What would you guys think about having a big apartment or townhouse (+/-4 bedrooms) as a live-in game development studio? You could live at the place you worked, which would get rid of the cost of office space and the utilities needed to run it. This would also be great for your development team, they wouldn't have to pay rent, and work is just outside of the bedroom. And if you needed more space you could just get two apartments right next to each other. What are your guys' thoughts? I think it's a great idea providing that everyone in your team gets along.

Mixed thoughts. I've worked like that (crunch time) for some weeks every now and then and it was plain fun and cool. I've seen a team living like that for over two years and that was not a nice sight. Nor a nice smell btw.

I think that's how Carmack and Romero made Doom.

I think it's not a bad idea when you are young and enthusiastic, but if something bad happened, you wouldn't be able to seperate work from life

I absolutely agree with the AP. After a crappy day at work (and we all know they happen) or even a great day at work you need to get away from it.

The biggest problem with this is that the seperation between work and personal life becomes so blurred that it can be very stressful. There's no escape from it at all, and that can grind on you bit by bit, especially if you start running into other problems or conflicts during development. If everyone worked together well, this could work great, though.

As a rule, I think the size of an apartment could be prohibitive to this type of situation, as the cramped nature of it could lead to problems later on. A townhouse or regular house would probably work better, and the price difference for renting isn't that large in many areas. A regular house would probably be the best solution, but it wouldn't be as easy to expand if you needed more space.

The biggest thing to make sure to do is give a very distinct seperation between the work areas and the personal areas. If you designated a certain area of the house as "the office," then it would give people the ability to escape away from it into the other areas of the house for rest and relaxation.

Thanks for your feedback. You guys really point out cons. The reason I'm asking is becuase in the next few years I hope to get some friends together to start a dev studio. Right now this seems to be the most cost effective solution to starting this kind of business.

Ah, yeah. It can definitely help with costs.

I've actually been in a similar situation to this. It wasn't for purely work, but we did a lot of indy development around our regular jobs. We had a 2 story, 4 bedroom house. The computers and work area was in the largest room downstairs, and it was nice and open so you didn't feel enclosed and stressed. Having the bedrooms upstairs offered a nice seperation from it. It also helped a lot that there was a nice backyard with a pool, for lots of rest and relaxation.

One thing to remember is that being roommates with someone is completely different than just being friends. I've had a few friends that were great people, but didn't work out at ALL as roommates. Try to get these people together in some really close quarters situations before you do it to test how people get along - stuff like canoeing, camping, road trips, etc.

Another thing I could offer for advice in this situation is to take into account for the costs that it is a MUST that you get a good maid service for the house, and a good grounds keeping service (if you have a lawn). These aren't that expensive, and are HUGE in keeping everyone feeling comfortable in their living space. Everyone neglects the things they have to do from time to time, especially dishes and trash, and everyone looks to point the blame when they're not feeling comfortable.

Your experience gives my more confidence. :) My friends and I have been on plenty of road trips and send more than our share of time at each others houses. We know what sets each other off. Maybe a house would be better off after all.

Have you been involved in any web projects before? like creating a mod or something?

It might be something worth considering in the next few years before you decide to move in together. It would definately aid a working relationship.

I havn't really considered anything like that before.