
I turned my entrepreneur journey into a game - jhow15
https://fromdevtomaker.com/
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CGamesPlay
If I may: "I designed my blog as a video game interface." It's not really a
game for anyone except maybe for you.

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thih9
I initially thought the same, then again I realised that it is a game in a
way:

\- There are objectives.

\- You can make choices, e.g.: subscribe to the newsletter or not.

\- The game's outcome will depend on your choices, e.g.: main quest of getting
100 newsletter subscribers will be a bit closer to done.

True, it's not a video game, the action takes place in the real world. But it
might still be a game.

~~~
rhn_mk1
So... I'm the NPC in this game?

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fromdevtomaker
Never thought about it that way, but in a sense, everybody except me is an
NPC... until I make it a project where everybody can join in

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hndamien
From your perspective they will still be NPCs.

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bravura
Would you build your startup, while following prompts from a dungeon master,
and perhaps interact with other players, as part of an actual D&D game?

If so, please drop me a message on this form:
[https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScsQVowUDsIOYM4OaqR...](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScsQVowUDsIOYM4OaqRije2EvhyOsiy0zTvsqqV0B7E3MvEWQ/viewform)

I have been brainstorming this for a while and the design of this inspired me
to post.

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vervez
This could work out pretty well. I remember reading somewhere (can't find the
article) that Brian Eno works with artists this way as a producer, creating
artificial constraints to expand their creativity. Would be interesting to see
how this affects the startup process where optionality can be overwhelming.

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peteforde
I think that this site itself could be the basis of a SaaS product. It's
awesome.

However, I also know from painful experience that time spent on this is likely
a distraction from actually building the thing. The happy exception would be
if this was indeed the core idea of the thing that you're building.

If so: well played. If not: get back to work.

ps. Most books are also distractions, but I've heard excellent things about
Traction.

~~~
jascii
One of the major but rarely talked about causes of failure for startups is
simply the entrepreneur getting demotivated. Gamefication could be an
excellent way to deal with that. Beating yourself over the head and giving
yourself a guild complex "Focus! Distraction! I should be..." Tend to build
resentment and do more harm then good.

~~~
xwdv
Except this isn’t how companies are built. If you have to rely on “motivation”
to accomplish something, you’re finished. You’ll never do it, your motivation
_will_ run out. And then what’s going to carry you? This goes not just for
companies, but for anything else in life, such as school or exercise.

The real way you build a company is by honing a hard discipline: getting up
everyday and doing things you have to do whether you like it or not (and
usually not). Whether you’re motivated or unmotivated, inspired or uninspired,
sick or healthy, confident or afraid. You just get out there and fucking do
it, and if you can’t, then be a failure.

A company can stay challenging longer than you can stay motivated.

~~~
jascii
That is not really how human beings function. Motivation causes "hard
discipline". It does not exist in a vacuum.

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xwdv
Only initially, but motivation doesn’t last forever.

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jascii
Some motivations last a lifetime, I don't think our desire to feed ourselves
is going away anytime soon.. A lot of current thinking on the subject is based
on Abraham Maslow's 1947 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation". Your "hard
discipline" seems based on the "esteem" part of his "hierarchy of needs" while
this might be a sufficient motivator for some, for many it will likely be
beneficial to look for other motivators.

~~~
peteforde
Honestly, xwdv is more right than wrong. If you lose motivation to work on
your startup, your startup didn't really fail so much as you're doing the
wrong thing for you.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIYXaa9IcxA&t=28m5s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIYXaa9IcxA&t=28m5s)

~~~
jascii
PS> Your name sounds familiar, did you used to know a Sarah in Portland, OR?

~~~
peteforde
Wooooow. Small world.

I miss her very much.

Big hugs for you.

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stereolambda
This is actually cool, I like experiments with (semi-)gamifying work for
myself. One thing you always struggle with is good measurements. I had been
experimenting with giving myself points for improvements and work on various
areas, and there were certainly problems with inflation and "underinvested"
areas feeling a little less satisfying. Still, as long as I persevered, this
was a nice motivation along with a way to actually track what I did with my
time.

I wonder if the skill stats here points to the next level, or are they meant
to represent his skills on an absolute scale. Not doubting this person in
particular, but I think there is almost always a big room for improvement in
any skill in life _even_ if you're already masterful.

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exdsq
I love this UI! And, as a _huge_ JRPG fan, also the idea behind it. Best of
luck that you don't run out of health before finishing a few high-level
quests!

~~~
fromdevtomaker
Thanks, that comment really touches me the most coming from a fellow gamer!

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jimmySixDOF
You should get on to this Open Startup list at some point you will definitely
qualify

[1] Show HN: Open Startup List -
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22668802](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22668802)

~~~
fromdevtomaker
I guess I'm not a startup yet but will definitely consider this afterwards!

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_curious_
What a neat application of game design elements and at work here... if nothing
else for your own experiences and learnings as you seem to be on that journey
:)

Thanks for sharing it. May I ask how much time and effort you've invested to
get it to this point?

Further, there is some potential to turn it into a broader tool that others
seeking to become more entrepreneurial could benefit from in their daily
lives...maybe a freemium MVO model here (charging scrappy entrepreneurs is
haphazard at best for both sides).

Beyond that, however, I can see more of an enterprise product potential...

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dvasdekis
I love it! It's really cool. I wish I had one.

But you shouldn't care what I think. You should care about what your target
customer is prepared to pay you for, at least until you can lead a happy
retirement with your runway.

Much love, and best of luck!

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isakkeyten
It's using this NES.css from what i can tell [https://nostalgic-
css.github.io/NES.css/](https://nostalgic-css.github.io/NES.css/)

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johnmarcus
I would also recommend 'the mom test' audiobook. It's a wonderful book for new
entrepreneurs.

~~~
fromdevtomaker
Added The Mom Test in my list of books to read / listen!

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fromdevtomaker
Thanks for adding this on HackerNews!

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Hitton
On one hand it looks really cool, on the other hand it gives me flash-era
flashbacks. But he is not trying to pass this as an useful homepage to
unsuspecting small business owners who should know better, so I guess this is
fine.

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al_
Very fun. Huge potential if turned into a product.

~~~
totololo
Can you elaborate? I don’t see it..

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mthwsjc_
start small stay small is great.

~~~
fromdevtomaker
Awesome book! I learned a ton from reading just 200 pages!

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rememberlenny
If you like this idea, look up [http://pioneer.app/](http://pioneer.app/)

