Step into the room where you're the amateur

What happens when you take your work into a room where you're clearly the least qualified person?

Sunday at Gumbo - a co-working space for game developers in NYC.

Serious people. Proper video games. Physics engines, complex art, hardcore coding.

And me. I'm sitting there with my silly prototype feeling completely out of my depth. It's like showing up to a fine art class with crayons.

I nearly didn't go.

I nearly left after an hour.

Everyone around me knew what they were talking about. I had no idea.

But then something clicked.

I wasn't there to compete with their technical skills. I was there to see how far I could push my idea.

At the end of the day we showcased everyone's work. I was nervous, but it was worth it.

Three things happened that I couldn't get anywhere else:

• Accountability - Being around people actually doing the work
• Inspiration - Seeing what's possible when you take craft seriously. Amazing to see 10 other people all working on similar yet different projects
• Clarity - Finally talking about the thing instead of just thinking about it. Do people get the hypothesis? Do they believe the story?

And I forgot how much playtesting id done. They were surprised by how much I'd accomplished with my simple prototype.

Sometimes the best way to level up your work is to take it where you're obviously outclassed.

The experts (the good ones) won't judge your technique - they'll help you see what you're actually building.

I'll be back soon for more Gumbo.