.

The short of it is that I've got many ideas for games I'd like to make, and of course designing 20 games in your head doesn't create an internal mental environment conducive to productivity. So I've been in a sort of "deadlock" for a while, trying to decide which idea is actually good enough to put down concretely.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has more game ideas than time to make games. What are some of the ways that you prioritize or cut projects?

I'm new to these forums, but hopefully my advice can help.

I would classify myself as a hobbyist developer. I have a full-time job, and I like to do this after work for fun. I just started making apps a few months ago, learned everything from scratch and just playing with sample lines of code to try new things. I got to the same point you were at, where I had a working solution, was able to play it, and then slowly drifted to other things.

The key for finishing a project is to remind yourself of what your goal is. If your goal is to release something commercial, then focus on finishing at least 1 of your projects and commercialize. You will learn a lot about that process that may help you with your next 20 ideas. You learn a lot by doing, and having that first "starter" app out of your way can help in multiple ways.

Plan on completing your first project, releasing it, getting a website to promote it, posting a video online, etc...

It's all about time management, and realizing that in order to start the next project, you really have to finish the first one. You need to sustain yourself financially, which can't happen if all your projects are 75% complete.

Sorry to sound preachy, but I had to coach myself on the same things in order to get out of my groove.

Hope this helps~

The cure would be quite simple but very bitter :) Throw away ALL your ideas and work on other peoples' ideas :)

You need to choose if you prefer to make ideas or to make games.

@Archaris

That, to me, isn't really a solution to my problem. Throwing away all of my ideas isn't helpful, because it's not like all of my ideas are crap, right? My problem isn't that I have many bad ideas and I'm stuck because I can't get a good idea. (To be fair, I'm sure many of my ideas are bad. It happens. It's okay.) The problem is I have a handful of ideas that really seem worth pursuing, and not just one. I was just wondering how everyone else balances that urge to drop one project halfway through to pursue another idea. Or how, when faced with multiple potentially lucrative ideas, you guys decide which one to follow up on.

@Glass_Knife

I've seen that video before. It was inspiring when I first saw it, but I had forgotten about it. Thank you for posting it. It's a powerful quote and wholly true.

That, to me, isn't really a solution to my problem. Throwing away all of my ideas isn't helpful, because it's not like all of my ideas are crap, right? My problem isn't that I have many bad ideas and I'm stuck because I can't get a good idea. (To be fair, I'm sure many of my ideas are bad. It happens. It's okay.) The problem is I have a handful of ideas that really seem worth pursuing, and not just one. I was just wondering how everyone else balances that urge to drop one project halfway through to pursue another idea. Or how, when faced with multiple potentially lucrative ideas, you guys decide which one to follow up on.

It does not matter if idea is bad or good. You have to learn to discard good or even very good ideas. Becuase you can make only one idea a reality at a time. And you definitly can't switch to pursue another idea, just because it's better. You won't finish any game this way.

You don't balance the "urge to drop one project halfway through to pursue another idea", you ignore it :) It's not about how to decide, it's about the willpower to follow your previous decision to the end.

"Or how, when faced with multiple potentially lucrative ideas, you guys decide which one to follow up on" - I choose the one I liked the best, the one I feel I would enjoy working on the most. Or just toss a coin :) Really, it's not that important (execution is important, idea is not).

What I'm suggesting is the change of mindset, from ideas to games. Bury, discard and incinerate your belowed ideas (AKA "kill your baby") and make games instead. The ideal way for this is to make a game based on someone else's idea. This would put ideas in a perspective, in their right place, which is being merely a tool to make a game.

I recommend finishing a one game, any game. Believe me, the feeling is incredible, everything changes from that point on :) Once you do it, you don't believe in ideas anymore.

So, I finally found a game engine that I can use and I am cranking out project files like baby boomers.

None of them are complete because all of them are tests for using the engine and stuff. Also testing a few ideas I might use in a game I would make. So now I am fighting with the engine to see if it could do what I would want it to do (being totally subjective.)

So I figured I could actually use this engine to do what i want, and then I ran into snags once I tried to implement things (getting new ideas all the time).

That is why the best advice I was given is FOCUS. like CB said, keep your GOAL in mind at all times, and don't deviate.

Yeah, why work on something if it is not worth working on? So I find myself not working on much. Gotta get out of this dead-end loop.

Yes, dead end loop. haha.

I agree with Acharis.

You just need self-discipline. It's easier to do it in creative activity than giving up smoking.

And I wonder why there are so many people who are always waiting for inspiration and discipline from the outside. Maybe obligatory military service should be brought back.

Designing 20 games in the head does not mean on paper.

After its all correct on paper, you can start making, or show someone your idea.

"Or how, when faced with multiple potentially lucrative ideas, you guys decide which one to follow up on" - I choose the one I liked the best, the one I feel I would enjoy working on the most. Or just toss a coin :) Really, it's not that important (execution is important, idea is not).

I agree with most of what your saying, except for this part. Choosing the most appropiate idea to go with requites a bit more effort than flipping a coin. It's also a tradeoff of the amount of work each idea would require, how many people would you need to help for creating assets, etc. Make a chart of what you believe it'd take to make each idea, then choose one with the best tradeoff of what you'll enjoy vs what you'll likely have to invest into it.