Do I really want to draw pixel art forever?
I am slowly coming to the realization that to make a video game that is enjoyable to play I am going to have to spend a lot of time drawing. And I mean a lot of time. To be immersive the art needs to come alive with tiny animations. It needs to grow and die, open and close, walk and run. I’ve been hoping I could find enough free or cheep art on the internet to fill get something working. But the game’s needs are specific, and while I may be able to fill in the broad strokes with bits grabbed here and there, much will need to be created pixel by pixel. This realization leaves me with 3 options.
- Start learning to draw pixel art
- Find a partner to work on the game with
- Find a new project
What am I doing anyway?
This project started out as a way for me to learn a new programing language. There is still much for me to learn (I’ve more or less stayed away from go routines) but I’m also at the point now where I’d be comfortable saying I know golang enough to use it at work. So, what comes next for this project? Has it reached its end or do I really want to make a video game?
Picking one of the above options for moving forward is in many ways an answer to what I’m trying to do here. If I start down the path of learning to draw pixel art this project moves from one skill, programing, to another, drawing, and being a person who has a lot to learn to draw decent pixel art, that is a real project.
If I start looking for a partner this project moves past being some personal side project I can stop doing whenever to being an entity on its own. Another human will have input. That human will have expectations about the level of effort they are putting into this. Our expectations will not be the same. We will have to work that out. Maybe we will make a cool video game. Maybe we’ll become friends. Maybe we’ll do both or maybe one of us with ghost the other one day and the game will rot away in its corner or the internet.
And if I stop working on making a video game what does that mean about what I’m doing? Does a project only last as long as it’s easy? Is that a pursuit in leisure or a pursuit of mindlessly filling up the hours of my life? I’m tempted to call it the later. And yet, continuing on to keep face doesn’t sounds like pursuing leisure either? If the amateur does something for love and the professional does something for payment, is it the fool who does something for neither love or payment? There is, of course, duty. But what duty do I have here?
Next steps
Of the three options for moving forward the one that is most appealing is finding a partner to work with but I’m not really sure where to begin such a search. If anyone reading this has idea about how to cultivate such a relationship, please let me know. For now I’ll continue dipping my feet into drawing pixel art and see if it’s something I enjoy enough to do earnestly.
-MCW