Dealing with Doldrums

The last few weeks on this blog have seen a lot of high effort (for me) posts that required a decent amount of research. In addition, I was working on a deadline to submit a game to a publisher. Now that I'm past the deadline and between series, so to speak, it seems like a good time to write about something I've had lurking in my idea book for six months. In this post, I want to talk about design doldrums. 

There is a lot of information to be found online about imposter syndrome. And Dunning-Kruger. Threaded around these topics you'll discover discussions about how long it takes to become competent in a new skill or how you develop good taste before you develop good execution. And that comes close to what I think the doldrums are. 

For me, being in the doldrums is existing in a gap between your experience and your achievement combined with what I'll call a leveling up problem. When you first learn a new skill, the early concepts come faster and easier than when you hit the doldrums. In the doldrums, your early excitement is replaced by a certain amount of tedium. Skills become harder to build. The shine of novelty wears off. This is the leveling problem. You feel as though you aren't progressing as quickly as in your early days as a designer. On top of that, you may have achieved something you're proud of but can't announce due to the delay of publishing cycles. That's the achievement gap. As far as you're concerned, you have moved from hobbyist to professional, but no one will likely see the fruits of your labor for the next three years. Meanwhile, you have to keep designing and pitching like you deserve to be in this space. (See the connection with imposter syndrome?) 

So many designers exist are in the gap between knowing how to design a good game and getting recognition as being good designers. This seems to be when many designers give up and quit. Which is completely understandable, given that for some designers the doldrums last years stretching into decades. So what can be done about it? 

Step one: figure out why you design. If your why has to do with accolades, your energy could be spent elsewhere. If you want recognition, become a community organizer, which the hobby always needs more of. If your why is making something that can bring joy to others or is stretching design concepts in experimental ways, you're on the right track. Your why should drive your activity. 

Step two: push yourself like an athlete. You've got the basic skills. You have to practice, but also seek out more advanced training. That can look like playing games by respected designers who design in a style different from yours, playtesting with more experienced designers in the industry, or creating design teams with your peers to help push each other onward. It also looks like designing with a regular schedule, rather than only when inspiration hits. 

Step three: move the goal posts. Film actors have to learn to define success as getting an audition instead of getting cast in a role, because otherwise the rejection rate would be too much. Publisher interest is a more reasonable goal than a signed contract. When you research publishers, shoot for submissions that are so targeted that if even one publisher responds you have a good response rate. I like my response rate to be between 1-in-3 to 1-in-6. If you can't get a constructive response after six submissions, find someone who can give you honest feedback with an industry perspective. Maybe the game isn't viable as a product or maybe your submission package just needs work. 

Step four: celebrate your victories. Maybe you were selected for speed pitching, but no contracts resulted from the event. You still had face time with a bunch of publishers. Maybe you had one game signed but struggle to get a second. Don't move the goal posts to published games just because it happened once. Every handshake, every elevator pitch is a victory. If you can't accept this perspective, go back to step one. 

I have very mixed feelings about fora that ask you to post weekly progress. Sometimes progress is small or even intangible. Sometimes talking about it could kill the fragile momentum you've built. And looking at others' responses can make you feel like you're falling behind. You'll know if those types of posts help you or not. But keep a private list, one that tracks your victories and lays out your goals. Remember, awards don't belong on the goals list. Find joy in the process. 

The doldrums are hard. I am definitely in the experience/achievement gap, and I am definitely not taking all of my own advice. But I am working on it. Moving step by step to a place where I can design steadily for years to come. Every day can be a victory against the doldrums. 

ShippBoard Games is a board game design blog that updates most Mondays.