Everyone has their own process, but I think it’s fine to just start with a simple idea that’s not yet a game, jump in, and experiment around, especially if you’re just starting out. I’m not an expert by any means, but I managed to release a small game of my own recently, and all I had at the start was a test where I could knock over a box by throwing a ball. Everything else that eventually became the game were ideas that I had later while playing around and showing it to other people.

That’s a good call, thanks!

I can relate though, I’ve honestly avoided actively using social media for the better part of a decade, so dipping my toe back in the waters has been a bit of a struggle. I can’t help overanalyzing everything I write, to the point it becomes exhausting trying to regularly post anything. And then it often feels like an exercise in futility anyway when you’re lost in the sea of other posts.

So I figure for now I’ll focus my energy on making games and especially improving with the visuals (admittedly I’m a programmer first and foremost, so art is not my strong suit), and hopefully gradually gain more confidence.

By the way, I’ve really appreciated yours and everyone’s encouraging comments here! Funnily enough, this is the most attention a post of mine has ever received, and I wasn’t even intending for it

I’m glad you like it! I actually made my first prototype right before last Christmas so I could play it when my family got together, and people enjoyed it so much I just kept working on it.

As far as gifting goes, I actually didn’t know you could get Steam gifts that deliver later, so I’m not entirely sure of the answer, but I assume if they charge you for the game right away it would process the payment then too.

Full disclosure though, only one person needs a copy of the game to run it and play with a group. Everyone joins the game by visiting a website (generally on their phone), similar to how Jackbox games work. So there’s no obligation to gift copies, but if you still do I will be quite honored and grateful!

I appreciate the optimism! I hope it can find an audience over time, but it’s definitely tough to stand out. For now, I’m aiming to just keep making games and improving, rather than giving up after the first try, which sadly seems to happen a lot out there.

By the way, here’s the game for anyone interested: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2792160/SnowDown/

I didn’t expect to see so many replies!

Oof, though you’re not wrong!

Here’s my game: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2792160/SnowDown/

It’s a little action party game you can play with phones as controllers (similar to how you’d host a Jackbox game). And yes I did make it with Godot!

Hey me too! I released my first game on Steam a month ago and by all objective measures it was a flop, but as a hobbyist I’m still proud of it. It honestly did better than I thought for a small niche game that I did a terrible job of marketing, and my one review so far was quite positive so I’ll count that as a small win as I move onwards to the next game.