GeneralJist said:
Together everyone Achieves More

software development is not a fairy tale cartoon which can be described with some motivational poster painted by the ponies at equestria daily.

especially gamedev, which is an art, a science, a business. 3 in 1.

people who actually capable to do the things, to make a game … or ANY meaningful part of the game to be honest, besides painting a few textures and icons….. maybe 0.1% of this community nowadays.

a very tiny minority.

you know, like there is a hot top model who you would like to enter a relationship, but she just refuses to talk to you. not just to you, but to her other 3400 stalkers on facebook…

This is still relevant: http://archive.gamedev.net/archive/reference/business/features/shareprof/​

Make sure you read all three pages, it's easy to miss that you need to click on them instead of today's infinite scrolling.

GeneralJist said:

The thing is, being in a team drastically scales up what you can potentially accomplish.

It's also better for motivation and mental health.

I don't know about that. . .

Maybe, with the right people, the team thing could work.

But, in my own experience so far, it has mostly just brought frustration.

GeneralJist said:
As for TEAM, no it's not magic, but it's only 3 in 1 because your thinking of it as 1 person, it could be a team of 3 people, and wouldn't that be easier for everyone?

It's not easier if you have to swap those 2 other people every few months along the way because they disappear or don't deliver.
So the lone wolf probably prefers to do what he can alone, e.g. making a playable prototype or full game with programmer art, and only after this works search out for other people.
At this point the uncertainty about where the project goes, how well it works, if it's worth it, is resolved, and motivation and direction is way easier. (That's at least my wishful thinking, if i'd start to work on my dream game.)

Btw, comparing games with music again, you always work alone, no matter what.
In music, playing in the band is completely different than from playing alone. In the band, mutual inspiration works instantly and increases chances to come up with something.
In software development, you have to isolate yourself. If you're in a big office with other programmers and artists, they will all remain quiet, so they can work focused without interruption and distraction. There is no other way.
Maybe there is some mutual inspiration happening during meetings, when people talk instead work. But if so, that's totally not the same thing as in music.

So i think the output of making games is a creative product, but the process of creation is more technical than creative. Sadly even for artists, due to complex software. Which diminishes to desire to have company a whole lot.

If I wanted to work with other people, I'd work at a AAA game studio that pays a regular, industry-competitive salary. Or a non-game software firm for that matter, because at that point it's just a job.

frob said:
This is still relevant: http://archive.gamedev.net/archive/reference/business/features/shareprof/​ Make sure you read all three pages, it's easy to miss that you need to click on them instead of today's infinite scrolling.

ugh… that's quite hard… so, um, probably true. :D

@GeneralJist I am on team ‘team’ here. When 2 or more people share a vision, they can accomplish amazing things. Even lone wolves don't work in a vacuum, they thank all the friends who helped them along the way. And I work harder when I think someone else needs my help.

But my personal experience is that nobody will share my vision until I show it to them, and I can't show anything until I make it myself, catch-22. Solitude is kind of wired into creativity, at least at first. If your idea is unique, then by definition it is just yours and nobody else's. If your idea is not unique, then it is not very creative.

2 people working on the same idea without helping each other is a big waste though, I agree. They are neither being creative nor efficient.