Good day!
What you think - side projects helps to rest from you main work and back with fresh mind and ideas. Or they makes you main aim more far?
Sometimes I tire, because I refactor many things again and again. And I feel I have not enough free time and resources in my life, because otherwise it not connected with IT sphere and I can’t use my professional skills in the game development. And sometimes I think about some simple project like card or board game with few rules. But every time still working with my main idea.
What about you? How many project you usually have at one moment and how many of their is you hobby/work? Is “fast and simple” side projects helps in main work or not?
For me, side projects are a big benefit to my knowledge, and it does convert into my ability to achieve what I want long-term. But I guess it’s a complicated question, as it depends on “what do you mean by side projects” As you can see below, most of my side projects somehow “connect back” to the main thing I’m doing, which is Castle Game Engine.
Sometimes I do things using Castle Game Engine, simple examples, or even apps for my home/family. I once did an application when I scanned my house using https://scaniverse.com/ , and you could walk in our house in 3D on Android tablet, and throw toy balls around; my daughter had lots of fun with that. I also did a “family photos slideshow”, displayed using Raspberry Pi connected to a small monitor running 24/7. And other fun using CGE
I do count these “side projects” to be great to CGE itself too → I can wear a hat of “user of CGE” for some time and maybe see some things that are important/easy to fix with a fresh mind.
I also enjoyed a lot game jams. Long time ago in one company (Ten Square Games) where I worked, and later in Cat-astrophe Games where I was organizing them (some projects on https://cat-astrophe-games.itch.io/ ).
And I always participated in these gamejams using Castle Game Engine So I again feel they are benefit, as I was able to enjoy using Castle Game Engine with a fresh mind.
I do have other hobbies, around web development, server management and security.
I can even consider our company “Cat-astrophe Games” as, in some way, a “side project” for me. But again with the same conclusion – I learned a lot, how a professional team works, how you can coordinate work on many people, on both Castle Game Engine and Unity games. This does benefit Castle Game Engine – e.g. I feel I didn’t “lost touch” with what Unity features are, so I can fairly look at CGE and judge how we compete (and I think we’re doing quite good ).
So, I guess, my overall answer is: “side projects are great, but I’m cheating – all my side projects, sometimes intentionally sometimes not, contribute back to my ability to develop Castle Game Engine”.
Naturally, it’s a problem that our time is limited, and a side project is a risk of “pulling us from the main work”. I would say to try to “time-limit” a side project then. Gamejams (see e.g. here if you’re looking for one: https://ludumdare.com/ , Game jams - itch.io ) are one way to do this.
As you can see below, most of my side projects somehow “connect back” to the main thing I’m doing, which is Castle Game Engine.