Ungodly hours in game development. [Archive] - Indiegamer Developer Discussion Boards

Jason Chong

01-15-2006, 01:25 AM

What are your working hours for indie game development ?

Ever since I went full time, I don't do 9 to 5 anymore. (9 to 6:30 in my most recently resigned day job)

It's more like, 7pm to 5 am in the morning recently.

Started to get migraine attacks but it's the only time I am most productive, when the sun goes down.

I am kinda loving every moment of it, my productivity is boosted tremendously (with the occasional headaches), more productive than I can ever be in the day time.

;)

soniCron

01-15-2006, 01:49 AM

What are your working hours for indie game development ? I usually wake around 3PM, eat breakfast while I watch Grounded For Life for an hour on ABC Family (guilty pleasure), then I sit down at the computer and chug away until around 12 or 1AM, and finally relax with some good games (latest obsession (http://www.isketch.net/)) or some good TV and flicks until 6 or 7AM, when I go to bed.

Emmanuel

01-15-2006, 02:18 AM

I wake up at 7:00 AM, start working around 8:00 AM and usually work until 7:00 PM, with regular breaks (like going shopping in the middle of the afternoon, or playing with my girls). I sometimes also have some pickup work session around 9:00 PM-11:00 PM when my wife is busy with her own stuff, if I missed my daily goals or if I need to discuss things with 'the west coast'. That may sound like a lot of hours, but I have no second thoughts about going on an expedition to Ikea at 3 PM if we need something, since I know I make up for it in hours overall.

Best regards,
Emmanuel

Jack Norton

01-15-2006, 03:00 AM

LOL you guys have surely strange hours :) you sure you aren't indy vampires?

Sharpfish

01-15-2006, 04:16 AM

I used to do the night shift thing, for a few months I would regularly be up until 8am after getting up at 2pm-ish the previous day. The quiet and lack of distractions was good - but the health side was not, I found I could get burned out easier. I moved house and settled into a new rhythm. Now I wake when my other-half wakes (about 7am), then get stuck in by 8am (if I can avoid posting on forums! ;) and work through until around 5 ish. Break to watch stuff then if nothing is happening I will do some more in the evening before getting to bed around 10pm (I never thought I'd be able to get to sleep so "early" but it's paying off).

So - pretty normal 8-12 hours a days, starting any time between 6am and 9am.

Savant

01-15-2006, 04:20 AM

The working all night thing is for the birds. I gave that up long ago. I'd much rather be awake at the same time my wife is.

Robert Cummings

01-15-2006, 04:24 AM

I usually wake around 3PM, eat breakfast while I watch Grounded For Life for an hour on ABC Family (guilty pleasure), then I sit down at the computer and chug away until around 12 or 1AM, and finally relax with some good games (latest obsession) or some good TV and flicks until 6 or 7AM, when I go to bed.

Ummm... thought you were married, Daniel?

Anthony Flack

01-15-2006, 04:30 AM

Up at 7, off to work at 8, back home at 5:30. Then it's either off to the night job (5:45-9:45), or taking care of things with the little girl until everyone else goes to bed (10:30-11). Then work on the game until 1 or 2, if I can manage it. Every few days I have to go to bed early because I'm too tired.

arcadetown

01-15-2006, 08:03 AM

Wake up @ 8am and work till 2pm with lunch break, exercise and mess around all afternoon doing various things, back to it later on and put in another 4 - 8 hours till time to crash. Sleep, wake up, repeat.

Desktop Gaming

01-15-2006, 10:56 AM

A normal day for me would be 11am to 6pm, then 8pm til 2am+.

That was when I was doing it as my only income, though. Now I'm not really working on anything I'm that committed to.

DGuy

01-15-2006, 04:24 PM

Uhfgood

01-15-2006, 04:52 PM

I just wake up at whatever time then do something like post in forums read blogs... and realize it's late do a little work, dad comes home I eat watch tv, then go back to my computer surf the web some more then go to bed late and the cycle continues...

That's why i'm attempting The 9-5 experiment (http://uhfgood.artoo.net/?p=41)

We'll see how that goes.

Keith

Savant

01-15-2006, 05:03 PM

When I don't have a regular job to go to, my hours naturally shift around until I'm getting up around 2-3pm and going to bed around 6-7am. I live in NY but my internal clock must be stuck in Chinese time.
From what I've read it's because the human body actually runs on a 25 hour clock. So, left unchecked, your schedule will creep around the clock continually by about an hour a day. That's why it's important to establish times for work, sleep, etc. if you want to lead any semblance of a normal life.

Ricardo Vladimiro

01-15-2006, 05:11 PM

Hmmmm... I get out of bed around 7.30, go to the "other" work. Leave it about 18.00, get home and work on my games until 00.00-02.00. Do this basically all week long, with a break here and there but quite rare.

Weekends, usually a day from 11.00 to 19.00 with lunch break, the other I take the day off or work like a weekday.

When I get real tired I take a couple of hours to watch a movie or so... I'm a bit of a workaholic I know... but success is 10% inspiration and 90% sweat so I heard, I'm trying that theory. :)

ninjasamurai

01-15-2006, 05:41 PM

I recently started assigning 9 hours for sleep :) and it has helped a lot to put some order on my daily schedule, so right now it's going like this:
11PM Goto Bed
8AM Wake up and stare at the ceiling for an hour (the greatest ideas come at this time)
9AM Get Up, exercise, bath, breakfast
10AM Go online and read indiegamer posts for an hour
11AM Ready to work
2PM Lunch
3PM More work
7PM Dinner and more indiegamer posts (I don't know how you guys write so much :confused: )
9PM More work
11PM Goto Bed

I also found years ago a great way to fall asleep as soon as I hit the bed, but I won't share it...

Tom Gilleland

01-15-2006, 05:53 PM

From what I've read it's because the human body actually runs on a 25 hour clock. So, left unchecked, your schedule will creep around the clock continually by about an hour a day. That's why it's important to establish times for work, sleep, etc. if you want to lead any semblance of a normal life.

I once spent 7 days underground in a cave, and our group found that we got up and went to bed an hour later each day. Without the light cues our time just shifted.

I work 11-5 each day, and then again from 7-12 PM. 12-2 AM is my game playing "research" time. I do this seven days a week. I usually take off a a day or two every couple of weeks for a fun trip to recharge.

Tom

Uhfgood

01-15-2006, 08:34 PM

I also found years ago a great way to fall asleep as soon as I hit the bed, but I won't share it...

That is a secret I would LOVE to know (unless it involves something vulgar or obscene).

Keith

mahlzeit

01-16-2006, 01:38 AM

If you want to fall asleep faster, it helps to reduce your caffeine intake. Don't drink any coke or coffee past early afternoon. I recently cut down on the diet coke and I finally get some proper sleep again. Yay!

Fry Crayola

01-16-2006, 01:46 AM

Regular job means I don't get home until near 6pm. The work times vary according to my girlfriend's activities - on Tuesdays and Thursdays she goes to night classes, so I'm supposed to work 6 - 9pm there. I'm quite slack, though. Then at weekends I try to squeeze in some time, although if she's working weekends I get plenty of free time and usually get a good four or five hours of solid work done each day, which I think is pretty good.

Still, one of my NY resolutions was to form a schedule and stick to it so I'll see where I can get a little extra time. I've already sorted work so I start earlier on those Tuesdays and Thursdays, coming home in time for 5pm. But clawing myself out of bed early on a Saturday is damn near impossible.

Sysiphus

01-16-2006, 06:37 AM

That is a secret I would LOVE to know

I drink like 4 coffees a day, and sleep instantly.

Relax your self, leave your mind in blank, and keep a positive thinking in your brain. And a bit of help of genetic ;)

If u do some heavy exercise most surely you'll fall asleep anyway.

Savant

01-16-2006, 06:40 AM

I drink like 4 coffees a day, and sleep instantly.
But I'll bet if you don't drink those coffees, you can't think clearly and get headaches. :) Everything has a price...

scotths

01-19-2006, 12:55 AM

I usually work on game stuff from 11pm to 3am. And also on the train to and from work.

Scott

Grey Alien

01-19-2006, 01:16 AM

You know, on another forum focused on a different type of user, I bet there's a topic called "Ungodly hours in child rearing"! Some of you know where I'm coming from I'm sure.

I used to work ungodly hours knowing that I could lie in the next day. Now I have kids, staying up late, then being woken up by them early for several days in a row really messes me up so I'm too tired to think out complex algorithms.

Teq

01-19-2006, 04:18 AM

I'm not a full-time game developer, but if I'm coding something interesting, I easily lose track of time and realise that it is indeed time to get up for work! Obviously less than ideal, but nothing a little coffee can't fix.

Anlino

01-19-2006, 05:28 AM

I am still in school, so on Monday - friday, i genrally work around six hours. Though since i have started on a new project, that would be more like ten hours the last couple of days. I stay up until 4.00, and when i go to sleep, i have to much things going on in my head to allow me to get some sleep:rolleyes: Though i have been from school the last couple of days too, so in a normal day, i would only sit up to around 12.00 - 1.00. And go up in 6.00 in the morning again - Zzzz...

Sharkbait

01-19-2006, 07:21 AM

Wake at 7:30ish, 9-5:30 dayjob, shower, eat / socialise / wash the dishes with my wife till about 8-9ish, gamedev from there onwards till 2-3am. I occasionally break up the routine by sleeping a little earlier to recoup. Needless to say, coffee is my constant companion till noon.

NothingLikeit

01-19-2006, 08:26 PM

whenever i have time which is like after work.... It's like my 6-12 I'm a slave to it I am

Hidden Sanctum

01-20-2006, 12:42 AM

Heck I thought I was unique!

Since going full-time indie I have been waking up at 2-3 pm and going to bed at around 7-8 am. While I've always been a night person and thought it would be great to work these kind of hours, I'm finding it very depressing and isolated. I've been trying to force myself to go to bed earlier to get on a regular schedule, but it hasn't worked. My latest attempt is to try to force myself to stay awake longer to make myself so tired I will fall asleep at at 8 or 9pm to try and get on a regular schedule.

The upside of all this is that I'm not spending much money. I can't. The stores are mostly closed when I decide to take a break!

Grey Alien

01-20-2006, 01:33 AM

Years ago I used to code till the sun came up and then go to bed and get up mid day. All my friends knew not to bother me and only the occasionaly postman would wake me up. At night noone disturbs you so it's really easy to get loads done if you're a night person.

Savant

01-20-2006, 03:24 AM

The working all night thing really starts to suck the older you get. There's a lot to be said for getting up and watching the sun rise and letting the daylight outside let you know when it's time to start shutting down and go to bed.

You can't go to the store in the middle of the night, walks are a lot better in the mid-afternoon than at 3am, if you need to go somewhere for an appointment you don't have to drag yourself out of bed, etc.

Plus, I dunno, I really start to feel like a slacker loser if I'm falling out of bed at noon or later. I tend to get up at 5am and I really feel great lately.

Sysiphus

01-20-2006, 08:41 AM

When I worked in an indy like way, I ended up having my hours like if in a job. Worked better for me. Up and full working at 7:30 am, till 15:00 , then some hours more at afternoon , and mid evening. Working intensely those hours, I did not need more. I prefer nights not to be working.

Musenik

01-20-2006, 06:56 PM

I stick to my wife's schedule. She has the regular job, but it has irregular hours. In one week, she's pulled 6am-3pm to 4pm-1am. Grocery store managers would kill for programmer hours. :-)

At least we spend our free time together. I got a lot of work done over the holidays. My artists however... :-(

simonh

01-20-2006, 09:27 PM

Savant

01-21-2006, 03:39 AM

My feeling is that nobody is ever truly stuck on a schedule. If you really wanted to change it, you would.

simonh

01-21-2006, 09:33 AM

Well yes, but it's a case of trying to change your sleep pattern without feeling like s**t for a couple of days. I'd rather not waste that time.

Savant

01-21-2006, 10:10 AM

Well, you either have to suck it up or wait for medical science to create a pill. I don't see any other options here unless you're able to do it easier during certain phases of the moon or something.

Evak

01-21-2006, 11:18 PM

get up at 6.30am, sort out the missus and a few chores like walking dogs and stuff. Start work about 10am. hour off for lunch, work till 5.30pm to 6.30pm. If I get bored after picking up the wife I work some extra hours in the evenings/night. (Not so hard since we have no TV). Start reading in bed from about midnight, and start over the next morning.

IMesh

01-23-2006, 11:25 PM

I wake up at 4:30 and start to work, go to school at 7:30 (God I hate high school), get home at 2:30, finish homework and get settled, at 3:00 I start to work until 6:00 where I eat dinner and get back to working until 12:30. In between working I read forums and whatnot.

I have been doing this for the past 4 weeks. I think I am going to need a break from this schedule soon.

d000hg

01-27-2006, 05:45 AM

Wow, you part-time indies put in an impressive amount of hours. I'm lucky to get 2 hours a day after work. When I was doing a contest I got 'permission' from the wife to work on the kind of level many of you are - getting up at 5am to get in an hour before work, then working until 11pm etc - but for a long-term lifestyle I have to spend time with my wife!

I do get 30days holiday (plus bank holidays) which means I can take the odd day to be an indie ALL DAY!

turbo

01-27-2006, 12:03 PM

Being a hubby and wife team, you might say we have the ideal situation.
We share the time and passion on the project equally, with both of us having to try hard to leave the computer. :D

dmikesell

02-10-2006, 06:50 AM

Got a day job. My daily schedule during the week is roughly like this:

6:30 Up, eat, shave
7:00 - 7:45 workout
8:30 - 5:00 day job
7:00 - 10:00 work on games
10:00 - 11:00 prepare for next day, house chores, TV, etc.

Wife's a workaholic so we mesh. Spend our quality time together on weekends. My dream is to go Indie full time and never, ever, ever again wake up to that !*&%^$ alarm.

Jason Chong

02-11-2006, 02:44 AM

Ungodly hours update.

I am in trouble. Don't do this for too long.

I am now down with insomnia, 3 days straight.

Body clock totally fubared, constipation problem.

Haywire.

I need to recover from this... My joints are all feeling like jelly now.

My headaches are killing me.

Uty

02-11-2006, 07:54 AM

Regarding the sleep bit, maybe those of you having trouble need a new bed. I always woke up constantly during the night. I hit the snooze button too much. After buying a new bed I sleep right through the night and I wake up about an hour earlier than I used to. I know I sound like the commercials, but hey, it's true.