Honestly, this goes for aspiring gamedevs as well.
I normally don't talk about it on GAF, especially since I'm too busy with other stuff going on right now to really show anything of note, but I absolutely love games and I've put a fair bit of effort in during my free time learning how to make them. I've even had the first hints of the feeling of seeing someone enjoy what you make.
The more shit I see, the more I wonder if it's even worth it. The industry is terrible, and the internet is a hatred spreading mess. I feel like I'm better off continuing with what I'm currently doing, which will end up with me doing more scientific programming, than I would be if I actually tried to follow my own interests and make games. Less shit to deal with.
I've been working on my game for 2 and a half+ years. I've done some conferences, talked to other devs, gotten a few game jam games (not this one, this one is my baby and hasn't been released) written up about on major game sites and gotten let's plays by youtubers (always fun to see your 100 hit a day page get 5k hits in an hour because of Markiplier).
It's a hard path to walk, specially if you are doing it like me, full time job, family, spare time dev with no funding. But at the end of the day, you're not really just making games for other people. You should be making them for yourself.
I love the stuff I work on. I'm making a game I want to play and was surprised that other people wanted it too. So it's a commercial thing now, but only because people asked for it. However even if everyone turned on me and decided they hated it, I'd still finish it and play it. Because I just want to.
So if you want to do it because you love it, do it. Keep at it and don't let the drama dissuade you. Shield yourself from it. It only involves you if yo let it. If you're doing it because you think you'll be a rockstar or make tons of money: Don't. Quit while you're ahead, it isn't worth it. You lose years of your life, mental health, money and sometimes happiness for gamedev. If you don't have something to balance the scales out for those, that's a strong enough motivator for you, just be happy doing what you do, or keep it as a hobby forever.
Gamedev is a productive hobby. It's the most fun and yet most frustrating programming I've ever done. I don't think I'll ever stop, whether people hate me or not. But it isn't for everyone, that's for sure.
Source:
My game which I've been slaving away at for 2 and a half years