[DrSiemer]

In my experience, a core skill of programmers is that they are people who are able to deal with setbacks and frustration in a good way. Those come with the territory.

I've always wondered if there is a correlation between developers and people that can enjoy tough but fair games like Super Meat Boy because of this.

[rectang]

Hmm, I’ve had a highly successful career in software despite getting derailed and starting late, so maybe not the best example haha.

I agree that resilience is important, but in my experience it emerges from a complex mix of temperament, environment, structural advantages, and mentoring, rather than being intrinsic to the individual. For illustration: I’ve trained a bunch of people from nothing on software and I always prioritized helping them find a project they cared about, because that motivation was what would power the through the inevitable frustrations.

Maybe if the Atari manual had taught me how to write a branching adventure game rather than a checkbook-balancing program, I would have stuck with programming back then. But I’m not dissatisfied with the path my life took.