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Krew, pot i piksele: Chwalebne i niepokojące opowieści o tym, jak robi się gry by Jason Schreier
archangelesq's review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely wonderful book. You never really think about all the things that go into making games happen, you juse play them. This book really details how important every little decision can be, and how oddly time-consuming things are that end up being barely noticed in a game. Now I have a bunch of games to add to my list.
kavreb's review against another edition
4.0
God, I'm so glad I never got into making video games.
Jason Schreier lays it clear how consuming the job is, and how in order to persevere and have a chance at success, you must be willing to gift your life away to this ephemeral art form.
And then you’ll probably still get sacked and your dreams (and income) crushed, cause this is big business and most of us are just cogs in the machine, easily replaced at the will of the master.
Even reading about the indie studios, the challenges and sheer amount of life you must put aside for the possibility of success, is terrifying. And to think of all those games that didn't succeed - for every Stardew Valley and Minecraft, there are tons of those that put in the time, and got nothing back.
This book isn't really about them (from what I understand, the next one from Schreier might be), but about the success stories, and many chapters you might read with a certain sense of expectation for when you know this beloved game hits - and becomes beloved. I guess my main criticism of the book would be that despite the negatives, Schreier is still too enamored with the creation of video games and cannot ultimately force himself to be too judgemental of the downsides, even offering some weak protections of it.
Though often the success does still feel like failure, and for that I am glad to be standing on the periphery peering in and enjoying the products, but keeping more of my life to myself.
Which I guess means that people like me will never create something like Stardew Valley, or In Search of Lost Time. But perhaps that's fine - some people just want to live, and an enjoyable collection of stories from an industry you're interested in is close enough.
One hopes the industry does get better, but I share Schreier’s uncertainty as to whether it can in some regards. In others, certainly, and that's also why we need people like Schreier, and books like this, which should be given out in every course for wannabe video game makers.
If it won't scare them away, perhaps at least it'll help them to know better what they're walking into. And if neither, well, it will certainly entertain; and give you a hankering for more stories like this.
Jason Schreier lays it clear how consuming the job is, and how in order to persevere and have a chance at success, you must be willing to gift your life away to this ephemeral art form.
And then you’ll probably still get sacked and your dreams (and income) crushed, cause this is big business and most of us are just cogs in the machine, easily replaced at the will of the master.
Even reading about the indie studios, the challenges and sheer amount of life you must put aside for the possibility of success, is terrifying. And to think of all those games that didn't succeed - for every Stardew Valley and Minecraft, there are tons of those that put in the time, and got nothing back.
This book isn't really about them (from what I understand, the next one from Schreier might be), but about the success stories, and many chapters you might read with a certain sense of expectation for when you know this beloved game hits - and becomes beloved. I guess my main criticism of the book would be that despite the negatives, Schreier is still too enamored with the creation of video games and cannot ultimately force himself to be too judgemental of the downsides, even offering some weak protections of it.
Though often the success does still feel like failure, and for that I am glad to be standing on the periphery peering in and enjoying the products, but keeping more of my life to myself.
Which I guess means that people like me will never create something like Stardew Valley, or In Search of Lost Time. But perhaps that's fine - some people just want to live, and an enjoyable collection of stories from an industry you're interested in is close enough.
One hopes the industry does get better, but I share Schreier’s uncertainty as to whether it can in some regards. In others, certainly, and that's also why we need people like Schreier, and books like this, which should be given out in every course for wannabe video game makers.
If it won't scare them away, perhaps at least it'll help them to know better what they're walking into. And if neither, well, it will certainly entertain; and give you a hankering for more stories like this.
thetalldwarf's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0