The lure of perfection becons like a siren’s song. It leads game developers to their deaths, promising the impossible. It stands an infinite distance away from wherever you are right now.

The 250xp theme word achievement for this month is: PERFECTION.

In any game project, as you fall in love with what you’re working on, your mental image of the ultimate vision takes shape. The fantasy coalesces in your head.

This fantasy of the ultimate rendition of that game you hope to make is a valuable mental asset. It provides the direction to move towards. It does not, however, provide the destination of the finish line.

Sure, when someone points at the moon, don’t focus on the finger. That said, don’t aim to land on the moon with your first launch attempt.

Just as it is wise to stow your “wishlist features” deep in the recesses of your beginner’s mind, you don’t want to define your goal as something that is impossible.

Perfection, by definition, is impossible. It is the Aristotlean “image” that one can only hold in their imagination. In the real world, we can hold things to that ideal. We can celebrate those successes that crept ever closer to perfection.

We cannot, however, hope to create something that could be described by everyone as the perfect game. Just as opinions subjectively vary, visions of your game’s ideal shape would never be the same between two people.

With this technical impossibility in mind, the futility of striving for it becomes clear. Luckily, perfection still serves a purpose. It is a signpost. A landmark. A beacon. A compass heading.

Set course in the direction of perfection this month, and see how close you can get. Good luck.

The wonderful music in the background is Aspartame RMX by Maf
@maf464
I was enjoying it so much I forgot to fade it out. Enjoy!