Lately, I've been getting the feeling that all the hobby work I do is pretty much for nothing. Why spend the countless hours learning the material, making a kick ass portfolio, and improving the skills when there is no potential career or income in this field? Hell, I don't even have the relevant degree, that alone automatically kills majority of my chances of turning this into career. Why do you continue programming games when there is no future or payoff? I feel like ive been living a double life, due to my failure in college CS which led me to this path. I never should've put this effort when there is nothing to gain other than "fun". I don't know, maybe im getting depressed and need to take a break.

What's the point in any hobby? If you're not getting personal enjoyment from it then you should stop doing it and find something you do like.

I don't think you really understand the meaning of the word 'hobby'...

It led into a career for me, and it was fun even before that. As the others said, if that's how you feel then there's no real reason to continue.

What is the point of any hobby? It is just something you do because you enjoy to do it. Not everyone makes a career out of their hobbies. If you are doing it with the sole purpose of making a career out of it, then you are doing it for the wrong reason. I have a BS in Game and Simulation Programming, and have never bothered applying to a game industry job since getting it (I let the career advisor shop a resume around, but she kept sending it to non industry jobs too, like 2nd Shift Supervisor for UPS -- yes the mail company with brown trucks) mainly because I'm happier having my own time that I work rather than being forced to work the hours they want. Not to mention, I don't have to answer to anyone for my game ideas (well my wife) if they go too far. When I first started I wanted to be in the industry, but now, I've come to accept I will never be in it and with people like Fish, Gjoni, and Quinn giving the indie scene a bad name with their childish antics, it may be for the best seeing as everyone remembers the negatives more than the positives. Basically, as JTippetts said, if you are no longer enjoying it, then stop doing it and find something else you enjoy doing as no one is holding a gun to your head to be a hobbyist game programmer.

Yeah you guys are right. I think im just burnt out at the moment. Ive been coding nonstop everyday for 3 years straight. Im gonna wrap up my current project and take a break for a couple of months.

Burnt out is the new Aspberger's.

Yeah you guys are right. I think im just burnt out at the moment. Ive been coding nonstop everyday for 3 years straight. Im gonna wrap up my current project and take a break for a couple of months.

In my personal experience, when I take several months off, and force myself to stay "off" for the time period I set in advance, it makes me eager to jump back in again when I resume.

I definitely agree with finishing your current project (even a rushed 'finish' is better than "putting it on pause"), and I also suggest giving yourself a "return date", say, 100 days from when you stop. You don't have to return after that return date, but you should force yourself to stay away until that return date. If you really enjoy programming as a hobby, then forcing yourself to stay away will help you recognize that. Absence, as the saying goes, makes the heart grow fonder.

Yeah you guys are right. I think im just burnt out at the moment. Ive been coding nonstop everyday for 3 years straight. Im gonna wrap up my current project and take a break for a couple of months.

In my personal experience, when I take several months off, and force myself to stay "off" for the time period I set in advance, it makes me eager to jump back in again when I resume.

I definitely agree with finishing your current project (even a rushed 'finish' is better than "putting it on pause"), and I also suggest giving yourself a "return date", say, 100 days from when you stop. You don't have to return after that return date, but you should force yourself to stay away until that return date. If you really enjoy programming as a hobby, then forcing yourself to stay away will help you recognize that. Absence, as the saying goes, makes the heart grow fonder.

Thanks, you are correct. I still do love it deep down. I just need to take a break. Coding a 2d engine tired out my brain looks like.

There are multiple psychological studies that states this:

you cut people in 2 groups, and ask them to do something reasonably fun/interesting.

the 2 groups perform the same in the first session.

then you pay one group a few bucks for each task performed.

then 2 weeks later, delete the reward and while the first group continues to perform the task the same, the group which received the reward virtually stops to do any task.

conclusion, anything that is fun, becomes a pain when it becomes professional and associated to external rewards.

Those studies are part of self determination theory, which distinguish intrinsic motivation and extrinsinc motivations.

if you like game making, just keep it as a hobby. Or, make a startup and attempt to do your own venture, but if it fails, after that its the end of it.