Solo Game Development Mentorship - Why?

Just recently, I hosted a live workshop in Kajaani, Finland, where around fifty participants came together to discuss the topic "Game Industry Turmoil." The goal of the workshop was to take a closer look at the current state of the game industry—why so many layoffs are happening and why studios are shutting down.

The concerns voiced by the students were crystal clear: “How do I land a job in this kind of environment?”

”What if these individuals could get guidance in making their own games and even releasing them on platforms like Steam?”

Several experienced industry veterans joined the event to share their insights, including myself, with over 10 years of game development experience.

Of course, no magical solution came out of the thought-provoking conversations, but there were plenty of revelations about how to make things just a little easier for everyone.

One thing stuck with me during these discussions—both with the workshop participants and with others at the Northern Game Summit, which happened right after.

There are so many talented, motivated individuals who have an undeniable passion for making games. Yet, these people often get overshadowed by louder voices in the job market. Why? Because they might lack experience in "selling themselves."

”The reality is, many of these individuals don’t see solo game development as something realistic for them.”

So, here’s the thought:

What if these individuals could get guidance in making their own games and even releasing them on platforms like Steam? Wouldn’t that be one of the best ways for them to either make a living creating games—or, at the very least, build a solid, believable portfolio that showcases their skills and passion?

The reality is, many of these individuals don’t see solo game development as something realistic for them. To them, it feels like some sort of “magic craft” reserved for highly experienced developers.

But that’s just not true.

Yes, getting exposure for a game and turning it into something profitable is a challenging journey, no question about it. But the process of actually developing a game has never been easier than it is today.

”I’m offering this program (almost) for free to a limited number of participants.”

On Steam last year, about 19,000 games were released—and roughly 15,000 of them didn’t turn a profit. That statistic shows us something important: there are countless games out there that simply didn’t connect with an audience.

To me, that highlights a critical takeaway: designing games for a specific audience is more essential than ever.

And this is exactly the kind of guidance I want to offer.

How can you create games for a well-defined audience? How do you scope your game to match the needs of that audience? And how can you actually build the game itself with your evolving skillset?

Since “solo game development” is still a relatively new career path, I decided to kick off this journey with a pilot program: The Solo Game Development Mentorship Program.

I’m offering this program (almost) for free to a limited number of participants. (There’s a small fee of just 3 Euros to ensure applicants are real people.)

Through this mentorship, I want to test different methods for helping people make games on their own while gathering valuable feedback along the way.

Using this feedback, I’ll refine the program, gaining a better understanding of what works—and seeing if there’s actual demand for something like this.

If this sounds like something for you, I hope to see you join the Solo Game Development Mentorship Program through my Patreon! The link is below:

Jestercraft Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Jestercraft/shop/solo-game-development-mentorship-program-938086