3 hours ago, EddieK said:
So today I posted a post on reddit (which I really don't do often) with a gif of my current state of the game, I know it doesn't look VERY good, but it's... decent I guess. And somebody made a comment about how my game looks like shit. On one side it's motivating because I want to make something that doesn't look like crap, but on the other side it can be really demotivating. Have you ever had people say this stuff to you? If so, how did you feel?
For starters, the internet is a place were all kinds of people gather with a variety of intentions and little to no fear for any form of backlash for their actions. Reddit hasn't been known as the best place to get encouragement, and I usually find nothing but toxic trolls and elitists on there within their "respective" communities.
Now if someone provides negative feedback without any ideas on how to "improve" your art, then the feedback really isn't worth paying attention to because that individual isn't helping you improve. The world is full of naysayers and Debbie Downers, but it's up to you to weed threw the meaningful feedback, and the ones which are blatantly worthless and add no value.
Does that mean if someone says your graphics could use more work that it's just someone being toxic? No, but you need to consider the full context of their advice, as well as the source in which the advice is coming from. When you're dealing in commercial games and your target audience most likely wont care how many hours you put into the project, they only care about the production value. If a majority are not happy with the look then you as a business person need to decide what to do. If you're just making the game as a hobbyist project, I wouldn't even care because you're not making the game to compete for market space financially. Just be happy with what you're doing and pay attention to those that really want to help you. I know it's easier said than done, but remember that a lot of negative people are miserable with their own lives and they're just looking to spread the love. After all, misery loves company.
My final piece on this... I've personally found this to be true though many years working with different people. When you're doing well other people can get jealous of your progress, and even if the advice is true or not they will do things to bring you down. I had a long time friend and business partner in which I parted ways with because the individual was giving negative feedback on very good projects I did for clients in order to bring me down, in order for me to outsource the project over to their company as my work wasn't "good enough". My clients have always been happy with my work despite the feedback, so I considered the motive behind the "feedback" and just ignored it.
You're doing a great job with your game, and I'm enjoying the updates you put forth on your blog. Keep up the great work!