The Great Disclaimer


I’m writing this in a post that I can then perma-link from the design description sections of the projects until such a time as I no longer feel the need to.

Disclaim

— vb

  • ( tr ) to deny or renounce (any claim, connection, etc)
  • ( tr ) to deny the validity or authority of
  • law to renounce or repudiate (a legal claim or right)

This is found all the time in the presentation of amateur or self-perceived amateur works:

  • “I’m just a beginner, so…”
  • “This is my first time, so…”
  • “I wasn’t feeling my best, so…”

And myriad variations thereof.

It is meant to prepare the audience for an eye/earful of garbage, and to show that the presenter did not feel that the results on display fully represent their best work.

If you are a creative, or have ever done a presentation, I am certain that you have either made a disclaimer or really wanted to prior to showing off your work.

It has been my experience that many well-meant and honest disclaimers do more harm than good. They color the audience’s opinion of both the work and the creator without them ever having fully understood either.

I feel that it is best to simply present, and let the audience make whatever judgements that it will. I have seen, repeatedly, work that the creator felt was the worst rubbish they had ever produced be received with adulation and respect from an audience that did not know any better.

This is the reality check: the audience is only ever as aware as the presenter chooses to make them. Always keep that in mind.

So, having said all this, I would like to make my own qualified disclaimer of the work that you have or are about to experience. Do not read beyond the following line unless you want your opinion of my work colored, and perhaps soured, by who I think I am and what I think I have produced.

  • This project is/was not intended for commercial release.
  • This project is/was produced with an extremely limited scope and resources.
  • The purpose behind executing this project is/was to expand my vocabulary and understanding of the solo independent game development process.

Assuming you’ve read the above, you may now have a better understanding about the project you have experienced or will experience.

It is my sincere hope that I will someday no longer require this disclaimer in front of my work, and the removal of it is one of my sources of inspiration. Until that day comes, though, know that I am fully aware of my status as an amateur game developer and that I have no pretensions of representing myself as anything but.

Thank you for reading.


Home