Hi, I've started a small indie game development group a small time ago called WastedInk. As being the only solid member left I have a few questions I would like someone to answer, not really for an answer, but for hope. Over the time of our first project Super Fun Fun Kill Time!!! I have seen many people come and go. Our biggest loss would actuially be our single programmer who has recently left for a paying job, I wish him the best of luck. Our project has taken many bumps along the way: My lack of skill as a programmer (this is my first project), lack of art, etc... My biggest issue is if it would be worth continuing development on the project as a commercial game? My ideas for the game were actuially to develop for the PC originally then hopefully attract a publisher to move it onto the PSP taking advantage of its internet capabilitys. It just doesent seem likley that an 18yr old on his own trying to sell a game can have any success in this days market. I dont know what to do now, or where to go next. I do not want to spend time working on a game that will never be played, or benefit me at all. I dont want to spend my life trying to reach my dreams and not getting there. Have any advice at all?

Hey mark.

*just noticed you are from Russell, is that near Northampton?, which is where I am from. I seem to think I've heard of it.*

I can't say much about how an indie will succeed in the 'market', but I can say this.

My team is about to finish our first comercial game, and it has been a long road (three years), but in that time my skills have improved greatly, enough to first get me a job out of high school doing business programming, and most recently a demo of our game helped to get me a job at a local Educational Game Development Company, so while I have no clue as to weither you will succeed in the big game market, I can say that (at least for me) personal game development has made my 'actual' careear possible, (your results may vary ;-D).

P.S.

If you are in-fact in the Northampton area (50 mile radius or so :-D), and would like to speak with a developer that is hopefully going to succeed, I would love the chance to meet another developer in my area. So feel free to PM me.

Honestly, I believe that you'll be better equipped after you've been through college, and been through two or three years of a job or two. Before then, you don't usually have the necessary experience and life skills to run a well functioning company -- much less remote. But trying is the best way of learning, so you're on the right track. Just don't expect instant success.

We get a lot of people with minimal/no development experience posting to say that they will be forming a hobby team to develop the next big MMPOG. Many such projects start up but few of them succeed. Hopefully people reading this thread will realise the problems that lay ahead and can make plans to avoid/solve them before diving into the deep end.

As to your own situation the only real advice is to keep on trying and keep on learning. As Raymond shows (with his game nearing completion) it is possible to get to the finish line. You need to keep on developing your programming skills and keep on recruiting team members to replace those you lost. You need to accept up front that a large % of teamsters will quit (especially if the project runs into trouble) because newbies often assume that game development is mainly "game". It is rather a shock when they discover just how much "development" is involved.

As for commercial exploitation I think that self publishing will be the most realistic option (or going with an established shareware publisher). First games are seldom triple A (or even single A) in quality so it is unlikely that a big publisher will be interested or that the game will benefit from an extensive marketing campaign. That means the financial returns will be quite low. Either use the game as a learning experience, a portfolio piece for a job application or the first of several games needed to build a shareware business that generates a reasonable income (the later could take several more years of hard work).

Hi,
I would first like to say sorry about my misleading post. We actuially have not lost a programmer, as I am the only one, heh. We might of actuialyl lost our artist but that is being worked through right now. Thank you for your replys, it helps alot.

>> our single programmer who has recently left...
>> hopefully attract a publisher ...

So you have no programmer, and want to attract a publisher? Ahhh....

Have you considered hiring a programmer (or artist or musician)? You don't necessarily need to shell out a ton of money to get good help, but I think it would be money well-invested if you're really focused on getting a project done.