Summary of 2021 (Patreon)

Things I have learned that impacted me the most in 2021:

1. Mind map principles

a. Quantity first, quality second. 

b. How many branches are needed?

• To help us do things - document things that help us do.
• To communicate - requires more time to create, but help save readers' time.
• Never document just for document sake. The goal is not to document, but to do as much as possible. There are billions of neurons in our brain, it can take a lifetime just to document it.

c. There is no right or wrong way to do it.

2. Weighting method

From a random youtuber (forgot the name^^), it can be useful when we are trying to make a difficult decision, such as a career move. Because sometimes listing out the criterias may not be enough, some elements are more important to us than others (perhaps it is the travel distance, perhaps the office culture etc). 

3. Model Thinker (a book by Scott E Page) 

I can't say it is the most organized book, but it has exposed me to a large amount of knowledge. Tree model, net model, mind map model etc, are all very intriguing to me^^ I haven't finished reading it, but I feel the book emphasizes using multiple models to help understand a subject is a more reliable way than using just a single model. The jury system, multiple rounds of interviews are some examples of real-life multi-models systems. The first round of interview can increase the likelihood of finding above average employees from 50% to 74%, the second round can increase the chance to 81%, the third round to 84% etc. 

4. My passion on hating every project management and documentation software^^

I have tried Asana, Trello, ClickUp, Basecamp, and Google suit, at work or on my own. The one I hate the most is the Mircosoft Office of course. Couple with multiple communication channels like email, Slack, other instant messengers, phone calls, face-to-face meetings...I really want a more centralized app for everything somehow. I kind of like Miro. It offers flexibility in customizing the look (UI), but it lacks customizing the functionalities (UX). At one point I started to want to create my own project management/documentation software. I feel it can be done better. I acknowledge passion and vision may not be enough for the challenge, so I will settle on studying and dreaming for now^^ I hear more people are trying Notion and Obsidian, apps that allow users to document things in net model rather than just tree model, a more resembling of how our brains work. Perhaps that is the right direction. 

5. Steve Jobs (a book by Walter Isaacson)

I must confess that I used to think Steve Jobs was just all about selling overly expensive items. But after reading his book and many of his youtube videos, it is clear that there is so much wisdom in not just marketing, but also business and design. 

Quote that really impacted me:

"Design is often left out of decision making once a business has grown into a sizable corporate." 

Not that we are a big business, but one can still make the same mistake. It is helpful to me when I try to understand our operation cycle (pic attached). The model just doesn't make sense or feel unsustainable without having design being in the planning iteration along with business and marketing. These three elements should be equal.

6. Cinematology for games

I still haven't found materials in related to this subject on the net, let alone for adultish games. Perhaps that is something I can share! Cinematology for adultish games is basically trying to mesh text, graphics and animation, in a cost/return sensible way for the development, because usually we can't afford pure animation to match every story the creator wants to tell. In order to create an immersive cinematic experience, I feel the key is to match the time continuation of each element (text, graphic and animation). If there are interest, perhaps I can document and share my thoughts in a more organized way.

To do

I want to create a new tag, "Journey Sharing", it is meant for those who are or want to be in the process of game development. I often want to help fellow devs/creators, but feel shy or not good enough to share my thoughts/process. But many successful youtubers have proven that, anyone at any level can share^^

Lastly, thank you for every support and interest in our game! I wish everyone to have a wonderful New Year's EVE and New Year!