It seems like what really holds people back when it comes to gamedev isn't the lack of design, programming, or art experience. It's not playing a diverse amount of games to truly appreciate the medium.
@xianc78 well, that's just for people who finish their games and do it competently enough for it to appear like a good game. The biggest hurdle is motivation, above all else.
@beardalaxy Maybe it's easier for those who use specialized game engines like RPG Maker, but for the rest of us, you need to analyze various games of various genres and see how they work. For example, puzzle games might not be the most popular type of games, but their mechanics are everywhere.
I think it's really hard for the younger generation who are spoiled by newer and more complex games. You really need to learn from older games (and I'm talking about 80s arcade games), even if you find them boring.
