Why Did You Stop Working on Your Game? Try Gamedev Timeboxing
Small habits, big results in your gamedev journey.
Hello my fellow gamedevs!
We’ve already mentioned how difficult it is to stay consistent when developing a videogame. Even when we’re aware of scope creep and all the other enemies in the process, we can still fail.
But we are not here to quit. We are not here to give up.
In the end, small changes make the difference. We’re committing to building a habit.
Game development is a marathon, not a sprint. But for most of us — working, studying, juggling life — the idea of sitting down for hours every day to make a game feels impossible. That’s where timeboxing comes in.
Now we have two concepts in our mind: habit and timeboxing. Think about going to the gym or any other activity you have after work or studies. At the end, you assign a specific amount of time (timeboxing) and repeat it throughout the week in a consistent manner (habit).
Timeboxing
If you’re reading this article, it’s because you’re concerned about your ability to assign time for game development. But most of the time, our perception of time is a little bit (to not say, completely) distorted compared to reality.
“But José, then… how?!”
30 Minutes Rule
Every habit should start with a small commitment to avoid breaking your willpower. As soon as you start imagining that you’ll spend 1–2 hours on your game after work, and you fail once or twice, the habit doesn’t exist anymore.
So let’s create a realistic habit. Hold on for a minute and think about the days of the week when you have a solid free time slot. Book that slot in your calendar (or even in a physical agenda), the same way we do for the gym or a quick coffee with a friend.
Got it? Feels good to already have those 30 minutes booked just for you. Now, from all the items you need to achieve in your project, pick the smallest ones:
Create the initial structure for your GDD (Game Design Document)
Create a Sprite/Placeholder for your character on Aseprite
Create a basic menu for your game
Creating some dialogues lines for the narrative
Create a FX Sound for your game jump
Fix a small bug you’ve been postponing. =)
Masterize the habit
You now have a minimal commitment to keep your game moving forward. But we need to grow within the process and maximize the number of tasks we complete, right?
At the beginning, you might think: “I only have 30 minutes, but I don’t even have the skills to execute this task.” That’s expected.
Here’s the trick: use those 30 minutes to read and learn about the topic. Then, schedule another 30-minute session later to execute the task. Take notes during your learning sessions — write everything down. This way, you’re building your own gamedev knowledge base.
At some point you will discover that you can even invest more time and now your sessions could be 45 minutes long.
I promise you, after these small changes, you’ll complete more tasks. At some point, your knowledge will be solid enough that you won’t need learning sessions as often.
Micro Scope
It feels great to complete a task — but it’s even better (and more effective) when that task is part of a small goal you’re about to finish. Think about reading chapters in a book: if you only have two left in a section, you feel motivated to push through and complete it.
The same mindset applies to gamedev. Our perception and approach are key.
Plan a small set of tasks that contribute to a specific goal, like creating a prototype spritesheet or implementing 2D character movement. Then break it down into even smaller tasks that fit into your 30-minute session. Suddenly, it feels achievable.
You can read more about this topic on my previous post
Wrapping Up
To stay committed on your solo gamedev journey, remember the Balance Triangle:
Habit
Timeboxing
Micro Scope
As soon as your small scope is completed, even having a videogame that’s not perfect at all, start with family and friends playtesting so you discover things you can’t from the creator perspective amd be close to a polished demo you can actually publish to a wider audience. 🚀