Agenda
Making Indie Games (on the side)
Brian Cronin (Game Engineer & Designer, Chugga Chugga LLC)
Pass Type:
Academic Pass, Festival Pass, Game Changer Pass, Indie Pass, Start-Up Pass -
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Hot Topics:
AI
Track:
Independent Development, Production & Team Leadership
Audience Level:
All
Format:
Lecture
Vault Recording: TBD
Audience Level: All
It's easy to start making a game on the side, but much harder to finish one. The initial excitement fades, time and energy run short, and it's tempting to abandon the project for a new idea.
Brian Cronin runs a tiny indie studio while working full-time and raising two young kids. Drawing on years of trial and error and four years spent developing Slumber Realm at about 12 hours a week, he shares the habits and systems that help him see a commercial game through to release.
The talk explores how to build consistency without depending on motivation: choosing when to work, making progress in short sessions, maintaining context between them, protecting limited energy, and committing to one project. The goal is sustainable progress, not productivity at all costs. Passion gets a game started, but consistent habits get it finished.
Brian Cronin runs a tiny indie studio while working full-time and raising two young kids. Drawing on years of trial and error and four years spent developing Slumber Realm at about 12 hours a week, he shares the habits and systems that help him see a commercial game through to release.
The talk explores how to build consistency without depending on motivation: choosing when to work, making progress in short sessions, maintaining context between them, protecting limited energy, and committing to one project. The goal is sustainable progress, not productivity at all costs. Passion gets a game started, but consistent habits get it finished.
Takeaway
Attendees gain a practical framework for sustaining part-time game development: replacing motivation with repeatable habits, tracking where limited hours go, scheduling work around available energy, preserving context between short sessions, and treating sleep, exercise, and health as essential production resources.
Intended Audience
This session is for developers creating games alongside full-time jobs, family responsibilities, or other commitments, especially those who regularly start projects but struggle to finish them. Solo developers and small teams benefit most. No prerequisite knowledge is required.