this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2023
22 points (80.6% liked)

sh.itjust.works Main Community

7737 readers
1 users here now

Home of the sh.itjust.works instance.

Matrix

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

I tend to dream big alot and i tend to want thing sinstantly with this age of tech and it can be annoying at times. i even reaserch thing sbut never do them i wonder if ther eis a way to dream small and what might that look like?

like i want to start a youtube channel with my low-end pc and my fmaily says it dosent hurt to try but im not sure, i want to do gaming but everyone does gaming and im very limited with my pc, etc i could go on but i wont.

my interst will probrably change to something tommorow which is annoying.

top 11 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] qwamqwamqwam 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Getting into the habit of breaking your dreams into actionable steps and then performing those steps is the single most important skill you can learn in life. What can you do today to achieve your dream? What will you do tomorrow? One day you will stumble across something that truly captures your interest, and when you do all the practice you put in now turning your dreams into things you can do will come in handy. Dream big, but don’t stop at dreaming. Learn as much as you can about everything you might need. Your YouTube career might not make it, but any skills you pick up in video production and SEO might be helpful down the line. If your dream changes tomorrow but you learned a skill today, then it wasn’t a waste.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Exactly. I've always wanted to build a big 3D game, and here's what I've done already, and what I plan to do:

  1. learned software dev on the side
  2. built small games on a website
  3. went to school in software development and hit a job
  4. learned basic 3D modeling and modeled basic things (my house mostly)
  5. built basic 3D game to load models into - learned a bit of Unreal Engine, Unity, and Godot
  6. did nanowrimo to learn how to construct stories
  7. bought a 3D printer so I could print some of my models/motivate me to make more models

I'm attacking my goal from multiple angles. I still suck at 3D art, but I know enough that I can build enough to get by. The main thing I lack now is time, but all the while I'm whittling away at my dream. I have some partially built games, most of which are blocked by not having enough 3D models (which I'm slowly building).

I'll probably never actually make a big 3D game, but I'm having a ton of fun and learning a lot on the way. If I ever get really serious about it, I'll probably hire out the 3D modeling, but I still enjoy the challenge for now.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Does your dream require you to make the game alone? To make the models yourself? To have creative direction? For it to be a standalone game? Colaborating with projects such as Beyond Skyrim involves a lot of what you would be doing in your dream, and even if it doesn't completely cut it, it may open a lot of doors for you merely by virtue of getting in contact with the other developers.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea 1 points 1 year ago

I'm not sure. I think I would be happy collaborating if the project was interesting, and I've certainly collaborated on other FOSS projects.

I'm not looking for fame or anything (in fact, I hate being publicly recognized for anything), I just want to work on something interesting, and I have a ton of ideas for game ideas. For example:

  • games with completely player-driven economies
  • asynchronous gameplay - as in, players have very different goals/gameplay depending on the role they play; think Android:Netrunner, but in an action game, or maybe a MP Dwarf Fortress where some play in fort mode and others in adventure mode, in the same world
  • build something with a mobile app in an interesting way - i.e. something like EVE Online where you do trades and automate quests on mobile, and then do fights on desktop

Basically, I want to build something new, not rebuild something proprietary. I don't know much about "Beyond Skyrim," but it doesn't sound like what I'm looking for.

If I find the right project, I'll jump in. But most of what I see is just mods or recreations of existing games.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

I would say pursuing a dream isn't a bad thing as long as your end goal isn't wealth or fame. If you learn something along the way then it's likely worth it.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

Dreaming big isn't a problem. Wanting everything instantly is a problem

The dream small could be a big dream chopped down into easier parts. Divide and conquer.

If you want to start a youtube channel, one of the first things that will help you is doing some research, especially on what exactly you intend to do. Games for low end computers is an interesting topic, but if your presentation is lacking, your growth will be small. Also, without money to invest in advertising one way or another, don't expect significant growth, or even to see your videos bringing in money. Youtube ads pay peanuts.

Other things to keep in mind, in case you want to go forward with doing those videos:

  • What do people hate in videos, in general? (i personally despise intros that are more than 5 seconds long)
  • What are some niches of your interest that seem to lack content?
  • How much time can you actually invest in doing it? It's not just recording, editing takes a good chunk of time, too.
  • Can you take criticism like a pro? Do you have cold enough blood to shrug off trolls? - Not every comment will be a pat on the back. Sometimes, an angry asshole might actually have a point (not always, but it can happen). Other times, people just say bullshit because they're dumb. You'll have to deal with that
  • More importantly, are you ready to take responsibility for keeping it up in case you succeed?
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Dream big and be true to yourself. You can't do everything but everyone can do something better than the next person. Be willing to understand your not going to be the greatest unless you're willing to put in the work. You have to have focus and determination. All roads must lead you to the goal. That means sacrifice and a lot of growing pain. You have to stay with it if you're going to get there.

I wish you luck. Your PC is what it is. If you want to do a YouTube channel, talk about that when you're looking for ideas.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

You kind of sound like me honestly. My recommendation is to feel free to dream, but be mindful where the ground is. What I mean by that is, just because you have what you feel like is the new app idea, don’t quit your job and spend your life savings immediately to pursue it. Take small, metered steps towards a lofty goal, and remind yourself that it’s always ok to bail on an idea if you’ve lost faith or interest on it.

I will also say that most personal projects I started out of passion began to fizzle out before they were finished. If you really want to achieve a grand vision, sometimes it will take doing things you don’t want to do.

Good luck

[–] RazorGirl 3 points 1 year ago

Dreaming big is wonderful! The space race once started as a big dream!

And then a lot of research, planning, testing, people, money, and time and energy to get there. You just have to figure out what you need to get started. I'm a writer, and when I'm working on an idea, it helps me to work backwards when I'm planning things. Figure out how I want to divide it up, what the key parts of it are, what kind of emotions I want it to evoke, what I want the focus of it to be, research into a subject that might help me, and a bunch of other things.

@[email protected] has a lot of great points to start with in what you want to do. Taking those and starting to brainstorm what might be important, and then expanding on each of those things as you learn more and start to figure things out, is a great way to start figuring out how to get from your dream and gives you a scaffolding so that when you start doing things, you'll have a solid foundation to work from and it won't seem so overwhelming!

[–] carbon_based 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

my interst will probrably change to something tommorow which is annoying.

The last line triggered me to write some "feel with you". Dreaming big, or thinking big, can actually be a gift. Big inventors, philosophers, people who build companies -- they all are/were capable of thinking in bigger terms than what they could accomplish themselves or in a day.

As others commented, a plan should be broken up into smaller "achievables". It might be less simple than that, though. The problem comes with a lack of persistence, or even a perceived iniability thereof.
This could be traits in the neurodivergent spectrum. Breaking a process up might be a no-brainer to you, but then there are perhaps a lot of things to get done before even starting with the project itself (like needing to acquire the hardware, or funding). If your (main) interest is constantly shifting, and you will have the next big idea tomorrow, then it's hard to get anything started. Having to accomplish a lot of small goals, while being constantly rewarding to some people, can also be constantly distracting for others. The end goal is just so many little pieces away, and any small task can get your interest astray because that thing that brought the reward is now much closer than the big goal.

As someone who suffers from the same problem, my understanding of what it would take is this: A constant motivator that can direct your interest back to the one big thing again and again. I think what would help is to not do it all on your own, but find other people who have the same kind of interest and keep close exchange with them. The primary goal is not to get the big idea manifested at all costs, but to keep motivated to pursue the path that leads there, while also allowing you to switch your attention to all those other things. Like-minded people who go the same path could be that constant motivator.
(... Yes i'm aware there may be other issues as well, like the thing one has in mind being out of the ordinary, or being afraid of being amateurish)

If this resonates with you, feel free to PM me, or come to the [email protected] group that i started (and have yet to get going, sort posts by "new"!) specifically for such purposes.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I'll give a bit of a different view. I don't think it's always a great thing to dream big. In fact I think it can be harmful to us at times. It's not just about struggling to break things down into smaller parts or finding the time. Some things just can't/won't be done successfully for all kinds of reasons.

Big dreams often need cooperation with others, resources beyond our means, etc. Breaking things down into smaller parts won't make these issues easier. If we could all raise millions for our business ideas, for example, we would. Some photos try and try and try to chase their dreams and goals for years, and never succeed or even get close.

Dreaming big isn't bad, but keeping your expectations grounded to reality is an unfortunate necessity for your own well-being.