Opinions!!!! Article in forbes, opinions about this graphic

aitor010

Hi, Yesterday I read an article of forbes, they say how much earn a average developer of Apple per user, now with only iAd is IMPOSSIBLE if you not stay in TOP 100, but can will be possible with chart boost and revmob? What is your opinion?
like Forbes $0.10 per user (more or less).
Regards!

jamie_c

My opinion is that game development is not the cash cow that 90% of the people who start it wish/think/hope it is. Unless you have a mega hit on your hands, think Temple Run, Angry Birds or Candy Crush, your going to have low to medium income, likely low.

Again my opinion, if you want to make games you should make them because you love making and playing them, not because you expect to get rich.

JSproject

My opinion is that game development is not the cash cow that 90% of the people who start it wish/think/hope it is. Unless you have a mega hit on your hands, think Temple Run, Angry Birds or Candy Crush, your going to have low to medium income, likely low.

Again my opinion, if you want to make games you should make them because you love making and playing them, not because you expect to get rich.

Was going to write something similar but thought why even bother
Agree added on Jamie.

Thunder_Child

so ads seem useless..why even put them in there? 60,000 downloads to make $1...all I can say is I will never put a single ad in my apps exempt to a link for my own games.

aitor010

so ads seem useless..why even put them in there? 60,000 downloads to make $1...all I can say is I will never put a single ad in my apps exempt to a link for my own games.

heyy you not understand, 60,000 downloads to month and $ 0.10 per user, I think that 0.10 per user can be possible but 60,000 downloads to month...... ehem....

Socks

99% of bands never make the charts, most never get a major record deal, most never even get an indie record deal, most never write a decent song, same deal with all creative endeavours, if you think you might have what it takes then go for it, don't worry about the numbers, don't worry about what Forbes says about game making, or song writing, or film-making or illustration or whatever, just get your stuff out there if you think it's good.

Comparing yourself to the average Apple developer is like comparing yourself to the average musician . . . . the average musician is just like the average developer . . . average . . . . if this is the world you are moving in, comparing yourself to the average, then - personally speaking - I'd do something else, something you excel at, rather than are average at.

tenrdrmer

99% of bands never make the charts, most never get a major record deal, most never even get an indie record deal, most never write a decent song, same deal with all creative endeavours, if you think you might have what it takes then go for it, don't worry about the numbers, don't worry about what Forbes says about game making, or song writing, or film-making or illustration or whatever, just get your stuff out there if you think it's good.

Comparing yourself to the average Apple developer is like comparing yourself to the average musician . . . . the average musician is just like the average developer . . . average . . . . if this is the world you are moving in, comparing yourself to the average, then - personally speaking - I'd do something else, something you excel at, rather than are average at.

Couldn't agree more. If this is something you enjoy just do it. It will eventually work out for you. If your just looking to make money you are wasting your time. App development can be analyzed over and over and over and you get do everything the experts say is the perfect recipe but without a little passion for actually making games you are just gonna cut corners and shoot yourself in the foot by focusing on how much you want to make.

imjustmike

I agree with the above, I make games because I like it and it's cheaper and healthier than going out drinking.

That said, there can be money in this as well. A lot of times the difference between a good game and a great time is polish. I see a lot of games shared here that are really fun to play with, but could be made better by 'juicing' things a little. A little bit of an animation bounce when actors collide, or buttons being depressed when they're tapped etc.

Also, it's where you put your effort - there are so many games on iOS and android, but gamesalad supports exporting to other platforms where competition is so low. The reason why the early developers made so much money in the early days of mobile app development wasn't because they were better, but because there were so few other people doing it and so sold more through scarcity.

gyroscope

@aitor010

My opinion is that game development is not the cash cow that 90% of the people who start it wish/think/hope it is. Unless you have a mega hit on your hands, think Temple Run, Angry Birds or Candy Crush, your going to have low to medium income, likely low.

Again my opinion, if you want to make games you should make them because you love making and playing them, not because you expect to get rich.

99% of bands never make the charts, most never get a major record deal, most never even get an indie record deal, most never write a decent song, same deal with all creative endeavours, if you think you might have what it takes then go for it, don't worry about the numbers, don't worry about what Forbes says about game making, or song writing, or film-making or illustration or whatever, just get your stuff out there if you think it's good.

Comparing yourself to the average Apple developer is like comparing yourself to the average musician . . . . the average musician is just like the average developer . . . average . . . . if this is the world you are moving in, comparing yourself to the average, then - personally speaking - I'd do something else, something you excel at, rather than are average at.

Like, agree, man. \m/

aitor010

yes, I earn with my game about $ 5 to month!!!!! I wait that with Chartboost and revmob I earn... please $ 20 !!! only 20 please xDDDD for abone of bus hahahah. I have only 10 - 20 downloads to day

jigglybean

People never take in to account an average game when developing. The market is full of them. Hell, I have seen templates from DeepblueApps and GSHelper without any additional work added and published.

But if anyone expects to make top dollar from this, then they need their head tested. We do it, because its fun, and if we make some money on the side, it's always a bonus.

The payments for advertisements isnt surprising. This is why more and more developers are becoming more creative in how their adverts appear(forced to watch videos) etc etc.

I've never been a fan of adverts

aitor010

I understand it's for fun, but would not be bad if you want to earn between 5-10 $ a month per game ? I think it's not such a high figure correct? Or not win that? There is a large amount and I think persevering and creative developer can earn a salary after a few months , at least in Spain the average salary is $ 1,000 (about 700 € ) , I think the " for fun " may also be become " to live " if you work at it full time a few months. Or not ? ? ? I think we should be very pessimistic to say that's not possible , who manages to do well GameSalad games / mini games can quite easily get to earn a good salary , perhaps 500 minigames and 10 months of hard work but I think there to be so negative .
I do not work for example , in Spain 57% of young people under 30 do not have ANYTHING to work, no job even if you search . I think being so pessimistic not create a minimum of " Illusion " , I still think you can win at least 10-15 $ per game. It may not at all! but who work hard you can get it .

Who shares my opinion ? Or they'll tell me I 'm wrong in my theory ?

By the way, creative games not copies.

tatiang

500 mini games in 10 months?

Whatever energy drink you're drinking, I'd like some!

Can you make $5-10 per game per month? Sure. I just don't see how you're going to sustain that kind of output. You do realize that's more than one new game EVERY DAY?

And what about pride of ownership? Personally, I couldn't publish that kind of -- excuse my language -- crap and feel good about my job. I'd rather make 2-3 good/great games per year and take my chances with how they are received.

FallacyStudios

A lot of nay sayers here. Yes you guys are correct, you should most certainly do something you enjoy doing. Building games should be fun and something you enjoy and if not, find something else because you won't likely make it big if you don't take pride in it.

That said, I call bull$h*t on most of you. Don't act like the only reason you got into game development was because it is fun. I'm sure some of you might, but I'm willing to bet most of you saw dollar signs when you first got into it. Do you really think Rovio just made Angry Birds because it was fun? I'm sure they made it because they enjoyed it, but I bet anything they went in trying to earn money. If it was just about fun, then why market it? Why sell it? Why not just make your games completely free? You don't because you want to earn revenue and the "I just do it for fun" is an excuse until you make it big.

Anyways, I can vouch that ads are good revenue. In the good quarters I earn the equivalent in ad revenue what my paid versions make. It comes out pretty significant. The more popular your app the more money you make in ad revenue. Especially if you are strategic with placement. As far as whether someone hates putting them in their games because they don't "believe" in them... that is your own prerogative, but know that they do pay well. Keep in mind, the mass majority of users will never want to spend a penny. Ads are really the only way to monetize off those users.

Just sayin'.

Hipster_Owl_Studios

very simple you want to make it BIG WELL THINK BIG AND KEEP IT THAT WAY! NO MATTER WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY @SOCKS SAYS JUST KEEP ROCKING AND MAKE THOSE DARN GAMES!!! YOU WILL HIT BIG!

quantumsheep

I'll just leave this here:



QS =D

tatiang

@FallacyStudios Of course people are here to make money. Anything that takes this much effort and time necessitates people being reimbursed for their time. Whether that's working for a company that pays a salary or working independently and generating app/ad income, we all want to profit from our work.

I think the chorus of "just do it for fun" comments are really about knowing that since you may not succeed with a blockbuster hit your first (or first 51, in the case of Rovio) time, you better like what you're doing and have a motive other than just profit if you want to be here for the long haul.

FallacyStudios

@quantumsheep If that was directed at me, maybe re-read my first paragraph. I don't disagree with anything in the video.

@tatiang Yea I understand that. I was directing it more toward those who are only fooling themselves when they say they ONLY do it for fun and not for money. I completely agree that you better enjoy it. My first paragraph said just that. Refer to the video above... my sentiments exactly.

aitor010

steve jobs did things for the sake of art but REMEMBER that when he made that video and PIXAR had sold 7,000 million of dollars and NEXT for as much of the same, it's easy to say when you have so many millions in the bank...

aitor010

angry birds started with 20 levels, is possible make a game salad game with 20 levels in one day if you work hard 10 hours, or not? If the game run good, you can update with new levels

tatiang

is possible make a game salad game with 20 levels in one day if you work hard 10 hours, or not

Well what has your experience been? Can YOU make a game with 20 levels in one day?

TouchiMedia

Mobile development has A LOT of rookies, both in coding and in Graphic Design... so that obviously curves the line a little to the low side.

Majority of the battle besides actually making a fun, original, appealing game is the marketing. Most indie developers lack that for various reasons. Paid Mobile games really only take off if they hit the top 10-20 of their genre, otherwise, they aren't known enough to the general populace who use mobile devices.

I truly believe part of the reason why Mobile profits are so low is A LOT of beginners try their luck at the App. lottery and typically fail because they slop together a game in a few weeks because they hear about these rare success stories and think it's a one and done process. Like any business, you have to approach it in a professional manner and make sure the total package is polished, looks and plays well, and is original/unique enough to compete in a flooded market. Typically the majority of Apps fail at this and go to the wayside. But I think if you are truly passionate about it, and work hard at goals with lots of testing, eventually you will become the next success story.

aitor010

is possible make a game salad game with 20 levels in one day if you work hard 10 hours, or not

Well what has your experience been? Can YOU make a game with 20 levels in one day?

easy is in the example of GameSalad angry birds, how difficult it is to create the "base" once created the rest is cut, paste and edit scenes, it's possible. Another thing is you want to make a crush certain candy that requires more advanced skills in the use of software. For example, and honestly an angry birds if you could do in less than 10 hours, I made based on 2 hours reading and searching the internet (if expert would have taken half or less), the remaining time 1 levels / 4 part in them, however, could not make the base of a crush candy saga at least after a few weeks or months.

Mobile development has A LOT of rookies, both in coding and in Graphic Design... so that obviously curves the line a little to the low side.

Majority of the battle besides actually making a fun, original, appealing game is the marketing. Most indie developers lack that for various reasons. Paid Mobile games really only take off if they hit the top 10-20 of their genre, otherwise, they aren't known enough to the general populace who use mobile devices.

I truly believe part of the reason why Mobile profits are so low is A LOT of beginners try their luck at the App. lottery and typically fail because they slop together a game in a few weeks because they hear about these rare success stories and think it's a one and done process. Like any business, you have to approach it in a professional manner and make sure the total package is polished, looks and plays well, and is original/unique enough to compete in a flooded market. Typically the majority of Apps fail at this and go to the wayside. But I think if you are truly passionate about it, and work hard at goals with lots of testing, eventually you will become the next success story.

REALLY, if this were as development license from Sony or Nintendo, they would look and would study the entire millimeter (game dynamics, marketing ...) but unfortunately is made for all kinds of developers and the controls are very moderate, just look at that has no faults and little else.

tatiang

@aitor010 I may be misunderstanding what you wrote but if you're saying that you can make Angry Birds in two hours or even in 10 hours, then I'd say "go for it!"

I know from my own experience it always takes a lot longer than I expect to make a game. My first app took me 60 hours to complete and I used public domain files for the artwork and most of the sounds. Would it take me 60 hours today? No, it might take me 15 hours but it's still a very simple and not very marketable game. For me to make Angry Birds... well, I'd need a team of people just like Rovio employs.

Of course, new ideas require more work. Building a clone is always going to be a little easier.

Socks

@tatiang

@aitor010 I may be misunderstanding what you wrote but if you're saying that you can make Angry Birds in two hours or even in 10 hours, then I'd say "go for it!"

I did ! That's how I came up with AngryTurds™

Although it momentarily troubled the low end of the Malawi top 950 free apps, surprisingly for something that only took me 2 hours, it failed to capture the public's imagination ?

TouchiMedia

Angry Birds is the type of game that looks so simple but is incredibly polished and well made/designed- I'm not guessing how long it took Rovio to make, I'm sure it was a focus team of very talented people…But I do think some people may underestimate the formula.

lycettebros

Can't comment too busy making games.