Hi, I'm Ziba Scott, sole proprietor of Popcannibal, and I'm going to talk a bit about success. What is success in video games? Well, that question is right up there with what are games? What is art? What is love? What people desire varies, what makes them happy varies, and getting what you desire doesn't always make you happy. If you understand both why you want to make games and what makes you happy, then you've got a better chance at achieving both. There's no end of personal and professional goals to set for yourself in the world of video game development. So I'm going to break down some of those for you to consider as you define what success in games would mean to you. Games, like writing, can be a very personal medium. A successful game creation can be one that affects only you. It can be a tool for therapy, personal growth, entertainment, creative exploration, training. Making a game can be a way to connect to others. It can help you form or connect to a community. It could be a satisfying expression of fandom. Your game could be a public statement about your identity, advancing the medium. Video games are a relatively young medium with lots of room to grow, and a technological basis that's more like a climbing rocket ship than a static foundation. You can change what games are. You could invent best practices, discover new genres. Small teams can still make amazing technical accomplishments. Persuasion. Your most important goal could be to create a game that changes minds or behaviors regardless of how well that game is reviewed or how much money it makes, but let's not ignore money. A large check can be a strong indicator of some kind of success. Money empowers in countless ways. It can help you to make more games, take vacations, bribe senators, etc. Money can be viewed as a symbol, a value assigned to your work output. A concrete measurement that your actions are valued by someone or some entity. Distribution, how many people have played your game? Is it more important to you to sell your game and or to make it free and have easier time getting it at a hundreds of thousands of people. Perhaps Mindshare is most important to you. If you want your next game to be remembered for generations, you want to make the next Mario or Carmen Sandiego. Press and awards can be really nice. It can be motivating to be recognized, paid attention to. It can also be helpful to leverage that recognition later when trying to convince companies and individuals to work with you or to give your next game the benefit of the doubt. It can also help sales and distribution, but not always. Success in games can be finding a work life balance. A lot of game developers are there chasing the medium because they have this passion for it. All that drive to be part of something you love can be thrilling, and blinding. There are easier ways to make money with the skills necessary to make games. So, how emotionally and financially stable and sustainable is your situation? Are you able to make time for yourself and your loved ones? Take care of yourself. I could go on. Creative freedom. Museum installations. A cult following. How much of each of these do you need to consider yourself or your game a success? That's up to you. You may chase one, while stumbling into another. When you get your first big award, it might be a life highlight or just a piece of plastic you're not sure what to do with. Money might change your life or not. Don't let thoughts of success overwhelm you. Don't worry that you'll never catch up to what you've seen others achieve. You get to choose what success in video games means to you. And I hope that you find a way to enjoy chasing it
