How many of you have made a game, just for the sake of selling it? Something that just belongs on the casual market, even if you don’t necessarily like the mechanics or the game itself, just because you were confident that people would buy it?
I ask this, because browsing the android market place I’ve seen quite a few titles that just seem to be something the developer threw together to make some quick buck to survive off.
To clear up what type of game I’m referring too, is the kind that the developer doesn’t necessarily feel proud of, and did it more out of necessity then inspiration.
I’m sure people do this, but I wouldn’t recommend it. For one, if you make a game that is very meaningful to you then that will show and will be a deeper and more interesting game for the end user. For another, indie video games aren’t exactly the easiest nor the most reliable way to make some quick money. Indie games can be anywhere from minecraft (massive sales numbers) to sales numbers in the single or double digits. It’s too unrealiable to do just for money, in my opinion.
Basically what I am saying is that if you make a game that you think will appeal to a wide audience, doesn’t mean it will sell well (even if you make a game that you really want to make that isn’t just for profit it might not sell well).
I doubt it because if you threw it together it woudlnt sell anyway. Now you can get jobs as a contractor then thats a different story and often happens.
Your game is only has a very limited amount of time to make any type of mark. If your game is a throwaway app it wont get reviewed by any of the big sites, without any reviews you wont really have much traffic. If it doesnt get the ratings or has problems with it then it will get downvoted and quickly fall off the radar and buried under a slew of new games in very short amount of time.
Look at kongregate as a microcosm. If sort the unity games by newest and scroll through you will find. If a game does not have the ratings it will fall off the map almost after one day usually getting around less than 1000 plays, now if you get more than around 3.5 stars (and gets listed on the main page) you will get significantly more 100K+ http://www.kongregate.com/unity-games?sort=newest
God no. Seriously, game development is just about the worst job in the World if all you want is money. It’s painful, it’s stressful, it’s frustrating. If you’re employed, job security is around zero. If you’re a contractor, you’ll end up working hours that would make a junior doctor scream and getting unrealistic expectations from clients who might well blame you for their own shortcomings (none of my current clients need feel implicated in this, but it happens!) and if you’re independent, the odds are that your game will fail and you’ll have a huge credit card bill or hole in your savings from all the work you did for little or no return.
Working part time at a fast food restaurant might not be the most exciting job in the world but it’s good honest work, the job security is passable and your brain will be so unoccupied most of the day that you’ll have plenty of time to design that perfect game in your head that you can make in your spare time.
Only ever look to game development as a career if it’s your only option or you’re just so damn passionate about it that you don’t care if you can’t make your rent.
Id like to point out a few games which are incredibly simple (Yes they are nice but still simple)
Key item 1: Doodle Jump
Key item 2: Angry Birds
Both items are hardly innovate, Yes they have new aspects but they are not innovate. The graphics are nice but a lot of 2d artists with the skill can achieve that.
In my opinion, Get the right marketing and almost any game is going to make you money.
I’ve sometimes seen somebody make a game cynically because “I don’t really like it, but that’s what sells”, and it always bombs. Maybe it can work, but don’t count on it. As long as it’s likely that your game isn’t going to succeed anyway, you might as well make something you’re interested in. I think in the end you have a better chance that way.
@charliesamways: this isn’t about innovation, though. It’s clear Angry Birds had a lot of effort and polish put into it, regardless of its originality.
I suppose its the way you look at it… If you work because you enjoy it and unless you enjoy it you wont put effort in. Or if you look at it as its work and put equal effort into everything.
Not necessarily. McDonald’s is a steady paycheck typically with benefits. You could work for a year on the game you’ve always wanted to make, drop it on the AppStore, and watch as it makes $0. If you’d worked at McD’s the whole year at least you’d have some money in the bank and a belly full of yum.
Really? Because a ton of thought went into iFart right?
