Why do we do this?

AfterBurnett · July 2010

I just thought I'd like to get an idea of WHY you guys are doing this whole game thing?

Koda89 · July 2010

All of the above.

I'm doing everything to set up a career in the gaming industry. However, for that to happen, I need enough money to not need a "normal" job like say working in retail or a movie theatre or something like that. The reason I need this, is so I can have as much time needed to make even better games.

So I'm basically stuck at a cross roads. I need my games to make money so I can have the time to make better games, and thus have a better portfolio for my career down the road.

And dang it, I am just $7.20 short of FINALLY being paid by Apple for the last 5 months(I've made $142.80 in the US, the closest region to the $150 mark). Of course the problem with that is all of my currently released games have dried up in terms of people buying them, but I, of course, don't have the time to finish any new apps. Which is funny when you consider that I have close to twenty freaking games in various stages of development. :P

I think I'm gonna buckle down this week and get at least one game out

AfterBurnett · July 2010

Hehe, I suffered from that too... way too many projects on the run. I now do one at a time and do it properly. Quality, not quantity.

I'd be lying if I didn't want to make a living from this... but I'm not concentrating on the money side of things. I'm trying to make the best games I possibly can and hopefully the cash will follow.

My theory is, if I can make something attractive and fun, something that I would play (even if I wasn't me), I have done my job.... even if it takes me years and ten apps to be able to make a living.

I just think that some people just concentrate on the cash too much and forget that it's the quality that sells. You need to put your heart into your creations!

In saying that, I hope Max Vector: Resolution sells well... I hate working part time in a call-centre! lol.

peachpellen · July 2010

I voted for all but iAds.

I love making things and being creative, and the idea of people playing them in various countries around the world is highly appealing to me.

Really though, I'd like to make some OK money doing this - I don't make much now and it would just make my life (and my partner's life) so much easier.

Here's hoping we all get rich! :P

debugdesign · July 2010

I love being a graphic designer but I have always wanted to make games but I felt I missed the boat the first time around and games were all 3D, multi-million pound, projects which took years to create. The advent of the iPhone and the apps took everything back to square 1. Suddenly it was pong and pac-man and I saw an opportunity to get in on the ground level to create games... A new boat had arrived but it moves very quickly

Atari style games moved to Spectrum, then to commedore 64 and now I feel its at a Amiga/megadrive stage and I am trying to keep up.

I would really love to make money off it but after investing $2K on quizicards and only getting $150 back I soon realized that its not a get rich quick industry... sure there are the doodle jumps and angry birds but these are 1 in a million apps...

My games will increase in complexity and style with each iteration and if I can earn from them that will be great but until I get my big break I am going to have to consign my GS work to the 'Hobby Time' as it doesn't pay the bills...

Saying that, the GS community have been awesome and I love doing graphics for all your projects (you all have some great projects coming soon... i've seen them). So maybe doing graphics for you lot could be a way for me to get closer to my dream...

expired_012 · July 2010

I do it just because it's really fun! Of course I care about sales as well.. I mean who doesent, but it's not about that. What's important is that you made an app and then you can show it to your friends and family and that's really cool. And you basically are making money for doing something you love to do.

quantumsheep · July 2010

I do it because I love doing it. Simple as!

It'd be nice to make some money from it - but honestly, I'd be happy to just cover my costs and maybe have a little extra to buy some more art off Ian for the next project!!! (waves to Ian!!!)

Anything after that is just a bonus as I have a job (designing games! - though I might not have one soon as I'm freelancing!).

I think we have to be careful here though. There is no 'right' or 'wrong' reason here when it comes to people's motivations.

Some people do it for fun. They enjoy making games, being creative and coming up with cool stuff.

Some people do it for money. They enjoy making games, being creative and coming up with cool stuff.

I think the 'doing it for money' camp gets a bad rep - mainly because a minority tries to scam others, steal others work, and essentially profit through nefarious means. I cannot stomach such behaviour, personally.

Or they do the bare minimum to get a semi-working game out there into the wild and try and make some money from it. Seriously, get someone else to play your games before you submit them! I've seen too many games where in literally the first few seconds of play I've discovered an obvious bug or game breaking 'feature'. Stop rushing to get your games out. When you've finished, and you think you're ready, pause. Pause and give it to people to play first. Pause and really play your game through, completely. Pause and play it in a way that you would if you didn't know how your game works. Release it a week later if you must.

I've been guilty of letting a bug or two through myself, so I'm not having a go. But that experience has led to me spending a huge amount of time trying to get a solid, robust game out. And I *still* miss stuff, which is why getting others to play your game is essential!

Meanwhile, in the same 'doing it for the money' camp, you have people like tshirt, FMG, Eastbound, design219, stormy and many others that make money from polished, good apps. These people know that quality sells, and they study the market to see what *is* selling and try and meet the needs of their customers.

Sure, some have been inspired by other games, but so has pretty much every game ever. They put a lot of effort into their games and it shows and they have some success. Good on 'em!

But for people to *expect* to be successful, as if it were a basic right in probably the most competitive market on the planet, is ridiculous. Some extremely worthy apps have sold next to nothing, and their makers have been disappointed.

Obviously I can't tell people what to do. But what I'd advise is to see this as a hobby, just like photography.

You can easily spend as much as a GS Pro licence on photographic equipment and will never see a penny of that back. Nor will having that equipment guarantee that they become a brilliant photographer.

But people do it anyway because they enjoy it.

To those of us that just do it because it's huge fun, well, there's less pressure for sure. And I honestly believe that if you like the games you're making, and enjoy playing them, then eventually you'll get some success as a by-product of that.

Project K is almost done. It should have been out by now, but it just wasn't ready. It's an idea that's been in my head for the last 25 years (longer than many of you have been alive!).

It won't appeal to everyone. Some people will like it, some will think it's rubbish. It won't sell millions.

But I love it, and I've wanted to make it since I was a child. And that's good enough for me!

Carry on, everyone! Make games you want to make and HAVE FUN.

Cheers,

QS

madpoet · July 2010

Give us a clue on Project K. Just a small hint or something..:)

quantumsheep · July 2010

It has something in common with your game

design219 · July 2010

I'm doing this for fun, and kicks, and for the felling of accomplishing something. I never intended to do a game, it came from a client request. GameSalad popped up on our radar screens at the same time so we decided to give it a go. After that project, I just wanted to try some personal project, just to see what I could accomplish.

I'm trying to do something different with each project, just to see what I can do. I wouldn't mind making a little money, but that's not the driving engine.

_______________

Nesen Probe
Tickle Stones
 Food Fight! (free)

gyroscope · July 2010

Same here; GS becomes more enjoyable every day for me and I'd get a kick out of seeing my first app in the store, even if I am joining millions of others! It'd be a real buzz if people enjoyed my games as well.

I wouldn't sneeze at earning some money out of it either, but that not uppermost in my mind when making the game(s). I'll keep my feet on the ground anyhow, and expect less than modest sales even. That way I won't be disappointed!

:-)

AfterBurnett · July 2010

quantumsheep said:When you've finished, and you think you're ready, pause. Pause and give it to people to play first. Pause and really play your game through, completely. Pause and play it in a way that you would if you didn't know how your game works.

You just HAD to get pause in there, didn't you?

:P

AfterBurnett · July 2010

design219 said:
I'm doing this for fun, and kicks, and for the felling of accomplishing something. I never intended to do a game, it came from a client request. GameSalad popped up on our radar screens at the same time so we decided to give it a go. After that project, I just wanted to try some personal project, just to see what I could accomplish.

I'm trying to do something different with each project, just to see what I can do. I wouldn't mind making a little money, but that's not the driving engine.

_______________

Nesen Probe http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nesen-probe/id377766693?mt=8
Tickle Stones http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tickle-stones/id363484260?mt=8
 Food Fight! (free) http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/food-fight/id352646643?mt=8

Me too.

If I were doing it for the money I would have killed myself. I have released a comedy seires, a feature film, a book... none of which have made me very much at all... though all of which are VERY polished and have received rave reviews (alas, unlike the App Store, movies and books simply DO NOT get seen unless you have the money to fund marketing).

Now I'm doing games... partly because I love games and always have and I love being creative and partly because, unlike movies etc... it's much easier to do on a low-no budget... no actors to wrangle, no expensive gear to hire (though I must admit, I'm pretty lucky as my position in film and TV in NZ has enabled me to get everything for free so far).

At the end of the day, I'm having fun, like I did when shooting Captain Amazingly Incredible... and the upside is that I have a better chance of actually making money off of my games... perhaps even enough to market my film and book projects!

I'm just not COUNTING on it. I'll just keep making stuff I love because that's what I do. Oh, blatant self promotion... the trailer for my film:

Check out my youtube channel too... I think you'll find my 3G series Boyband very funny

Dunno how to point you there but my user name is mantanz.

LordTarantor · July 2010

Is this a trick question?

AfterBurnett · July 2010

Yes, if you don't answer it, someone will cover your house in eggs and toilet paper.

cefarix · July 2010

Eggs and toilet paper? Yum! Can you throw in a cherry as well?

synthesis · July 2010

Why? Because taptard gaming is the wave of the future!

(and nobody will hire me to design buildings anymore)

AfterBurnett · July 2010

Well you REALLY shouldn't have been designing buildings with GameSalad... not stable enough yet :P

quantumsheep · July 2010

POLYGAMe said:
You just HAD to get pause in there, didn't you?

:P

And there was me thinking no-one would notice my stealth pause post!

QS

AfterBurnett · July 2010

See... the thing about stealth is, it has to be stealthy.

:P

Why do we do this?

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