Burn Out

Burn Out is probably the number one reason why independent games fail. In case you're not familiar with the term, we're using the "non drag racing" version of the term: Burn Out is what happens when all of a sudden a project that used to be fun to implement is now "boring," "hopeless," "arduous," etc. Slowly but surely, team members start to lose passion for the project, and they start refocusing their efforts on other, more "exciting" projects. Developers say things like "This project's become too complex; what we need is a really simple diversion game we can develop in a few weeks, so that we can "take a break" from this project, and get back to it later." The sad truth is that 99.9% of the time, developers never return to a project they'd previously vowed to "get back to later."

It's important to realize that burn out can never be completely eliminated. Burn out occurs at different times for different teams, but eventually, it will happen on your project. However, there are several things you can do to subdue its effects. Most importantly, don't bite off more than you can chew. The best way to subdue burn out is to make sure that by the time it starts to effect your team, you're finished (or nearly finished) with the project. Everyone likes to see "the light at the end of the tunnel;" if the game will soon be complete, team members won't get burned out as easily.

The Binge and Purge Syndrome