The first test has begun. The feedback stings.
Last time, I regretted starting testing too late when things were already set in stone. So this time, I started much earlier. Since this is the first test of a game that’s not even halfway finished, I’m getting absolutely crushed—like meat being tenderized. But in the midst of it, I’ve had a major realization.
Looking back at how I’ve approached solo development so far, I realized I had been preparing my game as if trying to get chosen by some ideal publisher—a great producer. But that’s not what I should have been doing. That producer I had in mind? Probably an illusion. It suddenly hit me during testing: for a solo developer, the true producer is the players. That’s why people say to reveal the project early and engage with users. I’ve seen this advice online for a long time, but I misunderstood it as just a marketing strategy.
Ever since adopting the mindset that users are my producers, handling tough feedback has become surprisingly easy. Before, I put a lot of emotional effort into digging through feedback, trying to extract the valuable bits. Now, that effort has transformed into a positive energy.
Either way, I’m refining many aspects of the game based on the feedback. Right now, my focus is on making the game more accessible and welcoming. For the time being, I’ll prioritize polishing over adding new content, and testing will continue alongside development until completion.I plan to carefully gather only those who genuinely want to play my game from Twitter and Reddit. Last time, I handed out keys to anyone who asked, and 90% just took them and disappeared. If I select better, hopefully, that percentage will go down. Then again, what if no one wants to test it at all?
Even though this is something I love doing, something that I feel is an absolute necessity in my life, it’s not easy. Sometimes, I wonder if my belief that I must make this game is just a defense mechanism or an obsession. Then I question that doubt, but in the end, conscious thoughts don’t seem to help much. My dreams don’t seem to have much to say about it—maybe that just means I should keep going. Standing inside the storm while trying to observe it from outside isn’t an easy thing.