Game Development Is a Swamp

[AyhanHub]

Today, I want to talk about the profession I’ve been floundering in lately—the one that keeps pulling me deeper the harder I try to escape. For me, game development has become both a swamp and a curse.

This post is raw and honest. If you’re just starting out in game dev, please read this. Otherwise, you might one day find yourself drained, asking, “Am I even doing this for nothing?”

I’ll be critiquing three things:

• The mediocrity of visual-scripting game engines
• The reality of AI in game creation
• My own lack of talent

The Mediocrity of Visual-Scripting Game Engines

When I started making games, I thought I’d enjoy coding. Turns out, I didn’t. Don’t assume I didn’t try—I did. But I just couldn’t get the hang of it. Maybe my brain just isn’t wired for logic-heavy tasks. Frustrated, I turned to visual scripting tools instead.

I’ve tested several game engines, and honestly, some are masters at testing your patience. I won’t name names, but I’ll hint at the core flaws I’ve seen across the board.

First: No built-in “center object” feature. Seriously? Most design software has this—it’s basic! It’s not even hard to implement. If the developers can’t think of something this simple, why are they building a game engine in the first place?

Second: Web-only exports. Sure, it sounds fine at first. But once you’ve poured effort into something decent, you’re stuck. Some engines even demand payment just to build your project. Are you kidding me? Is this a joke, or are you serious?

Third: Excessive resource consumption. Even simple projects choke my system during builds. My hardware isn’t top-tier, but it’s decent—and yet these engines bring it to its knees over trivial tasks. If you can’t optimize for basic use cases, maybe rethink your engine’s design.

Fourth: “Pay to unlock more visual scripting.” That’s just insulting. It feels less like a tool and more like a toy designed to squeeze money out of hopeful creators. Am I making a game—or serving some company’s profit model?

The AI Reality

Is the above enough reason to be discouraged? Probably not—but wait, there’s more. As AI keeps advancing, the future of this craft looks bleak. Right now, many treat it as a gimmick, but I’ve actually built a few small games with AI assistance—and the results were shockingly good.

Sure, it can’t yet execute every idea from a single command, but give it a little guidance, and it starts delivering. What I’m trying to say is: “making a game from scratch” might soon be a meaningless phrase.

When that day comes, even big studios will struggle. If anyone can generate a playable game on demand, what happens to the profession itself? Big companies might downsize—but small creators? We’ll be devoured like fish by the AI predators. Unless you focus on truly original games, formulaic ones will vanish overnight.

I’m Just Not Talented

Admitting this hurts—but the truth is bitter. Game development isn’t for me. During my dev phases, I genuinely felt my brain melting. Oddly, when I’m not making games, I come up with great ideas, stories, and concepts.

You might ask: “Ayhan, didn’t you just start?”
No. I started ten years ago—and wasted a decade chasing nothing.

That’s why I called it a swamp at the beginning.

This doesn’t mean I hate game development. It just means I lack the talent for it. I’ve tried other creative paths too. But because I can’t translate my vision into reality, I’m walking away—reluctantly.

Though, honestly? I can’t even quit properly. I’m talentless at both moving on and improving. So… well, wish me luck.

[Snowfrogdev]

Hey there. I can understand your frustration. Game dev is super hard. That's the reason it's remained a hobby for me and I haven't - yet - taking the plunge and gone full-time indy.

I'm curious, have you considered that you can be involved in game dev without being a one-man show and wearing all the hats. Very few people are polymaths. Not mastering everything does not make you a failure, it makes you human. Maybe you could team up with people that can make up for your weaknesses and you can focus on your strengths, on the things you enjoy - not visual programming evidently😉.