Devs & Dorks & DoughyDevin
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This week on Bronze League Adam Robot, founder of Devs & Dorks, join us to share about his experience with indie development. He has set up this community to function as a place for all indie devs to work together and pick eachother’s brains. Let’s hear what he’s got to say :-)
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Bronze Buds Submission
Topic Request
Discord
Adam Robot
Hey Adam! Thanks for doing this interview with Bronze League, do you mind telling us a little bit about yourself?
I am pretty boring to be honest. I think the most interesting thing about is that I decided to quit my job to become a indie game developer without much experience. It was a huge risk and it didn't work out. After 3 years, I was broke and back to work for someone else. The experience taught me that trying to do this on my own was out of the question. I needed to be able to talk to other developers and get some advice from them. I figured others were probably in need of this too, so I decided to setup Devs & Dorks.
Devs & Dorks is a community for indie game developers and content creators who love indie games. Our main goal is to help indie game developers with the struggles they face by being solo developers or members of a small team.
We are mostly a Discord community but have plans to use our website and social media to expand. Our Discord just passed 500 members and recently started weekly and bi-weekly challenges to help people improve their art, music, writing, and programming.
How does Devs & Dorks help out Indie Devs?
I would say by providing a space they can get help from other developers. There is almost always someone on our Discord server that can answer a question or provide some feedback. We also try to help promote games on our social media when they have something like a Kickstarter or release coming up and have our team of content creators there waiting to check out new games and share them with their fans.
I know picking favorites is hard, but do you have a favorite (or multiple favorites) game that has come out of your community?
It is not released yet but the first game that comes to mind is Cat Crash. It is a mobile game that was inspired by Angry Birds. You play as a cat that catapults itself around platformer style levels.
What is your favorite game of all time?
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
What are some of the bigger challenges you face running a community like Devs and Dorks?
For me personally, it's trying to remember who everyone is and what project they are working on. For the Devs & Dorks staff, it would be trying to adapt our space to meet everyone's needs. Game development and content creation are constantly changing so we have a lot to learn if we want to continue to help people.
Being a developer yourself, does it make it easier to see where other devs are coming from when they are seeking funding?
Yes. I use to think developers were asking for too much but now think they don't ask for enough. Games are far more expensive to create than you think and some developers are nervous about asking for the full amount.
What is the biggest hump to get over when it comes to being an indie developer? Getting the ideas from brain to game, so to speak.
For me and many others, it is scrapping a lot of those ideas. It is hard to do. You want to put in every fun idea you have but realistically can't.
How do online interactions compare to in-person interactions at events like PAX when it comes to benefitting an indie game’s traction?
I haven't gone to an event like PAX but I would tell people to consider the difference between interacting with a person online and in-person. A face to face interaction with a person is much different and leaves a bigger impression on both people. I feel that anyone you interact with at one of these events is much more likely to buy your game, play it on stream, or write an article because they had the chance to meet you.
Here is your time to PLUG! Tell everyone what you have been working on and what they should be checking out.
Currently I am splitting my time between building the Devs & Dorks website and a game that will be hosted there. The game is a mix of farming simulator and resource management game set in a sort of fantasy medieval period. You can see out website at
You can hear more about the game and its development by following me on Twitter @adamprobot
Rapid Fire Round: Answer without too much thought
Favorite Starter Pokemon: Bulbasaur
Least favorite game: A specific game doesn't come to mind so lets go with any game that is $60 and still has microtransactions that cut down the grind that was put into the game to just for the purpose of adding microtransactions.
Biggest goofball to come from the Devs and Dorks Community: I want to say Dan Barnett but only because he is a teacher. I think it's just part of the job. Dan is a talented musician and just recently started hosting the music challenges for Devs & Dorks.
Go to at-the-keyboard snack: I never eat at my computer.
Controller or Keyboard preference: Controller
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