Where do you get your motivation for game development? What keeps you going when working on a project? For me I just want to pay for college and write one large check after college to rid myself of student loans haha
The hope that one day I’ll make a successful game and get reasonably rich because of it. Not the most realistic aspiration, but that sure as hell isn’t going to stop me.
Ditto.
Ditto
Because I enjoy it. Money isn’t my driving motivation (although it is a great side-effect) 
Ditto.
It’s that and the fact that I enjoy developing.
Pretty much what others have said; I enjoy making games. The money side is ok but seeing my creation work properly, getting that latest function working, making that last bit of gfx that I need etc!
It’s like an adventure that I go on which I get to design. 
I don’t know if its exactly money, but the vision in my head of the final product is what motivates me.
To make people proud and inspired. To actually feel like you have a purpose, as cheesy as it sounds.
Money…what? its a valid reason lol actually I want to use the money I will make from one project to fund others I got a really nice simple project that will bring me in a bit of money but only after I finish learning unity…and a 3D art package O_o yeaaaaa going to take a while.
There are a few reasons. Of course, money is one of them. Also because I love to create. I think the largest factor though, is to have people playing my game and enjoying themselves. There is no greater high than to receive messages from players, talking about a game that you made.
While I wouldn’t mind one day making a hugely successful game and make mad Loots, it is not my main driving factor.
It is a hobby, and I really like testing out game mechanics.
Another huge motivator is my friend. We’ve been chatting about games since we were kids and we’d come up with ideas and finally , with Unity, we can see it coming to life! 
I want to make money from one game so I can be free to do whatever I want financially and devote all my time to making other games.
I have one game idea, and one story, which I really believe is groundbreaking, that at some point I want to make. But first I need to make another game that generates enough money for me to devote full-time effort to indie development. Otherwise my groundbreaking game would probably take me like 10+ years to make doing it on the side of a dayjob.
The only time that I ever need motivation is when something I am working on is not going well. In that case I just take a few and head back when my head is clear. The rest of the time, motivation is not even a factor. It is more of a compulsion than anything.
Be it 3d work or coding I simply do not feel alright (agitated) when I am not doing it. I am not sure I could ever just pull out a motivator that would drive me this way. I work in aerospace during the day, then head to a different town/city to my dev office and work until I am tired, then drive back even further to my home.
I have to force myself to leave my office by 9pm at night, though I will at times keep working or get home and continue coding until an irresponsible hour. I have however finally forced myself to stop working on weekends and focus that time on my partner. Which she appreciates.
I never got involved in game development because the games excited me and I wanted to be like that, or an odd rock star view of a developer. I got into it because it was the only field that could satisfy my combination of compulsions (code, 3d, problem solving, the human mind, etc).
So no motivation, just compulsion.
edit: get rich
i don’t think you can do well at anything you don’t love doing though, so i choose to learn this as opposed to catering
Because i make games that i myself would want to play. I just want to play a game that will be occupied forever.
Also, ya know, job and money and whatnot =D
Money, not so much. To me money just means survival. What motivates me are the experiences I had as a child and growing up playing many types of games, suspending my disbelief and exploring other worlds. As I grew older I realized a lot of games had flaws to them or I would dream about them in a different way for something they could have been more than what they were. For me the focus and motivation has always been the game.
Its’ Astounding that money is what drives most “devs” to continue working. Yea I can understand you would like to be rewarded for what your’ doing but honestly the biggest thing you can gain from developing is the knowledge and overall feeling of being able to accomplish something. I love the challenge of learning something new and being able to say " hell yea! Thats my work. I did this all on my own".
But being a developer has been a huge dream of mine since I first got my nintendo 64 back in 1996 at the age of 3. I just would like to show to everyone that has doubted me throughout my 16 years of gaming that it was worth something. Ive been able to see some of the worst games made to the all time best. Those horrible games have also pushed me to be better then those developers.
Fat stacks of cash, mostly.