I've decided to bite the bullet and try my luck in the indie game market.
Not without a degree of trepidation, I must admit. But, I'm beginning to think that the only way I'll see stable employment from this point forward is to be my own boss. And if I'm going to spend all day sitting around writing software anyway, I might as well try and make it pay the bills.
So, the plan currently is to keep coding, but look at a commercial release of something. Probably still aim at the adult game market.I've got the coding skills; maybe some commercial incentive will get me to see a project through to completion for a change. Certainly it'll be nice to be able to work full time on something.
I'll also probably end up with adwords and a tip jar box on here at some point.
Plan A was "get a job", and that's pretty much failed. This is Plan B.
More details to come.
10 comments:
good luck to ya
Thank you. The encouragement is very welcome at this stage :)
Kudos for you doc
-red
Cheers, red :)
Go Doc! Just remember me when it comes to beta testing time :)
A lot of small indie devs have started by making a bare bones game or a demo. Then starting a paypal to help fund the game.
Minecraft did this and Project Zomboid is doing it. I've seen what you can do and I certainly wouldn't mind putting up 5-10 bucks to see one of your games fully developed.
Good luck to you friend!
- Mehzerz
@LJ & Mehzerz, thanks! :)
LJ, no problem.
Mehzerz, interesting idea.
I'm finally getting to the coding stage on this baby. I'll see about putting up another post in a bit.
First off, Doc, I want to wish you the best of luck with this effort. Part of me is upset that this means I'll probably have to finish the tweaks to Otherworld, myself (I'll manage), but mostly I'm just jealous that you actually had the guts to give the dream a shot. Don't worry about the rest of us. Just make this effort count!
As for Paypal, you should be careful. They have a history of freezing the accounts of indie devs. Minecraft, Project Zomboid, and now, Xenonauts (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/10/09/enemy-known-xenonauts-vs-paypal/), have all fallen victim to Paypal's overzealous security measures. It seems they aren't too fond of people using them to sell a product that doesn't actually exist, yet. (Nevermind that the "beta" version of Minecraft, at least, was basically a functioning game, in its own right, and the updates are just a bonus, so it's not like people weren't getting anything for their money.)
I agree, establishing a source of revenue would be helpful, but you may wish to look at alternate sources. Paypal may be the big one, but it isn't the only game in town.
Anyway, that's enough doom & gloom. This is a time for optimism! Give it everything you've got, Doc!
Ever since writing that, a little voice in the back of my head has been nagging me, saying, "I hope that didn't sound passive-aggressive." If it did, that was about as far from my intention as I could've gotten.
I wasn't trying to make you feel guilty for leaving work unfinished. I was trying to say that you don't have anything to feel guilty about. You've already done more than anyone could've asked. If you need to focus on a project that might actually put food on the table, by all means, give it everything you've got. Supporting yourself is obviously the priority, here.
We'll be fine!
(Hopefully that's at least a little less ambiguous.)
Happy late new year! How goes it?
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