>I can't go to the bathroom without missing atleast 1 phone call from someone about something breaking.
Don't worry about that. Hell, I straight up ignore my phone sometimes even when I'm right beside it. Priorities and such.
>if I need to start looking elsewhere for more pay to offset the stress
Not a bad idea. Always be cognizant of what's out there.
As others have said, bring it up professionally with your boss. His response will help sway the "should I look elsewhere" decision.
Another good suggestion is to work on time management skills. Here's a highly recommended book around here.
And you have vacation days for a reason. Use them. If you try to but they never approve it, then that's a big red flag.
It's 'cause the internet has shifted the capacity of our brains away from deep focus and towards shallow multitasking. It's why we do shit like close Reddit on our computers then pull out our phones and open Reddit again without thinking about it. If you're really curious to learn more about it, try to stay focused long enough and read The Shallows; If you're really interested in pushing back then look into meditation.
Simply put, I hate it - I'd rather go back to the world of a few years ago where everything was a micro-transaction, at least I knew what I was getting.
It's an insidious practice that preys on minors with "gambling*-light*" and also to those prone to problem gambling.
I've read this book on how video poker/slot machines are designed to foster addiction - all/most lootbox systems in games use similar tactics - especially the "near miss" tactic where it shows you almost got an epic/legendary item (but didn't)
To add insult to injury, game publishers are forcing designers to build their games around micro-transaction economies, normal "free" progression in many games is screwed now - it end's up being a "reach deeper into your pocket for a chance at the full experience" situation.
The Internet is a dangerous drug. Don't underestimate the way it can mess with your brain. There is a book on the subject called The Shallows, What the Internet is doing to our brains that discussed this.
Like with any addiction, some people are more likely to get trapped. But knowing the risks and taking it seriously is the first step. And then with any addiction you have to cut yourself off. A therapist that is experienced with this could really help if you find you are unable to manage it on your own.
Yep. It also contributes to the vicious cycle of partisan politics. The Internet has made it so easy to find people with similar views, it leads to folks becoming even more emotionally invested in those beliefs, to the point where it gets increasingly difficult to consider other points of view. That's why you and Grandma will laugh at each other WAY more than you'll consider each other's points. On top of the fact that we're all using memes to make fun of each other, you're already conditioned to support other folks who agree with you.
By the way, it's not just social media and human nature causing the problem. Google is making it worse too. Consider reading up on the concept of a filter bubble, and if it strikes your fancy, I just started reading a book I'm recommending to a lot of people called The Filter Bubble: How the New Personalized Web Is Changing What We Read and How We Think. Basically, when Google, Amazon, and other sites try to tailor search results and ads to what they already know you like and agree with, you become even less likely to be introduced to viewpoints outside of our own.
We can talk all day long about how partisan and segregated we are in today's global society, but in reality, it's the things that connect us that are feeding the problem.
It’s not about traditional video games, but you 100% need to read Addiction by Design: https://www.amazon.com/Addiction-Design-Machine-Gambling-Vegas/dp/0691160880/ref=nodl_
Goes into the psychology behind addiction, and now slot machines have been designed to exploit it. It’s both disgusting and weirdly inspirational as a game designer.
There are books written about the bells and whistles casinos employ in slot machines to get people addicted. It’s quite interesting
https://www.amazon.com/Addiction-Design-Machine-Gambling-Vegas/dp/0691160880
Algorithms reward negativity. Algorithms are designed to make you anxious and upset and keep you tethered to the Internet, so as to sell you more ads.
Read “10 Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now.”
I got rid of everything algorithm-based and I use duckduckgo as my search engine. I use reddit sparingly and check a few twitter star wars fans that I enjoy, but I no longer have a twitter, so the algorithm can’t affect me. I deleted my accounts for youtube and facebook. I have youtube set up to not track my search history for the occasions I do look something up.
I’ve gotten rid of (as much as I can) algorithm based media sites for a year and it’s made everything better.
https://www.amazon.com/Arguments-Deleting-Social-Media-Accounts/dp/125019668X
Add this book to the list: Theory of Fun by Raph Koster.
His website has a ton of interesting thoughts and articles.
Anybody who wants to know more about Ai algorithms should read this book
https://www.amazon.ca/Arguments-Deleting-Social-Media-Accounts/dp/125019668X/ref=nodl_
It’s written by a computer scientist who talked about this bc he was there in Silicon Valley during the second life era right before Facebook blew the fuck up. There’s also this ted talk that kind of feels like the basis for this documentary:
A couple of great ones to start with are:
https://www.amazon.com/Theory-Game-Design-Raph-Koster/dp/1449363210
https://www.amazon.com/Kobold-Design-KOBOLD-DESIGN-Paperback/dp/B00QM2FNX4/
Both are pretty much classics and full of great practical advice.
It’s really hard to get anything done if everything goes through management.
IDK if it’ll be of use but if you’re stuck going it alone, I remember this is good: https://www.amazon.com/Time-Management-System-Administrators-Working/dp/0596007833
Fellow enterprise developer turned manager here. Me and my cohort are about to release our first title. It was developed using .NET/C#.
AMA. :)
I'll start with the questions you have above.
Assuming you already have a solid foundation in OOP, Design Patterns, some basic RDBMS, etc, you actually already have 60% of what you need. Code is code.
The other 40% depends on the type of game you are making. 2D? Basic algebra. 3D? Now it gets tougher on the math (though thankfully today's engines do most of the heavy lifting for you, but you still need to understand what is used for what).
Doing multi-player? Now networking is the tricky part because you are likely to use some sort of UDP communication layer and all the REST/SOAP you learned at work, while still useful for managing latency-agnostic stuff like player lists, matchmaking requests and such, won't cut it for real-time multi-player games. Writing solid "netcode" that delivers a great experience at 60+ FPS requires some creativity in managing perception (extrapolation and interpolation when latency is present) and fault-tolerant algorithms. It is no fun when you get a headshot in an FPS, see it happen, but your opponent runs away, apparently unscathed.
As far as graphics, I solved that one easily... I had a friend join my project who was the graphics guy. I provided the framework for doing the graphics and turned that area over to him. He went above and beyond though and learned shaders and added all sorts of special effects.
Meanwhile, I focused my energy on the game engine, networking layers, AWS cloud stuff, matchmaking and lots of behind the scenes stuff.
The other thing I did was read as much as possible about Game Design. I ordered a dozen books from Amazon, including my absolute favorite Designing Games by Tynan Sylvester, the developer of RimWorld (link: https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Games-Guide-Engineering-Experiences/dp/1449337937).
Hope that helps!
Also, I started this book on recommendation from a bud today. I’d never leave y’all behind but:
10 Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now
TLDR;
Try Craig Perko's Concrete Play series for an intro to game design.
Also in my totally objective opinion, <em>Designing Games</em> by Tynan Sylvester is a way better book than all the others mentioned here combined. The Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell is too vague and esoteric to be useful in practice, and Game Design Workshop is too industry-focused.
This is an excellent book on the topic, covering how to balance a sysadmin's unique need for periods of laser-focus to solve deep and complex problems in an environment fraught with interruptions!
You might be interested in The Shallows - https://www.amazon.com/Shallows-What-Internet-Doing-Brains/dp/0393339750
However, it's a full book. Written by a guy who admits that he can't even really read a full book anymore, and interviews people including literature professors who no longer have the attention span to even read the books that they're assigning.
Naturally, if you have that problem, it'll be hard to get through a whole book about it, but it's kind of cool to see that even the people whose livelihood is directly tied to reading/writing books are also feeling the same.
You could try it, say for a month, and see how you get on. It doesn't have to be forever.
It seems, from reading between the lines of what you've written, that you're finding social media is a) absorbing a lot of your time; b) making you feel fearful and sad, and; c) actually contributing towards your feelings of isolation anyway. Those are great reasons to take a step back, at the very least.
I think if you really want it to work you need to find ways of occupying your time in the hours that you would otherwise have spent on the socials. Get out and do stuff. It doesn't matter if you end up not liking the stuff. It doesn't matter if you don't like all the people you meet. Just try things. Eat lunch at a cafe, hit the gym, volunteer for a charity, go running, join a class, crochet blankets for orphans... whatever you like.
I don't use social media at all (except LinkedIn) but my reasons for deleting my profiles were more to do with disliking the business models at work within most of the big tech firms. Have you read Jaron Lanier's book? It's an interesting perspective and might give you other reasons to consider whether social media use is right for you longer term.
> Must be a literature major ... lol.
Nope ... lol.
> However, has anyone shown that there actually is such an effect?
Also, would you like to compare the contribution to society made by a "useless wanker" serving coffee or producing "volumes of useless shit" compared to, say, a corporate lobbyist participating in legal corruption, an oil industry engineer contributing to the destruction of the climate, or a Wall Street financier putting the global economy at risk in the name of greed? All of those make comparatively fantastic salaries, btw.
There are far worse things to be than a failed writer or academic.
Time Management for System Administrators
Yes it is slightly old, as in 17 years, but as a process it describes it is very much still relevant and helpful. Just ignore any references to tech it mentions and concentrate on the process/methods.
The Twitter shown at the beginning of this clip is the author of all of these. They are published in his book called I forced an AI to write this book
https://www.amazon.com/Forced-Bot-Write-This-Book/dp/152485834X
εθισμένοι και λίγο χαζοί, αλλά ΟΚ, δεν πειράζει. Αυτός εδώ τα εξηγεί ωραία: https://www.amazon.com/Arguments-Deleting-Social-Media-Accounts/dp/125019668X
Σχεδόν 3κ ratings και όλα άριστα. Δεν μπορεί να είναι τυχαίο (οκ, μπορεί, αλλά στη συγκεκριμένη δεν είναι)
This is how I manage mine. I was diagnosed at 40. I like Pomodoro apps like BFT (Bear Focus Timer) and analog to do lists.
Also, try picking up Time Management for System Administrators. https://www.amazon.com/Time-Management-System-Administrators-Working/dp/0596007833
On the first part (Synergy), and in general, I do recommend Tynan Sylvester (Rimworld) book on game design. From Chapter 2:
> In a way, every game exists already. They’re out there, hidden in the logic of the universe. We don’t create them. We find them like a sculptor finds the statue in a block of marble—not by adding anything, but by taking away the excess material that obscures the form within.
>
> (...)
> Elegance from Emergence
> EMERGENCE is when simple mechanics interact to create complex situations.
> Leveraging emergence means crafting mechanics that don’t just add together, but multiply into a rich universe of possibility.
> Elegance happens when mechanics interact in complex, nonobvious ways. But this same complexity and nonobviousness makes elegant design very difficult to achieve.
> Mechanics that interact with many other mechanics smell like elegance.
> ...
The XCOM2 comparison part reminds me of Avengers/superhero movie suit-up scene, btw.
Two area for me:
Check out an O'Reilly book, Time Management for Systems Administrators (https://www.amazon.com/Time-Management-System-Administrators-Working/dp/0596007833/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=2ERQ11V58G3NJ&keywords=time+management+for+system+administrators&qid=1650987575&sprefix=time+management+for%2Caps%2C369&sr=8-1).
It won't happen overnight, but steady changes will make it happen.
I'd suggest Designing Games: A Guide to Engineering Experiences. It is as good as Art of Game Design, if not better tbh and I learned many things especially about design thinking and process from this book.
https://theconvivialsociety.substack.com/
I highly recommend this Substack if you’re into this kind of thing. He is super well read in the philosophy of technology (Postman, Illich, etc.) and explores a lot of their ideas as it relates to current society. I also really enjoyed this book: The Shallows - What The Internet Is Doing To Our Brains.
There's evidence that people in highly developed countries are becoming dumber. The Flynn effect no longer holds, and in a large part this is because of social media and the Internet.
Check out this book, the author goes into great detail about the scientific research done in this area.