I'm currently a hobbyist game designer and business administration and entrepreneurship student living in Canada. I'm not in any fancy big cities or anything like that. Actually, I'm in quite a rural town area at the moment and soon-to-be moving into a bigger town. We don't have much commerce in the game industry or anything related but there IS a small development studio called HB Studios Multimedia Ltd. nearby. So, my location isn't great and I have almost no budget at all. I can learn all of this in time once I graduate college but I'd like some insight to build on BEFORE that time comes. How do you start a business with nothing? Most people do it, I just currently do not know how. Even a lot of the biggest corporations on the face of the planet had almost no business or just mild business and out of nowhere within just a few years they get millions. Do you obtain a grant? That seems to be the case for most people. The government recognizes their goals and what they want to do and they obtain money. An easier way related to that is loans, but I don't want to get into loans unless I really have to in about 2 or 3 years. Edit: This is a financial question only. How to get the money to do it.

So your trying to make a gamedev company? I would suggest working on an indie game then releasing that. You can work out of your home even! Just keep releasing games. Look at EDI for a good example of an indie breaking through.

EDIT: You just added your edit that said this is only a finacial quesiton...my suggest is to have a day job and code an indie game in your home during your free time.

A good reply. Thank you. Although I'm pretty busy and will be pretty busy that I can't even have a part-time job at the current moment unless I restrict my homework and free time. At the moment I'm making a Tetris-like game with a friend but it can't go commercial.

My problem is... to get people to work for you, you have to pay them. Where I'll be moving not a lot of people will be expecting substancial paychecks of $60,000 at first or something like that, but it would be exceedingly hard for me to just pay $1,000 a MILESTONE to each person. So, my budget is quite poor. A part-time job I'll be getting in a few months will only be enough to help pay rent for me and my girlfriend. College work will keep me up until 2 AM so no time for that. =(

I wouldnt suggest having a biz and hiring people. That costs way too much! Ide suggest getting a job as a programmer somewhere or just making a game yourself (or with a small team online).

Hope that helps!

Get people to work for you for free.

These people will probably have to be friends.

They also probably won't be working "for" you so much as "with" you. Don't expect some random people you find to work on the game with you for nothing, but if you befriend someone and find out they rock at coding you can probably extort some effort from them. It has to be a project they are interested in as well. I suppose you've had a bit of experience with your Tetris attempt. Well, same boat, but this time with a full, unique game concept.

I don't know what else to tell you, money doesn't just spring out of nowhere and so without money and without a job you certainly won't be able to get money to pay salaries and such. You just aren't at a point in your life where you can. Maybe bench that idea for a bit, establish yourself, and then in a few years when you have the resources, give it a try if you still want to. It certainly can be done, but it's not easy.

You can try to get a loan from a bank, but I doubt any bank will lend you the money without any collateral or job.

-Mike

Thank you for your suggestions.

I have had many attempts with small groups working with me. My first few failed miserably and my last attempt was going excellent (although extremely slow since the project was so huge and I only had a couple of people) although my friend quit because she got too lazy. She's like that. It happens. I understand that. I feel that these days, without money, you can't motivate anyone. Not even your friends.

I'll see what college brings me. My friends there will be more mature.

I agree with one of the previous posters. You need to find people who will work with you, not for you. These people will need to be as enthusiastic and excited about the project as you are, this will ensure that everyone actually enjoys the project and wants to see it through.

Hi Falkon,

You're a student. You shouldn't try to start a game business yet. Consider:

1. You have no actual work experience in the field of your planned business. You said it's a hobby.

2. Do we really need a #2?

Besides:

3. You're starting with a bunch of wrong assumptions:

a. "Most people" "start a business with nothing." That's not true.

b. "A lot of the biggest corporations" "out of nowhere within just a few years they get millions." That's wrong.

c. It "seems to be the case for most people" that they "obtain a grant." Again. Wrong.

d. The government grants "most people" money based on "their goals and what they want to do." I don't know what it's like in Canada, but here in the US the Small Business Administration won't help you get a loan (there are no grants) unless you can show them some know-how, a percentage of the startup capital, and a solid business plan.

e. Business loans are "an easier way." And you'll be ready to go that way "in about 2 or 3 years." I doubt both. See article 29 on my site - Sloperama.com/advice.html - all about starting a game business.

The main thing is #1. If you want to go into the business of making games, you need to learn about the business of making games by getting your hands dirty, all the way up to your elbows and then some. There's the indy route and there's the mainstream job route. It's up to you which way you go. Normally I advise that the indy route is harder, but your current education seems to be preparing you for it. But make sure you take care of all the legal/IP issues as you start out. Manage expectations - not only those of the folks you partner with in indy projects, but your own as well.

Oh. And good luck!
Tom

As far as a staff goes you could always search for people who will at first work for free to see if they will actually help you out. Then for those who are useful you could give them a contract. Pay them either on an hours basis or per completed item.

My suggestion? During your Junior year in school, start thinking about the actual game you'd like to produce. Start working on it, and try to bring in one to three more people. Do all the pre-production and game design and start programming during your Senior year (perhaps even make it your Degree Project if your school goes that route). When you're done with school, aim to have a demo, then try to bring fresh (free?) talent onto the team, and only then, once you have an idea what you're doing (and that you're even sure you want to be making games) should you even think about starting a true company/studio. You are very young, you still have alot of things to learn and a long way to go, just be patient and absorb and learn what you can in the present rather than fantisizing about what you think may come in the future.

"I feel that these days, without money, you can't motivate anyone. Not even your friends."

This is a bit skewed. For you, your game project is the greatest thing in the world, and you are full of enthusiasm. But it may not be to your friends. You have to understand their point of view. Once they get bored of doing it, they have no reason to keep at it. 'Motiviation' does not exist in the ether. You are motivated because you think it will help you get into a better school or get a job or even improve your skills. But why would someone who draws no benefit (and gets no pleasure from game production) keep at your project? Money is less of a primary motivator and more of a last resort. It ensures that even when things suck, you'll still get some benefit (money) and stick around (motivation). Which is why people always tell you to do what you love instead of what gives you the most money. Money is really a poor motivator (except large amounts of money for minimal work, as in illegal stuff. I'm talking more about legit things).