Are the developers geniuses?

[aaaaaaa]

I am an young man who really likes this kind of game and got really inspired playing factorio. Sadly, i have trouble in school, i really feel inadequate and i am extremely anxious about grades. i just feel really bad working hard and studying (eventhough i like to learn) because i get a immense fear of failing a test and reveling that i am not that smart.I know the developers took a big risk leaving their jobs and pursuing their passions, and i admire them for that, but trying to figure out more about them i started too see that they went to great colleges and were very different from myself, which made me a little hopeless. Does anyone knows more about the devs? They are some kind of geniuses? They were great students?

I know that this is a weird question, but i am a weird person.

Thanks for the understanding.

[British_Petroleum]

It doesn't matter if you're a genius or not; if you work hard and never give up, you'll do great things

[Mooncat]

You don't need to be a genius to do something great. You just need passion.
Failing a test doesn't show you are foolish. Maybe it is just because academic subjects don't make you interested in them.

Whether the developers are geniuses does not matter. Even geniuses can fail in their lives. The more important questions are: what do you like to do? What are you good at?
They can be difficult. But once you solve them, your life will be much easier because you will have the passion.

[LotA]

many many geniuses/gifted people are actually terrible at school.

Being good at school (at least before graduating) doesn't mean you're a genius, it simply means you are well adapted in the educative system, that you "fit the mold".
But many great minds, scientists or artists mostly just don't fit the mold

[OdinYggd]

Albert Einstein had his problems in school too you know. His record was far from flawless, and more than a few sources suggest that he likely had some form of Aspergers or even ADHD that made it difficult for him to interact with other kids his age.


Now being in a chatroom with some of the developers on a regular basis, I can confirm for you that Rseding91 is indeed an extremely talented if not genius level programmer. The others I haven't gotten to talk to enough about technical matters to have a good grasp on just how capable they are.


Oh and another thing to consider: The only difference between being insane and being a genius is being right.
So if you are working on something and getting a lot of criticism from people who don't know all the details of your project, keep going! It could prove to be a big deal. Just, take care to consider any helpful information you might get out of the process. Sometimes other people know a thing or two about what you are up against and can help you solve the problems your creation has.

[MeduSalem]

Even geniuses can fail in their lives.

I can relate to that.

I might not consider myself an Albert Einstein or Stephen Hawking... but I used to have that special talent to see things other people couldn't or to grasp things before they were even explained and never really had to "study" anything really hard to excel in it... but in real life I'm just socially awkward, a true Sheldon Cooper at points (maybe not that extreme but you get the idea).

It's like I can't find my way around in society, especially with other people. I always end up saying things that I probably shouldn't have and don't give a damn about social norms and conventions. So you never have the true feeling of really belonging somewhere.

If something like that is going on for more than half of your life you eventually give up hopes on anything getting better or getting anything "important" achieved in your life, especially with a high level of self-awareness (especially to your own faults and deficiencies). You just live with things how are, like as if your flame of passion gets snuffed out. Sad, but true.

I mean the point is you can be a genius and invent/research something awesome like Einstein's General Relativity, but what does it really matter in the end if you have no one to share it with and rather havet to live a lonesome life. It's one of the insights I got in the recent past... that people who are not geniuses are often much better off because it's so much easier for them to be happy, to enjoy the every-day-things... it's just easier for them just to... "live". And in the end being successful in your personal life is much more important than any awesome invention or the money/fame you might earn from it.

I'll cite Edgar Allan Poe: "And all I loved I loved alone"

[DerivePi]

Your fear of inadequacy is an addressable problem. You are as smart as you are and that is not up to you. Don't be afraid of who you are. Having good teachers or going to great colleges will not change that inherent ability (pretty much guaranteed to work the other way around actually). What is up to you, is what you do with what you have been given and I can assure you that worrying about a higher grade on a test you've properly prepared for is a waste of your gifts. You like this game and think you might have a passion for programming? Go for it! Grab a free copy of C++ and develop a small card game app. Not enjoying it? Try something else. Not up to starting your own software company? Well consider that Factorio was started by only one developer, Michal. Without support from others, Factorio would not be what it is today. Go find your "Michal" and support that task using strengths you have and let someone else cover your weaknesses.

You are not alone but you alone are who you are.

Einstein was a genius from the beginning and his recorded grades in physics and math show that. http://content.time.com/time/specials/p ... 58,00.html

[Yoyobuae]

Even geniuses can fail in their lives.

I can relate to that.

I might not consider myself an Albert Einstein or Stephen Hawking... but I used to have that special talent to see things other people couldn't or to grasp things before they were even explained and never really had to "study" anything really hard to excel in it... but in real life I'm just socially awkward, a true Sheldon Cooper at points (maybe not that extreme but you get the idea).

It's like I can't find my way around in society, especially with other people. I always end up saying things that I probably shouldn't have and don't give a damn about social norms and conventions. So you never have the true feeling of really belonging somewhere.

If something like that is going on for more than half of your life you eventually give up hopes on anything getting better or getting anything "important" achieved in your life, especially with a high level of self-awareness (especially to your own faults and deficiencies). You just live with things how are, like as if your flame of passion gets snuffed out. Sad, but true.

I mean the point is you can be a genius and invent/research something awesome like Einstein's General Relativity, but what does it really matter in the end if you have no one to share it with and rather havet to live a lonesome life. It's one of the insights I got in the recent past... that people who are not geniuses are often much better off because it's so much easier for them to be happy, to enjoy the every-day-things... it's just easier for them just to... "live". And in the end being successful in your personal life is much more important than any awesome invention or the money/fame you might earn from it.

I'll cite Edgar Allan Poe: "And all I loved I loved alone"

Yep, same story here.

That's part of the reason I find myself drawn to games. Besides the personal enjoyment, it provides stuff I can share/talk about with other people.

It's probably a good idea to actively try to find stuff which can fulfill that role. Then try to actively find ways to share/join other people with similar interests (online communities, conventions, local groups, etc). It feels so much better to be able to talk/share stuff you like with other people, to the point I feel like I've wasted years of my life by not doing so many years ago (the idea simply didn't cross my mind).


ON TOPIC:
Feeliing inadequate is just a step of the process. Everyone feels inadequate at something at some point (even geniuses). That's just temporary, though.

You say you like learning. That's good. That means you are not stuck at the level you are. You can improve with some determination. You just have to ask yourself: What do I want to be really good at? For me that's programming and drawing. I already work as a programmer. And recently started doing drawing sessions every day. I love seeing the little improvement as the weeks/months go by.

[MeduSalem]

That's part of the reason I find myself drawn to games. Besides the personal enjoyment, it provides stuff I can share/talk about with other people.

It's probably a good idea to actively try to find stuff which can fulfill that role. Then try to actively find ways to share/join other people with similar interests (online communities, conventions, local groups, etc). It feels so much better to be able to talk/share stuff you like with other people, to the point I feel like I've wasted years of my life by not doing so many years ago (the idea simply didn't cross my mind).

Haha, yeah and that's what I'm also having trouble with. Even if I get myself involved with communities/groups/etc who share the same interests I often can't seem to get along with them well.

One starts to question oneself... because they have the same interests... how is it possible that one can't get along with them?

Then I remember that even if we have the same principial interests we come from different backgrounds, therefore have different opinions on how our "ideal world" looks like... and it is interesting to see that even if one is quite open-minded to different views how closed-minded one can get if it comes to defending your own position and principles in a group.

I'll post this "NASA Excercise: Survival on the Moon" game now, which is quite a party-burner:

https://www.humber.ca/centreforteaching ... ercise.pdf

Pick your best friends or other people who are like-minded or are otherwise close to you and trap yourself in a room and DEMAND a full consent of all people... all have to agree on the same items and you can't leave the room before that. After that game you will realize that the survival stories where people who once loved one another are out to kill one another are quite realistic.

Stating that... I miss the Hydra-Dilemma Factorio series from 2 years ago.

[Rakshasa]

As someone who was bad at school yet have done pretty damn well, ask yourself a simple question; are you spending most of your free, and not so free, time coding (or whatever you're interested in)?

If yes, then good, if no, then meh.

[TheTom]

You know what they say about geniuses? It is 99% hard work. Talent helps to go through it, but you still mostly need 10000 hours to be proficient in something.

So, get your lazy ass up. If you think they are good - it is more likely you just are worse than average. You sort of say so yourself.

And yes, I mean this serious. Politicially incorrect: the truth. At one point it is not "oh, I am smart", it runs dowwn to pure ethics: sit down and do your work. Can not? Accept you are below all those people going out and doing their work 8 hours per day.

[LotA]

this game is a niche magnet for aspergers

[aaaaaaa]

Thanks for all the answers. I am starting to get more confident about school. Actually, like i said, i am not a poor student, i just feel incredible oppressed and have a massive fear of failure.

I believe personal responsibility is not only undervalued but actually discouraged by the standard classroom model, with its enforced passivity and rigid boundaries of curriculum and time. I want to learn what I want to know, but they want me to learn for the exam. What I hate the most is the competitive system. I feel that my thirst for knowledge was being strangled by my teachers, grades were are their only measurement. After I passed the final exams, I found the consideration of learning anything distasteful.

The problem i was trying to address with my question is this feeling of loneliness i get, of not belonging, in places that i like. I love Factorio but i am afraid that i would never be good enough to create something like it because i believe people who have that creative power are not like me. They don't struggle with this things like i do and they are smarter than me.

anyway, like i said, thanks for all the answers.

[Drury]

Thanks for all the answers. I am starting to get more confident about school. Actually, like i said, i am not a poor student, i just feel incredible oppressed and have a massive fear of failure.

Don't be afraid of failing, that's the best way to learn. You either make many small mistakes or a bunch of very grave ones.

On the thread title - I've seen kovarex say some mind-bogglingly stupid stuff elsewhere, and to be honest it didn't surprise me at all. He seems like a cool and hardworking guy but he definitely isn't a flawless superman. Nobody is.

[Frightning]

Success is 49% desire, 49% hard work, and 2% talent. I spent almost 9 months between my Sophomore and Junior years of high school trying on my own to solve the general Cubic equation, ax^3+bx^2+cx+d=0. I never did manage it, and eventually turned to the internet to sate my curiosity, but I don't consider that 9 months of effort wasted, on contraire, it was time well spent. Even though I failed to achieve my goal, what I learned in the process was perhaps far more valuable. The best lesson I got out of that, was that hard work doesn't feel like work when you want to do it. My GPA in HS was 2.85, in college it was about 3.3 (BS in Mathematics), yet I scored 11 points on the William Lowell Putnam exam (which has a mean score of 2/120 and median score of 0/120, it's famously hard and only offered to undergrads, I didn't prepare for it at all because I had 20 credit hours that term) and have been the resident smart kid in virtually every class I've been in (even many college classes).

Being good at school is not necessarily a good measure of talent or prospects for success. What I would advise regarding school is this: as long as you are learning the material, you should be reasonably happy with how your schooling is going, grades frequently do not accurately reflect how much a person has learned (ex: I got a C- in Adv. Calc II but I probably know that material better than the vast majority of the students in my class, some of whom got As, and I can still recall most of it even today, years later...most of them...probably couldn't do that today).

[Catatonick]

The trick to being a great developer is accepting failure. You can't be afraid of it. Every failure is a successful discovery in what doesn't work.

Eventually you just go to stack overflow first and avoid the headaches.