It's frustrating to see the void of game dev youtube filled mostly by people who lack professional experience, let alone decades of director level experience. It's hard to take seriously advice about how to plan and budget a project from someone who is 22 and has one indie credit that sold ten copies to their name. Not that their experience isn't valid, but it means a lot more when someone has been in the trenches for 30 years.

Tim Cain: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe..." ❤

One good reason that you left out, for why there aren’t more channels like this, is your originality, openness and your gift for storytelling. Your philosophies seem to flesh out stories to their fullest. The list of people who have both your experience, and the ability to put it into concise monologues, is probably fairly short. I, for one, sincerely think your videos deserve to be stored with the Library of Congress. I’m sure there are far less relevant things saved, than informative stories from an industry leader, in the early days of computer technology. Thanks, Tim From Everyone

Why arent there more channels like this? Because you're one of a kind, Tim 😉

There's Tim and Sakurai (Kirby Creator and Smash Director). Also Chet Faliszek has also started doing videos (ex valve). There really aren't a lot of experienced people that want to put themselves to the lions.

I really appreciate you are willing to spend your time to create this channel and share the knowledge preferences and thoughts. Thank you.

I've worked in the industry since 1995, so almost 30 years now. After the first 5-10 years, I realized I knew everything and it was awesome. Salad days! Over the following 10-15 years, I realized I actually didn't know shit. Which was pretty humbling. Now 29 years in, I feel a lot more confident about what I do and don't know about the industry. But I am so fucking bitter I'm not sure how productive it would be to share my experiences. It's so unbelievably hard to make games that it's amazing anyone is able to ship anything at all.

Tim, your insight and experience make you a gem, not even counting the common sense and pragmatism you bring to the industry. You clearly just want to make fun and interesting games first, all the rest comes second, and that's why even if there were more dev channels out there, you'd easily be the most interesting to watch for a good majority.

Regardless, I'm happy that your channel exists. It's such a special insight into the industry!

I'd also add a reason I think is valid: not that many people have been on both sides: a gamedev and a project manager\team leader\gamestudio owner AND who have been doing it for that many years and have up to date industry knowledge as well as general bits of wisdom. That a pretty unique perspective, not that many people have that

TL-DR: Thank you for these Tim. Your channel has been my daily driver for a while now. As a 35 year old rookie, slowly transitioning from motion & graphic design space, I find myself neck deep in impostor syndrome every-single-time I try to build something "simple" (I'm doing the air bunnies here as you read). When you take the time to share your experience, it almost always signals me (I bet I'm not the only one) that it's O.K. to not know a LOT of things, and it's ok to feel lost, incompetent and insecure. I tell myself to "trust the process" and get back to learning, trying, failing, building, rinse & repeat.

Just wanted to say, I'm one from the 'listening' crowd, and I appreciate your videos *a lot*. I commented on just a few before, but most of the time I just feel satisfied with the content already, and don't really feel a lot of questions coming up. So while I'm not contributing to the positive comments, this channel has become one of my routinely watched ones for all its insight and, surprising to me, relatability; and the channel's atmosphere. Thank you for doing all this.

Hello, I know this is unrelated to the topic of the video, but Thank you for doing this. I got linked to your "Stop Making Excuses" video in a gamedev discord server and I binge-watched all of your videos after that. This place has become a safe space for me. Somewhere I can come to escape from polarization, hyper-consumerism and angry gamers. I can just absorb the consistent, positive attitude. So yeah, thank you for instilling confidence in this hobby I have

Also think it's worth reiterating in these comments that there ARE other "big deal" veterans of the industry who offer this kind of thing, just that it's more often in the form of published memoirs. People can look up Jon Romero's and Sid Meier's if they want concrete examples.

Here is a drive by snipping comment, I love your videos and appreciate what you share with us. It truly is a highlight of my day. :)

Hi Tim, it's us, everyone.

Simple answer? It's because having decades of experience and giving advice on this level isn't something most people will do for free. If people want to learn about what you've discovered during a long and successful career, that usually comes with a price. Tim is probably an exception to that rule when compared to his peers.

As an owner of a BB-tier company, all points in this video hit the nail on the head as to why I don't produce more "blog" content or write a book about my niche that many have suggested I write. I can spend that 3-5 hours a week with my family, hobbies, housework, or even putting more work into my games. All of which I believe are better options. Keep up the good work, Tim. You make cleaning the kitchen more tolerable. :)

Thanks for talking frankly about this. There are so many legitimate reasons to avoid doing something like this I'm surprised people even ask. Thank you again for being willing to be out here like this, us regular watchers really appreciate it

The assumptions part is one of the reason I tend to rarely engage in any form of discussion around things in the internet. Seems to be a common troupe with people that disagree or want to argue about something where they make up this whole elaborate talking point not based around anything you said or could be implied with what you said. I guess you can call that a strawman, they just aren't worth engaging with. Anyway I think I have said this before, but I really appreciate your opinions and perspective, it's the main thing that drew me into the channel.

I don't know if I have seen any other channels like this, but a lot of Matt Colville's Running the Game videos have a similar feel. It's about tabletop RPGs rather than game development, but because of his interests and career trajectory, there is some overlap. He has also talked about something I have heard Tim mention a couple of times. The first was that a fun game has problems to solve and the player has to come up with the answer. The other one is the bit of advice about incentivizing the behavior you want. Reward the player for doing the things you want them to do. Offer a carrot, stick optional.

Hi Tim! Game dev here! Love what you’ve been doing. The games industry could use more public transparency, and I’m happy to see you join the ranks of John Romero, double fine, and Sakurai!

I'd also add that there is an overlap problem of skills to create content around something and skill at the thing itself. Some people are very talented but are incapable of communicating it. Others (like myself) are mediocre at the skills; capable enough to get by, but excel at the communication. From my experience more often than not the spectrum falls that the kinds of people who devote themselves fully to something and learn valuable things, are rarely the same kinds of people that can articulate thoughts about it to others (the curse of knowledge) and as there is no real transferable skills to presenting or teaching, really struggle at that area without dedicated study into it. As you have mentioned yourself, social skills in tech are already a thorny line, its surprisingly involved to make your thoughts cogent and be able to present them in a way people would want to listen to and hopefully learn from. Personally I enjoy teaching but that constant feeling of being misconstrued calls to question all the effort into content creation and it doesn't surprise me that people who often feel misunderstood in their day to day dealings wouldn't want to open the floodgates at a global scale.

Hey, I appreciate your videos. I've been in the industry 10 years (mostly as a contractor). It's really refreshing to hear your takes, and I'm enjoying learning from your experiences.

Hey Tim! I've discovered your channel in the past couple of months. You've been the mentor I needed to take my gamedev career further. I needed guidance, insight and inspiration. You've given me all of these in your videos and continue to do so. Couldnt have done it and continue to do it without these. Thanks alot, you're a legend to me.

I really appreciate this channel. Both the history aspect and the advice aspect are excellently done. I find the advice helpful even as a software engineer not involved in game development. You say that these videos does not take that much time to edit but what about planning out the script? That can be equally time consuming. Or are you perhaps just going of a few pointers for what you want to talk about in each video?

This has become one of my favorite gamedev related channels. You paint a picture of complex subjects so effectively, with every sentence adding depth and clarity. I was surprised to hear about so many people misinterpreting your words.

Happy to sit and listen. Thank you for producing this content!

Tim, I love what you say about keeping this channel mostly timeless (instead of just like interviews). Such a neat concept when you think about it and it’s one of the things I love about this channel. I can click on any random video I haven’t watched yet and it feels just as relevant and interesting as any other video on the channel, regardless of when it was uploaded. This has quickly become one of my favorite channels on this entire site. Keep up the amazing work.

Thanks so much for these Tim. You’re a great guy

Thanks for another great video, Tim! I look forward to these everyday and they are super inspiring. And for these exact reasons. It's really a "lighting in a bottle" feeling that all of the cross-sections of all of the things you discussed are happening with your channel. You are truly one of a kind, thank you as always!!

I’m so glad you did make this channel. All the insights are so cool and enlightening and it’s so valuable to get information from somebody who has done these things professionally for so long.

Thx for all Tim! You are precious and golded! Thx again from a french player 🙏

I love what you're doing!! Its much appreciated!! Always look forward to your videos!!

That was very insightful Tim. I'm really glad you are doing this; I've been watching since the first episode. Hopefully other semi-retired or retired devs will do something similar.

Hey Tim, I really enjoy the time you take in explaining the many topics you have covered on this channel. It makes me appreciate game developers and what they go through. Thank you!

It's kind of reflective of the general behaviour of beginning / advanced game devs vs seniors. In the beginning you are full of ideas and energy and want to get recognized and validated. There are a lot of beginner level game devs that then make a lot of video content about beginner level game development. Few make it to become seniors and therefore fewer videos about senior level experiences in game development. Even as someone who barely makes it to an advanced level, it really surprised me how little there are design related and architectural videos. A lot of content is centered around how do I make component X (as fast as possible) and not how it has to be designed to fit into the rest of the game. A lot of videos have this game jam feel. Which is fine but not what I was looking for. On that note: Thank you for your channel :D. And that you talk about so many of your experiences and notes of game development, it brings me a lot of value!

Very happy to have discovered this channel recently! Thanks for taking the time to do it ❤ 🎉

This channel, and you, are awesome! It's extremely insightful as someone who wants to be a professional game designer, just a straight-up talk from an actual accomplished game designer, you're truly unique in this! please keep it up man! and thank you for all the wonderful times in your games!!

Love your honesty Tim. Almost 100k subs man!!!!

Hey Tim. I loved your comments about nuance and the differences between employees and team members that can cause frustration. Perspective is such an important thing, and I think it’s vital to always try to keep that nuance you commented on.

I enjoy Fallout and Arcanum a bit more after finding your channel. All those moments spent on those games have a little more flavour now after hearing about what has been involved in creating them. Huge thanks to you and for your effort on this channel.

I think your contribution to the space and that discussions around games has been well worth the wait.

I really appreciate the tone that you take with all of these videos. As someone who has never had aspirations of getting into game development, but does play many games, it is really neat insight into the process and perspective from a game creator who has done it for longer than I've been alive!

I love your videos and promote them a lot on other platforms. What you have to say is insightful and you have helped me grow as a game developer. I do wish other industry legends would do videos like this. Joshua Sawyer, whom I also love, has started making videos, but not as often and not with as direct topics as you have, so far.

In another life I’d love to be a game developer, gave up most of my computer programming skills after minoring in comp sci in college. Tim’s prospective and experience and the deep dives into specific elements is such a thrill to live vicariously through.

I love your channel really for being so kind and honest. It's not as common as it seems. And as an extra you are also an incredible person with its own merits (that's other thing not so common)

Why I love your channel, maturity, experience, and nuance.

Thank you for doing these videos. The shelf life is going to be much longer than five or ten years, the windows you provide into your wisdom and experience are truly invaluable.

this channel has a great impact in indie devs; i hope you can make some chatting with other not only the veterans but aswell new generations

Another interesting video, I enjoyed listening to this, once more thank you. Paraphrasing here while quoting you; "Not putting people in a catagory; here's our hero, here's the villain, just people doing the best, who are trying to figure things out." Is also something that could apply quite well for writing, be it video games or films, accepting there's nuance, and the potential for bad actors, including any 'protagonist' irl or otherwise isn't all-knowing and without fault.

Tim, thank you for sharing your experience. It puts my heart at ease. I’ve been in the industry for 15 years, but I feel like everyone else is way ahead of me. It feels like I should’ve accomplished so much more in that time. Your perspective gives me hope and a reality check. I guess I didn’t realize that this is just the start of my journey and I still have a ton of things to learn. 😁

Fun video Tim! You, Josh Sawyer, and Masahiro Sakurai have become big inspirations for me as I begin to get into the games industry. Big thank you!

This is why I love your videos, very professional when talking about the harder stuff but also have a nice way of saying F u to the people that know who they are. I will not be finding another video tomorrow, staying right here until your next upload.

Thanks for this wonderful video, it reminds me that I should get started making videos already! Much love, progress

I’m glad that you do this channel Tim. I really do enjoy seeing the developers perspective, first channel that I watched like that was probably David Jaffe.

I am AAA level designer. You covered most of the reasons I don't have a channel or blog. I feel it and this makes me appreciate your work even more. One thing you didn't cover thought :) You are very intelligent, interesting person, patient, honest and fun. It feels like you are a friend sharing his experiences. Not many people talk that way. That is besides of course your huge knowledge in game dev. Thank you.

Just hearing the behind the scenes thinking about games you love by the people who make them is wonderful

Hi Tim, thank you for all the insight on this channel, including this video. I will have been working for 12 years in the industry next month and I definitely feel I'm in the position of "I know some things well, but not others. At least I know where to look for what I don't know." I try to be open with people as much as I legally can, and offer insight and anecdotes to educate folks who aren't into gamedev. Hoping I last a few more decades and I can get on your level. I always refer others to your channel as one of the best and most genuine sources of gamedev knowledge.

Tim, I applaud you on this channel. As a non-developer, but someone with a strong interest in games, I think you've done a remarkable job talking through major concepts in an accessible way. Thanks so much for your games -- Fallout forever -- and for your channel.

Wow. There are many more nuances than I would've imagined. IMO this is worth it, because I believe you have at least 90% or more of our full support. I hope I'm not wrong lol. But there's a handful of people with so much knowledge and availability. Most channels wouldn't even scratch the surface. Tim is such an open individual in this channel.

"This is time to listen and do not talk" -- I cannot like this video more ... this 100000000000x THIS!

You've hit the nail on the head again, Tim. Especially about veteran game devs not wanting to expose themselves to talking on a KZfaq channel. Given the nature of the internet and the fact they're probably already recognized and a risk of affecting future job prospects, not to mention public backlash, there's almost no benefit and a lot of drawbacks for them. Which is why I'm very glad to have you on here. A gold mine for future game devs and a treasure trove for the rest of us.

I'm not in game dev, but I'm at that 25 year point you note where I've seen a LOT in my chosen industry, and if I were to talk about it now, a lot of it would be negative. You're bang on. Lots of love to you Tim, and keep doing what you're doing!

Every time I asked this question to others, I always thought this form of talking about experiences on video games took little to no time compared to the Sakurai videos or GDC talks. However, I completely forget how long it takes for people to get their thoughts in order to talk about them for any length of time - let alone to put them on video Thank you again for the work you do to educate and bring your thoughts and perspective to everyone here Here's to hoping I don't forget this lesson as soon as I post this😂

I'm glad you mentioned you're focused on making timeless content rather than reacting to current events.

I don't have any experience in the game industry, but I really enjoy your stories and hearing about how the sausage gets made. It often makes me think about how similar or dissimilar it is in my work

I caught that when listing the bad things that would have tainted your perception, you didn't bring up bad audiences. Made me chuckle a bit. :) Anyway, good video with a lot of reason behind it. Stepping forward and putting yourself in the public light is never easy.

Man, being a game dev since forever, i can so much relate to that guy. Keep it up, Tim!

I’m really thankful for your channel and I love your personality but people should also know that there are a lot of indie devs on KZfaq with great information as well. Also GDC is a mandatory if you like to hear developers talk about their experiences.

you have alot of wisdom, i know your focus is mainly on game development, but alot of it can be used in every day life aswell. just how people are, and how things work is very helpful. although that's not your goal i appreciate how you speak about things and handle things...

Hi Tim, been watching your channel since the beginning, I consider Fallout 1 and 2 one of the best games of all time, replayed them many times (loved your post-mortem at GDC). I think you nailed it with why there arent more channels like this out there, and I would add that most content creators wouldnt go for this format because it doesnt attract a large audience, but it does attract people that are very passionate about gaming or the game development process.

Listening to you talk about being in the industry for 20 years just... Ruins me. Knowing just how much you don't know is such a wonderful thing, and here I am, duped into a degree I didn't want, held at arm's length from the industry I always wanted to join, and only at 30 years old am I finally able to put my efforts into breaking in... Your channel has been a real blessing ever since I found it

I think you're in a unique position to weigh in on this considering you've managed a company and also been employed by them for several decades, you offer a far more comprehensive perspective that younger people haven't the experience to possess - appreciate you sharing your views on more niche subjects like this. Until my mid-20s I also struggled with the nuance of understanding the different types of people in the world so I certainly understand where you come from with the grievances that can stem from such a viewpoint, far more consternation than I imagine you need while also running a company's day-to-day operations.

While it’s true that there aren’t many channels like this, I am very thankful two that we do have are you and Sakurai. You two have worked on such different types of games, in different countries, and thus bring very different perspectives, which is really nice to have. And both of you are industry veterans

I just know I came to this channel because I agree with 80+% of your game philosophy and taste related content; the how the actual AA / AAA industry works content being an interesting bonus that I won't talk about in terms of agreement since I've never worked in it. There are a fair number of channels talking about similar things from an indie perspective (often by people without much more experience than I have), but find myself not agreeing much on taste and philosophy and so don't follow them.

Playing through the Outer Worlds again, can't wait for the sequel! I really enjoy your videos

Hi Tim, I liked the video. Thank you for making every thing you make here. I think those of us who actually listen to you (as best we can, we're all human after all) really do see the incredible value these lectures offer to us, because of your smarts, your authentic experience, your communication skills and storytelling, and any number of other helpful things you bring to this work. I am an independent designer making my own small things in Unity. On your first point here about feedback and peoples' behavior, I think this is a weird time to be alive. As you well know, everything needs to be polarized now and everyone is very reactive. People are rude, snipe-y, and any number of other words, toward me all the time on the internet too, and yes, it has caused me to not post as much. I hope some day soon we get to the bottom of why everyone is so hostile today and find a way to slow it down. On your other point about experience, I'm very grateful for yours, because I know you are a vetted and authoritative source. While learning Unity on KZfaq, I quickly found out that there are tons of people making advice or tutorial videos, and really shouldn't be. There are even "best practices for game design" type channels, where if you do a little digging, you find out the person doesn't even make games! They're just a critic at best. I do think everyone has a right to their opinion, you don't need to be a director to say something in a film didn't work. But I do have a problem with people passing themselves off as authorities in fields where they really have no right to do so. Thanks again for your awesomeness.

You should do the chats as maybe a once a month or so treat for everybody! That way, it doesn't overtake the channel but still adds some long form content that people clearly love from you

This channel has quickly become one of my favorites.

Every notable game designer should copy Tim's format.

Yet I find many devlogs and “rookies who made it” interviews insightful as they tend to struggle with the same dev struggles as I do. Aka “making game easy, marketing game hard” ☝🏻😅 But guys like you Tim are rare and cherished artifacts we covet 💎👀

Brother, all you do is speak facts. I've been testing large scale, billion dollar software programs for 15+ years now. I see your same issues in my career field. Software that can kill people if it doesn't work right. There are big problems that seem to be getting worse in the workforce in general. People are going into problem solving careers who don't like to solve problems or find actual collaboration difficult. The best I can hope for is to mentor new employees myself and hope I can influence them to be an accountable hardworking person.

Because there is only one Tim. Smart , nice, honest , and at the point in your career where it is safe to say things worth saying.

Wait.. you're telling me Tim isn't subbed to Mark Darrah from Bioware?! I know you dont want to do interviews but just a conversation between legendary crpg developers would be amazing!

Nothing to add. Just another good video. Some of the details does remind me of doing a PhD though.

keep up the great videos Tim!

your channel is a treasure and i dont even work in the industry, i m just a gamer

were lucky to have you, its appreciated

The no-nonsense documentary style informative vids are what attracted me to this channel for the most part, Mr. Cain's legendary status in the industry notwithstanding. But I won't pretend to understand *everything* you say, much is way above my education level. When I was a young adult in the late 90's, I wanted to be a game developer, I had played games like Fallout (my first CRPG) and wanted a life of 'playing' video games, and making a comfortable living as a side benefit. Like the young people of today that want to be content creators, there is glamour attached to the profession, yes. But there is also a lot of insider knowledge to uncover, and hard work to be done as well, something I was completely (and blissfully) ignorant to. Only after I took college courses in CAD and 3d modeling did I realize the depths to which the profession extends. Without getting too long winded; "You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all the people all the time." (Hmm, sounds like something Sulik would say somehow). Keep fighting the good fight, always glad to see a new video pop on this channel.

You should collaborate with Pirate Software. You've probably seen one of his shorts, but he's been in the industry for 20 years, worked for Blizzard, left to work for the government hacking power plants, then I believe he worked with Amazon Games. Now he's an indie dev and brings a lot of industry knowledge to the public. He's a really intelligent and kind person.

I really enjoy our morning coffee together, Tim. The world is a better place with you in it. o7

Making 5 videos per week is huge deal it's natural that others devs struggles doing his job and maintain a KZfaq channel thus I think this channel's value is incalculable for game lovers, journalists, developers and academics, so thank you for efforts.

"If you dont have a lot of expirience with something this is propably a time to listen and not talk". I just love you Tim for that. Working in game industry is hard, making games is just miracle, and listening people who know what they are doing makes whole this implosible process of designing and making games much easier. At least from my expirience as designer.

Appreciate this channel! I try not to comment excessively, but your videos are always insightful, which leaves me wanting to say something. Hopefully not a nuisance! EDIT: consider this a formal request for an advice video to the frustratingly “super passionate” employee archetype, lol

Yea I figured this was the case. I'm really glad we have you here, because views into the industry are fleeting and often centered around the latest drama. Don't get me wrong, I'm really glad devs like Thor from Pirate Software are speaking about their experience, but I wish we got more like you who talk about the various processes and philosophies behind development.

Speaking of this "code of silence," as someone who'll be celebrating two decades in the industry this year, one thing that bedevils me to this day is how on Earth company leadership comes up with sales targets. A very common refrain in the industry is "Here's our sales target, oops we missed the target, now we need to do layoffs." I think there must be some math they do to square development cost versus breakeven revenue, but in practice this often feels like targets are set up in such a way that the board can say "Well you didn't meet this (unrealistic, but who cares) goal we set up for you, so now we'll give ourselves multi-million dollar bonuses while we lay off your colleagues and cut your bonuses in half." As an industry veteran, what's your insight into how sales targets are calculated, and is there anything you'd recommend the industry change to make missing their targets less painful?

I hope I'm not misunderstanding you here Tim! I think that the hardest part of any creative industry is remembering the humans involved in their production. Especially from a consumer perspective, I've seen other consumers throw around vitriol in a way that's obvious that they have forgotten that the "things" making their favourite games might have kids of their own, bills to pay and dreams to achieve. For something that can be so creative and wonderful, it does also seem to be a very thankless job sometimes. It's the reason I decided not to continue pursuing a games career.

Love ya tim, another great topic! Great shirt too!

A talk between Tim Schaefer and Tim Cain would be so awesome. Both are Legends in the industry and share this attitude of openness and honesty.