This was a really good conversation about game team dynamics – especially for younger folks. I think it hits the nail on the head based on my own experiences. Here’s a summary (not my words):

It has become more common in most media (games/movies/etc) made by people under 30 where it’s “cool” to not take their creative work seriously. It’s easier to avoid serious work or make fun of a movie/game/topic (no matter how serious, dramatic, or well done) rather than embrace it and put their best work into it.

It’s sad because in most cases those people are just afraid to really try.

This is especially true if people are using self-aware meta humor about how bad things are in their work/group/project/life. Instead of figuring out how to fix it, they just lampshade it, by making jokes about how badly it’s going. I’m sure they’re doing it as a nervous habit because they don’t want people to criticize their game, so they’ve got to do it first and make their game’s defects “part of the joke.”

The only thing you can really do is talk to them about it and get them to agree to take it seriously. Then keep them on track. If that doesn’t work, you’ve got to find other people to work with. A good process is:

1. First define what is at stake
2. Prove how what they are doing threatens what is at stake
3. State clearly “If we do this, then the result will be that”
4. If you cannot prove anything, then just make your most persuasive case

Discussion thread:

• https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/1cqgjb4/how_do_i_stop_people_from_confusing_funny_and_fun/