The Dilemma of Writing a Devlog
I tried and failed many times to write a devlog for my game Noah's Dilemma. That is mainly because I realized this too late: most players only read devlogs after they are interested in the game (or the developer), not before. That means if writing devlogs is not helping the development process, there is little reason for a small developer like me to do it before the game’s even out.
Even with well-known developers, devlogs only attract a small fraction of players. What matters is the final product, the quality of it, to be exact. This is especially true in recent years, as big publishers can easily fail because promotion has had less and less influence on a game’s success, especially if the product is not good in the first place. This justifies my decision to devote most of my time to making the game rather than writing a devlog in the middle of it.
Of course, many developers write devlogs before release not for promotional reasons, but as a way to relax, to document the process, to share knowledge, to organize their thoughts. But for me, such impulses didn’t come up as much. After a little more than a year, I still enjoy making Noah’s Dilemma. I suppose this is partly because it is a roguelike game that I myself can play and enjoy, and also because the entire development time is still relatively short (considering my last game took three years), and I can see its completion coming pretty soon.
So after wasting too much time pondering whether or not to write, I decided to solve this dilemma by writing only one devlog before release and calling it a day. In retrospect, this dilemma was merely an inner conflict of mine: I wanted to do something (instead of nothing) to promote the game but couldn’t help but doubt whether doing so was worth it.
What I learned from this experience is that there really isn’t a dilemma about devlogs if developers understand what really matters to them and the players. Writing a devlog is worthwhile as long as the developer finds it meaningful, and while doing so, do not expect devlogs to be some kind of magical promotional material.
GP
2025.1.29