As a teenager I would go ice skating with my friends. My best friend was a hockey player and talented skater. He taught me the basics of skating, but I never got nearly as good as him.
I remember watching him standing at one end of the rink. He would lean forward and push off as hard as he could, then alternate between each steel-bladed skate, every lunge forward building up more and more speed. The distance between him and the far wall would close, faster and faster. At the very last moment he would jump into the air, turn his skates sideways and lean back into a landing. The blades would carve against the cold surface, throwing icy shavings, like silver glitter, up in an ark through the air. It was amazing to me.
I never had the guts to try this myself. For me, stopping was always the hardest part about ice skating.
Momentum is a powerful force. It can work both for you and against you. In gamedev, I’ve found it to be one of the most important principles for finishing a project. As I consistently work on my game, it builds up momentum. That momentum can help carry me through even the hardest days.
Do you have momentum with your indie game? If not, what could you do to get it? You may consider this simple question as a solution.
Thanks for reading,
Ben
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