I copied that line from the video of Games over Coffee consulting on Find the Gnome 2. See that video for yourself on YouTube:
I love the feedback he supplied on my game.
Check out his other reviews of games, there are a lot of gems in there with very precise pointing to the underlying issues and well constructed feedback to address these issues. Check out https://www.youtube.com/c/gamesovermorecoffee and https://www.youtube.com/c/gamesovercoffee, or submit your own games to him at https://gamesover.coffee/.
Two notes on his video:
- First and foremost, I asked him for this video. He has a service where he takes a game from a gamedev (request HAS to be from the game dev themselves), and then use it for his analysis and making of a video, that then gets released. I was allowed to NOT make it public, and I was allowed to pay or not pay him for his service.
I so much respect this guy for dedicating his precious time on doing this kind of work for (indie) game devs. I follow him since like 2019 or so, he really takes his job serious and delivers outstanding results. And keeps getting better and better at his game, trying out new stuff and persist with his efforts.
I myself did go through some difficulties of my own, as most readers of this blog will probably know (and if not: please, take a look at the first posts, it starts with Find the Gnome 1 so you also get a better idea of what that game was like).
So yeah, whatever he would find on my game (pun in tented), I would allow him to publish. Thats the least I can do. - He pointed out that I already did a lot of the work for him. That is technically true, in that I DID the work needed and came to similar conclusions on the ‘defects’ that are in my game design of FtG2.
But the thing is, and this gets back to point 1: I have a very hard time asking for feedback, especially when its about things that are dear to me. Acknowledging FtG2 for what it is (and not is) and moving on from there, is SO HARD.
Me submitting my game to him, was me getting ready for accepting ‘the reality’ for what the game has become. To love this game for ‘what it is’, not try to love it for ‘what could be’.
Good feedback is about observations, perspectives, sharing insights. Its caring, these are golden nuggets… But, how I value them, depends much more on ‘how I accept them’ instead of ‘accepting them’. Its me (with probably triggers from the past) that did add the ‘judgement’ emotion to them, and its this ‘judgement-free’ analyzing that I am slowly learning now myself.
In his video, he gently points out, from a few different perspectives, why things are like they are. But at the same time, with these different perspectives, he also allows ME to view my game ‘for what it is’ from different perspectives. Not to judge it, but to just… observe.
So, on loving for ‘what it is’, not loving for ‘what could be’!
GameFeelings 