thread: 2012-03-27 : Indie POV pt 3: A Small Pep Talk
On 2012-04-11, Vincent wrote:
Ben warns me not to set up a false dichotomy, so:
It's possible to be happy and successful.
It's possible to be unhappy and successful.
It's possible to be unhappy and unsuccessful.
It's possible to be happy and unsuccessful.
(If you want my advice, I recommend numbers 1 or 4 for happiness, numbers 1 or 2 for success, and number 1 overall. Like my sainted mother used to say, it's better to be rich and healthy than poor and sick.)
So successful and unsuccessful are in ongoing crisis in the indie rpg field.
On the one hand, yes, you get to set your own goals, weigh your own interests, and decide for yourself whether it's worth it to you to create and publish your games. Obviously you do! We won that fight.
On the other hand, I have to hear over and over again about how I'm a one in a million astronaut X success, and how if you're somebody else you shouldn't expect the kind of success that I take for granted.
These two views of success are at odds.
When a newcomer comes around asking questions, and I give my answers, there's a rush to make sure they're setting their sights low anyway. "Sure, but Vincent's Vincent, you can't expect that kind of success. Just make a game that satisfies you, and be satisfied with the audience it attracts." It's terrible advice. When I made Dogs in the Vineyard, THAT'S NOT WHAT I DID. It's never what I've done.
If you don't want success like Dogs in the Vineyard's, great! Set your own goals, weigh your own interests, and decide what's worth it. I'm right there for you.
If you do want success like Dogs in the Vineyard's, or even more success, for god sake don't set your sights LOWER.
