A thing that was inevitable (or "Why I'm putting my fangames on a long hiatus")

[OssieTheOstrich]

This post idea was in the back of my head for like 3'ish days now, so I apologize if this seems a little strange. I think it sounded better in my head.

So, a few days ago, while I was working on one of my fangames, I started to realized something.

Why am I making this stuff? Am I making fangames for Internet fame? Obviously not.
Am I making fangames because their fun? Yeah, I was. But after a while, the fun kinda goes away.

I'm not really gaining any value out of making these fangames, other than sharpening my skills of game dev and art of course.

I also realized that I probably wasted my time in two things:
Talking about random garbage in the Discord and not focusing on the fangames I was supposed to do.
And helping some people (except Langton and SonicZetrex) with their hacks/fangames when they never bear fruit, like Yoshin for instance; I made a few assets for her first SMW ROM hack, and then found out that the hack's files got lost. Then I made a few assets for her second SMW ROM hack, that being Eternity, but I haven't heard of it afterwards.

Another thing I realized is that, I made waaay too many fangame ideas and just jumped straight into making them.
I think I had like, 3 or 4 fangames that I was still working on, and 4 that I either canned outright or just never touched on afterwards.

At the end of the day, I can't focus on my hobbies forever. So that is why I'm putting all my current fangames on a long hiatus that'll probably never end. (this doesn't mean I'm leaving MFGG forever tho)

But hey, maybe I'm being drastic. Maybe I'll go back to doing fangames a few months later and I'll just pretend that/act like this thread never happened.

Other socials:
Sonic Retro
NCFC
YouTube

List of projects I eventually plan to finish after the indefinite hiatus is over, assuming I don't abruptly cancel them:

Spoiler

Mario's Rather Unusual Trilogy (Mario's slightly unusual Boss Rush (Completed), Mario vs. Some Unusual Foes (In development), Mario's VERY Unusual Final Frontier (In development))
Sonic's Foray into Random/Unusual Zones (spin-off of Unusual Trilogy, in development)
Angry Birds Slingshot Frenzy (In development)
Super Mario Flashback: Really Good Edition (In development)
Super Hilda DX (In only conceptual phase)

Yes, I am aware that I have about 6 or so fangame projects currently in development at the same time. And yes, I am also aware that all of this is very ambitious.

+ List of projects I'm helping out with in some small capacity during my hiatus:

Spoiler

Super Mario Bros Dimensions 2 (as a spriter, only for Mario's sprites)
MFGG Community Fangame Project 3 (as a spriter)
WordGirl ReWired (as a artist)

[VinnyVideo]

I'd love to see your project reach a finished state! However, making fangames should be fun, and if you're not having fun making them, it's time to take a break. You might find that after a few days or weeks or months, the game-making itch returns.

Course clear! You got a card.

[GeneSu730]

Dear Ostrich101,

I deeply sympathize with you.

If you see my posts, I am finally working on my magnus opum, a fan game I titled "Super Mario Nation." I have made 21 stages this year (I am finishing number 22). I promised myself I would stop for a time after making a complete game with 80 stages but now I think I might cut it down to 60 or 40.

I thought I would take advantage of this pandemic to complete this game but lately, it feels more like game making feels waaaayyyyyy tooooooo much like my regular job (I am a compliance engineer at an utility). I am also thinking of all the things I could do if I wasn't making this game like connecting with friends, finding a girlfriend, looking over some personal affairs (although I admit all those things have become difficult during this quarantine).