I think it's all about freedom. During sex you set yourself free, during meditation you set yourself free. In both cases you let go of your ego, and with it all your fears. With sex this is during the orgasm. Meditation can be considered a very long orgasm in some cases, regarding the freedom. ^^
With games it is a little different. Games can make you feel free, it distances your daily affairs, and there is no way of doing anything wrong in a game. If you fail, you can just try again, no one will judge you. At least this is for singleplayer games. Multiplayer games in their own respect can be a huge source of frustration instead. Think of games like LoL and DotA where bad playing is punished by other players, might I add: With great drama.
Repitition can only be fun when you get in touch with that feeling of freedom.

I would love to watch that film!

I think about pleasing your audience it's possible to please them, but maybe in a way they wouldn't expect.
Straying away from the walked paths may lead to new paths you are about to uncover.

My personal view on this:
I think Westerners are not as free as they think they are. It's all because we are "civilized" which in my eyes means we oblige to many rules, social codes and more invisible chains. We think we have it better because we have more food, more money and more "comforts". However how free we are in our mind is not determined by these material factors, I'd rather say it made us believe more in our illusions, because we have it better, we must be right, right?
However Western society is one of excess, you have to look great, you have to make money, you have to got courage. If you don't fit in that picture, people will automatically start judging. Especially when it comes to the self. People are extremely hard on themselves, and they give in on their fears. They actually believe that they have to look great, make money, etc. to be a good person, otherwise they get depressed.
I found great inner peace by letting go these fears (for as much possible). And that's something I want to give to other people as well.

I think it's interesting you named collaboration always leads to compromise. That's a huge problem. Sincerity is easily lost when making compromises, and the whole idea why you made something can be lost in the process. That's why it's sometimes better when one person is the thought behind a game, whilst the rest just helps creating it.
Never make compromises unless you intend to make a commercial succes. And even then, I think it's possible to make something that people will love without losing the general idea. Just as long other people keep their hands off of it.

Currently not playing that much at all. "Real" life is my current addiction. Enjoying the sun, enjoying other people, enjoying music and other beautiful things.

People will never be satisfied. Once you have attained a lot of money, to a point where some people would say you reached the top, the inner voice will say: You need more, more, more. And this is of course moreso with most rich people (sorry for generalizing), once you tasted more, you only want more still.
The inner Slave-Driver always tells you that you need more. And the inner Perfectionist always tells you that what you made/do is not good enough. It's the art of not listening to these illusions.
I agree ideally money should not even exist. The only way to have a satisfying life is not wanting any.
For me money is something to survive in society and to spend to have fun with other people, and give away for as much I can offer.
Not a single material investment will make you really happy, maybe for a slight moment, and some things are pure functional, but again: It won't give you true, sincere joy.
Making other people happy is what makes one really happy. So to me, that's what money is for.

Hi people, and welcome to my introduction.

I have been soulsearching a long time, and eventually found that notgames may be the thing I will spend my time on.
Not sure if I would call it notgames, but it doesn't matter how you name it, I reckon.

My name is Michiel van Tienhoven, born in 1989 in the Netherlands, in a hospital in Utrecht.
When I was 8 I already knew I wanted to do something with games, and like most people to be "the idea guy".

When I admitted at the HKU to study Game Art I first got rejected. I actually agreed with it as I wasn't ready yet.
The time after that I did get in, but not for Game Art. Instead they allowed me to do Gamedesign and Development.
After studying half a year I figured Game Art would still suit me better and they agreed to let me study Game Art after all.
I'm going to my second year now.

The whole thing about me is that I'm floating in the vague space between Art and Design.
That's why I try to avoid the word "Game". I consider myself to be a Experience Artist/Designer instead.
I'm interested in making people feel things, experience things and get closer to their emotions.
This is so very necessary in our Western society as we get detached from our feelings, emotions and our soul.
My goal is to make things that will help people grow self-esteem, chisel away fears and mental barriers so people can get closer to the person they should be. A free and autonomous individual.
As such I don't care much for labels like games or notgames, it's all about the idea and how to reach people succesfully, to pierce right through their world of illusions, and hit the core of their real selves.

I'm not yet certain how I will obtain these goals, but I believe I'm currently carrying out the right experiments to get closer.