I always said I wouldn’t catch senioritis. 

Contrary to many people’s stance on school, I actually adore being in a classroom environment. Late nights studying, taking notes in lectures, writing articles and essays; it’s all part of the university charm. 

Romanticizing your college experience is easy when you love to learn. USC has a gorgeous campus situated in the heart of Los Angeles and offers a phenomenal educational experience to its students. I’ve made some kickass friends, too.

And yet, as the four-year college chapter of my life marches toward a close, my only thought remains a persistent, resounding, “GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!”

This killer anticipation can be attributed to the fact that I have a definitive post-graduate plan. I know precisely where I will be working and living after college, and where I want to take my life from there. This isn’t to say that I have it all figured out, but I’ve definitely carved out a clear path to follow. The future isn’t so daunting when you have a general idea of what it holds.

With senioritis comes its most dangerous symptom: demotivation. I’ve never been so uninterested in doing anything related to school. Trying to complete a simple college-related task feels like a trial of monumental proportions. My classes have become the bane of my existence as I navigate apartment hunting, applying for a California driver’s license and scheduling senior photos.

“What does this have to do with video games?” the crowd shouts. “Get a diary!”

I have a wellness journal, thank you very much. Anyways, I subjected you to my lengthy, self-reflective introduction because my experience these past few months has had me drawing parallels between my incurable senioritis and the feeling of coming up on the release of a game you’ve been working tirelessly on. 

I’ve worked on my fair share of AAA and indie projects over the past few years, both on the development and marketing sides of the team. Though every project is different, some dynamics simply never change. 

Being brought onto a new project is always invigorating. Whether you’re a founding member of the development team or brought on mid-way through the process, the feeling of getting to contribute to something that a team of people is excited about is unbeatable. Motivation is high during the first few months as you settle into your new role, getting to know the team and the project. The dev team stays high-spirited with socials, custom Discord emojis and fun stand-ups.

However, as months turn into quarters and quarters turn into years, the game morphs from a fun new project into a grind. All that matters is hitting the key production deadlines and completing your deliverables. But, despite the honeymoon phase being over, you still want to see the project finished and successful.

And then one day, Hooray! The game hits Beta! Your project finds a publisher! An exact release date is set! This is where what I’d like to call “developer senioritis” kicks in.

With the end in sight, and the game near-final — but not entirely polished — becoming demotivated is common. I’ve seen it happen time and time again, both to me and my peers. When you’re playing through a build of your project that’s, in essence, complete, finding the motivation to implement those extra finishing touches starts to feel Sisyphean. 

At this point in the process — especially on student projects — team members begin to bow out. And I get it; working on the same project for over a year means it will eventually lose its luster — and with the end in sight, checking out and coasting feels ideal. 

People I look up to keep telling me now, as I finish my final semester, finishing strong is immensely more rewarding than gliding through the finish line. The games I’ve worked on that had dedicated teams all the way up to the release always ended up being the best. 

And so, as much as I really just want to kick my feet up and start a new “Minecraft” realm with my friends in these final few weeks, I’m choosing to inoculate myself against demotivation by drawing on my previous experiences with senioritis.

To any seniors — or game developers — reading this: Don’t give in to the senioritis. You’re so close to the end; make the last leg of the race count.

Aubrie Cole is a senior writing about video games in her column, “Downloadable Content,” which runs every other Friday.