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Important problem: you have to raise lots of money, work with a huge team, become a manager, fight with government regulators, do lots of marketing. Unimportan

Important problem: you have to raise lots of money, work with a huge team, become a manager, fight with government regulators, do lots of marketing. Unimportant problem: you spend your days coding, you work alone or with a small team, you stay lean and don't worry too much about money, nobody can override your architectural decisions, the government has never heard of you, your product spreads via word-of-mouth from excited users.

aeternum 6y ago
If your product is able to spread by word of mouth, then I'd argue you were working on an important problem. People generally don't recommend things that are not 'important' to them in some way.
- ooobit2 6y ago
  Eric Barone's success with Stardew Valley won this debate. Hell, Eric won this debate by virtue. He didn't have to do everything himself, but the very fact he's limited anyone else working on the game has played a huge role in every port of it continuing to sit in the top 10 for sales nearly four years on from its release. I love Eric. Like, love him. He did something unimportant, but it meant something to him. And over time, it began to mean something to other people. Harvest Moon is not a massive selling franchise, so Stardew Valley was more likely to flop on that basis alone. Then you add in that indie devs get little exposure, no advertising, none of the connections that AAA companies have access to. And then there's the fact the game wasn't broadly tested before release. Eric had weeks of major bugs to patch right after release, and the pressure of hundreds of thousands of people who'd just spent $15 on his game. But maybe, just maybe, the patience and gratitude he received for his unimportant game was all the product of what he did and how he did it. Any of the people could've said, "Just sell this to Valve. They'll fix it. You're in over your head, dude." But instead, he got a lot of, "Saves still corrupt. But make sure you get some sleep!" and a whole lot of "Can't get X to work, so I'm going to do Y." People could've abandoned the game. They didn't. I like this idea of unimportant things. I can't be the only person thinking it's both absurd to spend time inventing a new way to keep shoes on our feet, but also thinking it's absurd we're using a piece of string still but sending billion-dollar machines to collect soil from nearby planets.
bobsil1 6y ago
Important problem: the smartest people want to work with you, your mission keeps you motivated Unimportant problem: recruiting costs $$$

aeternum 6y ago

If your product is able to spread by word of mouth, then I'd argue you were working on an important problem. People generally don't recommend things that are not 'important' to them in some way.

ooobit2 6y ago
Eric Barone's success with Stardew Valley won this debate. Hell, Eric won this debate by virtue. He didn't have to do everything himself, but the very fact he's limited anyone else working on the game has played a huge role in every port of it continuing to sit in the top 10 for sales nearly four years on from its release. I love Eric. Like, love him. He did something unimportant, but it meant something to him. And over time, it began to mean something to other people. Harvest Moon is not a massive selling franchise, so Stardew Valley was more likely to flop on that basis alone. Then you add in that indie devs get little exposure, no advertising, none of the connections that AAA companies have access to. And then there's the fact the game wasn't broadly tested before release. Eric had weeks of major bugs to patch right after release, and the pressure of hundreds of thousands of people who'd just spent $15 on his game. But maybe, just maybe, the patience and gratitude he received for his unimportant game was all the product of what he did and how he did it. Any of the people could've said, "Just sell this to Valve. They'll fix it. You're in over your head, dude." But instead, he got a lot of, "Saves still corrupt. But make sure you get some sleep!" and a whole lot of "Can't get X to work, so I'm going to do Y." People could've abandoned the game. They didn't. I like this idea of unimportant things. I can't be the only person thinking it's both absurd to spend time inventing a new way to keep shoes on our feet, but also thinking it's absurd we're using a piece of string still but sending billion-dollar machines to collect soil from nearby planets.

bobsil1 6y ago

Important problem: the smartest people want to work with you, your mission keeps you motivated Unimportant problem: recruiting costs $$$