I never listen to music while I program. I have learned that, in any task that is able to take your full concentration, if you listen to music at the same time, you slow down or become less effective. It is especially true for me, as most of my music is videogame soundtracks or remixes of videogame soundtracks. Listening to the music reminds me of the game it is attached to, thus taking more of my mind away than other music would. It's not just music, of course, but the temptation to turn on some music while at your computer is very high, because it's so easy.
Of course, I'm not the first person to work this out. The writer of the book "The Animator's Survival Kit", Richard Williams, wrote about how he once foolishly asked an older animator if he listened to classical music while animating, only to get the loud, angry response "I'm not smart enough to do two things at once!" (or something, I don't have the quote handy). On the back of a learner driver's log book, I saw a picture of a car crash with the words "Good drivers just drive" and some other stuff.
I told all this to someone I know who writes fiction, but he told me that he works better when listening to music. The idea is that he uses music to set the mood for the scene he's writing, something I hadn't even considered. However, for the creation of games, I think there would be only a few instances in which this would work. I shall remain musicless.
Two other things that can have a major detriment to your work: E3 updates and Bayonetta. Both together will prevent you from changing a single variable for at least three days.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
