State of Uncharted Worlds
Hi folks. This post has been a long time coming. Doesn’t make it any easier, sadly. Long rambling ahead!
Firstly, I’d like to apologize for falling off the face of the Earth. That wasn’t cool. There are mitigating circumstances, which I’ll go into in a second, but it still was something that I feel quite bad about.
Basically, I kind of unofficially “shut down” on everything Uncharted Worlds, and gaming in general. Around November I started to get extremely burned out and exhausted. Work was going from bad to worse, sapping my energy and motivation and leaving a lethargic husk. Add that to my father’s ongoing and soul-crushing neuro-muscular degeneration, and a stressful holiday season, and I just checked out mentally and emotionally. It was either that, or burn everything UW-related to the ground in a fit of blinding rage/panic-attack.
Dark times. I’m not through those dark times yet, but I’m forcing myself to write this because you guys deserve answers.
In many ways, the Google+ shutdown was the nail in the coffin. It takes a lot out of me to be “public”, to be social with a community. It took a ton of work and stepping waaaaaaaaaaay outside my comfort zone just to create this community. It was something that I was proud of. But it took a lot of effort, and I had to force myself to log in regularly, to respond regularly, to make it a routine. And then it fell apart, and everyone left.
I’m sure I could reform that community elsewhere. But I don’t have the emotional bandwidth to try right now. I’m too fragile at the moment, too easily hurt. My shields are down. I’m out of mana. Etc.
As for writing. I wrote Uncharted Worlds because I wanted to share something, I wanted to entertain. And despite not knowing what I was getting myself into, I stumbled into a greater success than I dared hope. I wrote for the community. You folks were my inspiration, my drive.
So that’s where UW is at right now. I’m burned out, watching my father waste away, the community I built is all but gone, and I derive no more joy from gaming. It’s a tangled mess.
I’m working my way through it, from various angles, in the laughably little free time I have between a full-time job in the video game industry, and raising a 4 year old kid (who is as stubborn as his father, and his father’s father before him). More working out. Sun lamp to combat the cold, dark winter months of Quebec. More sleep. Seeing a psychologist.
The first step to eventually reviving UW will be to find a new home to connect with the community again. From there I’ll be able to talk future plans. But I have no idea where to begin or where to go, and I’m not in the right frame of mind to make a decision yet.
Sorry again, folks. And thank you. Thank you so much for all your kindness and awesomeness.
(TL:DR Emotionally broken, UW stuff on back-burner, need to rebuild community elsewhere, can’t do that yet because emotionally broken)
Hang in there, good sir, and we’ll keep the nav beacon live for you!
Please take care of yourself and your family.
You’ve created something awesome and wonderful. As far as I’m concerned, you owe me nothing. I owe you!
Still playing, still having great times.
Take care and thank you for keeping us in the loop. I imagine it took a lot of spoons to write that.
Take care, we will be here when you are ready!
Dude, you aren’t alone. You and I have quite a few of the same issues going on right now, emotionally and work-wise. UW is the least concern for you. And we will be here for you when you get back. I can’t speak for everyone else, but I am satisfied enough with everything that we got so far for UW that I don’t care if it takes you years to finish or if you never do. Your health and family come first.
I have been, there, two. There were a couple times when I was behind, for a while, on fulfilling stretch goals. It eats at you. Please, don’t let it kill you. Forget it for now and do what you need.
Take care, Sean! As Chris Wilson said, I don’t feel you owe me anything. In any case, take care of yourself so you can take care of your loved ones. If/When you get back into gaming and creating, great! If not, live well and be happy!
Self-care comes before fan-care.
Sean Gomes, prends soin de toi et prends tout le temps qu’il te faudra.
Nous regrettons tous la disparition de Google+ mais un simple blog ou forum suffiront largement. Lorsque tu voudras reprendre la communauté sera là.
Real life has to take precedence. I know most people on Google+ have fled mostly to MeWe and I suspect that should be your first point of call when you’re up to it. In the meantime I’m sure everyone is wishing you well.
I am very thankful that you took some time to let us know about UW’s state despite the odds.
I endorse the encouragement of the other folks here. Take care of yourself and your family.
Whenever you feel ready we will be here.
Thank you for the fun times you provided me and my friends with UW. Take care of yourself first and foremost.
Thank you for taking care of yourself. Get your own oxygen mask on first.
I’ve been doing this self-publishing thing for a while now, and I’ve had these kinds of feelings several times over, including the guilt for feeling like I’m building things up and then letting people down. So I want to tell you:
Thank you for your game. I greatly enjoy playing it.
Thank you for stepping outside your comfort zone. I know it’s hard.
I hope you have the love and support around you to deal with your father’s health, your job, and so on. It’s okay, absolutely okay, to focus on all that first. Because as others have said:
You don’t owe us shit. We’re not entitled to more than what you freely give.
Hang in there, and take care of yourself, first and foremost.
Please take whatever time you need. Don’t stress about the G+ community, most people here will still be lurking around the various PbtA or DW communities on other platforms. So whenever you feel better and want to reach out, just drop a word over there. Wherever that be. We’ll be around. We care about you, and hope you get through this. Don’t let Google or Meteomedia get the best of you!
Sean Gomes you’re an amazing person who created an amazing thing. Don’t feel obligated to do more, you don’t owe us anything – you do you, man.
If you need anything, you’re welcome to reach out to me
You know what, Sean, I bet someone (probably not me, because I suck at this) would make a new community for you. Something over on MeWe and something on Reddit.
I was thinking we could create an “Uncharted Worlds Fan” community on Mewe. Something formally unofficial, at least so that we can still hang around, answer newcomers’ questions or post jump points, random thoughts, user created content, etc. We can rename and change control if later if it’s ever needed.
Sean! Take care of yourself first! Gaming is supposed to be fun, not a chore or an obligation. Work on getting yourself to a better place and don’t worry about us.
Someone should make a Discord server to start!
Step away from it “for a time”. Do other stuff, take care of yourself and your loved ones. Pursue other interests. “For a time” might become “for ever” and that’s ok too. You did an awesome job and whatever you do, UW is out there and it’ll stay. Whatever happens, I’m grateful for the work you’ve done. Thank you!
Thanks for the update. I really have appreciated the effort that you have put in to this community. It has been amazing being so closely connected to the author of one of my favourite games.
Please look after yourself and take all the time that you need.
I’m with you, Sean. Soldier on. Return when you’ll have the joy of sharing your stuff with us, again.
Yikes, that sounds like a rough time. I hope you reach calmer seas soon. UW has given me one of my most memorable campaigns. Thank you for the update and look forward to your return to UW when you’re ready!
Take care. You are only human. Thanks for all that you have already provided us and I look forward to some day when you get the spark back and feel the desire to do more. Till then We have plenty to chew on.