Tim Wicksteed runs one-man indie game studio Twice Circled, based in Bristol in the UK.

Not without reason, bloggers and commentators the world over are only too quick to point out the potential pitfalls of designing a game around yourself.

Although it might be tempting to create a text-based game where you play the part of a feudal lord, you run the risk of making a game for a niche audience of one – yourself.

There is, however, another way you can make your own being the focus of the game's foundations that's somewhat more effective.

What if, for instance, you allowed your competency at various development tasks to influence your game's design, rather than your taste in games themselves?

For example, if networking and synchronisation issues are your idea of a nightmare, then you might reconsider creating that multiplayer FPS you had in mind. Equally if you're a fantastic 2D pixel artist, then why not play to your talents and keep the theme retro?

Old habits die hard

From first-hand experience I can confirm the hazards of not following this approach.

When I was creating Ionage - a bite size space strategy game for Android devices - I made the mistake of not playing to my strengths.

For example, when creating game prototypes in my teenage years, I would always create a single level demonstrating all the game's mechanics but then never actually add the elements that make a full game - the level progression, difficulty curve etc.

As a result, the games would play a lot like the first level of Metroid Prime, with players handed access to all the equipment upfront before having it ruthlessly stripped away and distributed across Tallon IV.

Tangent aside, what I'm trying to say is, I don't have any great enthusiasm for level design. However, I didn't allow this known deficiency to inform my design process.

Ionage is a game structured around levels, which meant that, during the months when all I had to do was design those levels, finding the motivation to carry on was rather tricky.

If I had designed the game to have a more endless/skirmish style of progression, where the levels are procedurally generated rather than painstakingly designed, then I could have saved myself much frustration and potentially created a better game in the process.

On this subject, I had the chance to meet and talk to Chris Roberts of Survivalist Games, the creator of zombie themed collectible card game (CCG) Shelter.

Different strokes for different folks

"As well as understanding your skills you need to understand how you work best," Roberts told me. "Shelter was a very conscious effort to set some tight restrictions - no AI, no complex animation, no physics etc."

I asked him whether his decision to design a game with no AI requirements was based on his own experience and interest in this area.

"That would be fair," he replied. "I decided that there were things I'm better at that I'm just more interested in that I should concentrate on".

Roberts' account serves as an interesting contrast to my own experience with Ionage. The AI requirements were significant, but this was one aspect that synergised really well with my skillset.

My skills at creating AIs go back to my years studying Mechanical Engineering at University where I had to design robot control systems for various projects. I've always been fascinated by this sort of work and so it's one of the development activities that I'm both highly motivated and competent in.

In Roberts' case, he noted that a game's narrative is a potential weak point for him.

"I know enough of the theory behind it," he added. "It's not my passion though, and not really one of my core skills so when it came to the crunch it just had to take a back seat."

Going from our combined experiences, emphasising the tasks that you enjoy to ensure you maintain enthusiasm throughout the development process can prove to be a useful strategy. It can simultaneously allow you to make the most of your skills whilst avoiding potential weak spots.

Staying motivated as an independent developer is often one of the biggest challenges you'll face, so, just this once, give it a go. Indulge yourself.