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Some people learn their skillset is in Music, or Art, etc.

How do I know if game dev is truly my skillset? How do I know I was meant to do game dev instead of another career?

How do I know I'm making games because it's a true skillset of mine, and not just because I like playing games and thereby "trying" to make games, or doing game dev for any other selfish reasons like "play something 'I' made" ?

Sorry if I poorly phrased this question, and sorry if this sounds insulting to every other game dev out there.

I know that ever since I was little, and saw my first "Map editor" option of a game, I immediately jumped into it and loved the ability to create my own levels. Even though I always look forward to people playing the maps I create (over recent years), I don't recall if that was my primary reason for initially jumping into the map editing when I was young. I believe I truly just liked the ability to create my own maps and play them myself.

After that, I got into programming and spriting, etc. But I still don't know if game dev is truly a skillset of mine in the sense that I'm unique compared to the average person who would feel they would suck at game dev.

Because there are times where I suck at design. But, I've gotten better at map design, but it took years. I feel that if a person was truly gifted with a skillset of design, it would only take that person months, or they'd immediately be good at it, and be good at architectural design of a level, etc. etc.

Anyone else struggle with this same line of thought before?

Thanks,

There is a simple answer to this. Passion. If you love what your doing then you were meant to do it. If not then get out now. The moment you do something for only the money is the moment you know it is not what you love.

Thanks halls, and I wish you well with your lawsuit.

Also keep in mind that really any kind of programming is pretty different than making music or visual art. While I know that artists and musicians do have to practice a ton to learn, a lot of them do seem to have a talent towards it. This may be kind of controversial, but I don't think the same thing holds for programming. Those people who seem to excel at programming quickly only do so because they are practicing a ton. The people who hit a brick wall and say "I just can't do this" and quit didn't practice enough or simply weren't patient enough to push through the problems that everyone hits. Anyone can learn to do this.

So, like Halls said, if you have the passion, everything else will come. You will be roughly X proficient after Y hours of doing it which will be pretty close to the same X and Y of other developers.

Lots and lots of patience and a willingness to adjust to what players want. Sometimes what you see is not what they see.