Shipping one game is hard. Shipping 13? Even harder. Over the past few months, I challenged myself to not just create games—but to finish and ship them. I recently wrapped up a complete Game Catalog featuring 13 games of various genres. The journey was thrilling, exhausting, and most of all, eye-opening. Here are the key lessons I learned from consistently shipping games—lessons that could help any game developer, indie creator, or productivity geek out there.

1. Done is Better Than Perfect 🎯

Perfection is a trap. My first few games took longer than they should’ve because I kept tweaking minor details—fonts, animations, sound effects—trying to reach “perfect.” Once I accepted that good enough is often great, my output increased dramatically. I started focusing on core gameplay and player experience, not perfection. ✅ Tip: Polish is important, but only once the game loop is solid.

2. Start Small, Scale Later 📦

Big ideas are exciting… and dangerous. In the beginning, I tried building massive games with complex mechanics, only to burn out halfway through. Eventually, I adopted a "small but shippable" mindset:

• One mechanic
• One goal
• One emotion

Once a game shipped and got feedback, I could always scale it later. ✅ Tip: Think in iterations, not in monoliths.

3. Reuse and Remix Assets 🔄

Making 13 games doesn’t mean starting from scratch every time. I reused: UI components, Audio libraries, Game logic templates, Even entire level structures. This saved me hours, helped with consistency, and allowed me to focus on creativity instead of logistics. ✅ Tip: Build a personal game dev toolkit you can pull from.

4. Deadlines Create Discipline ⏰

I gave myself weekly and bi-weekly deadlines. If a game wasn’t finished by Friday, it launched in whatever shape it was in. This forced me to: Cut unnecessary features, Prioritize essentials, Actually ship ✅ Tip: Use tight, self-imposed deadlines. They’ll supercharge your discipline.

5. Playtesting = Gold 💡

Some games I thought would be "meh" got amazing feedback. Others I was proud of fell flat. The difference? Player feedback. I invited friends and small testers early on. Watching people struggle, smile, or rage-quit taught me more than any design book ever could. ✅ Tip: Ship fast. Test early. Iterate often.

6. Momentum > Motivation 🚀

Motivation comes and goes. Momentum compounds. Once I launched 3–4 games, the habit of shipping became addictive. Finishing one gave me confidence to start the next. Before I knew it, I was on game #10. ✅ Tip: Build momentum. Small wins fuel bigger victories.

7. You Get Better With Every Game 🧠

By game 13, I was working faster, designing smarter, and debugging cleaner. Each game taught me something new—about design, code, UX, storytelling, or even marketing. ✅ Tip: Don’t aim to build one masterpiece. Aim to build many, and learn each time.

Final Thoughts 💬

Consistency is the real game-changer. Shipping 13 games wasn’t easy, but it taught me the most valuable lesson of all: You learn by doing. You grow by shipping. If you're a creator sitting on unfinished projects, I hope this encourages you to finish just one. Then another. Then maybe 13. Your audience is waiting. Your future self will thank you.