I've been thinking about this a lot lately.
With the coming of digital distribution and sites like Desura and Indievania who are willing to accept efforts from amateur developers it has made getting into the gaming industry a million times easier than it used to be.
Years ago, if you had a flair for game design or original idea you had to break a** to get into a large and established company like EA only to be raked over the coals and forced to the grind stone for 8+ hours a day stuffed in cubicle, guarding your stapler.
Now a days we can do this, at our leisure, and from home.
I tend to feel that I have some pretty good ideas but not the time or energy to invest in creating a game (by myself) that would be of any substantial length (or wouldn't take an entire decade to make).
I do realize, however, if I could develop something just long enough to have the running time of a movie - I could justify selling it for a meager $2 per copy + option to donate for anyone to leave tips.
However, the $2 per copy and donations would not be the main target revenue - With a fully functional two hour game I would indeed have possession of a prototype that larger publishers and design shops may come upon and want to purchase the copy right for at which I could offer in exchange for only 5% royalty of all sales - even including sales from sequels if such are made.
I personally think that it would only take one or two deals like this to bring in a yearly commission that would allow me to live a lower-middle class lifestyle which is all I need to be happy.
May 13, 2012 @ 21:25:50
