<>Sharp17 here, got a question relating to the value of indy games. -I, and a local friend/coder have already started researching things necessary to enable us to start taking the first steps on a brand new game. A mainly 2D, 3D object including Side Scrolling Shooter (Raiden, Gradius) which will be quite unique, blending attributes of different genres, the game's concept has really ecalated since we first began discussing it. -Anyway, in order to attempt to justify the time we're going to spend it (and perhaps even use materials purchased/consumed for it as a write-off) we would love to know approximately how much it could go for? What's it worth? I need to know how one finds out such a thing. --Thanks to anyone that may some insight!

99% of indy games are worth zero dollars. It's higly unlikely that you'd get a put-it-on-store-shelves publisher to pick up a side scroller. Therefore you're either "publishing" it yourself on the interdoom or going through someone like garagegames.com. Likely you will not be able to sell it for more than $5-15 a copy, and perhaps you'd only sell 0-1000 copies.

Basically tool around on garagegames.com for a while and find a game similar to yours so that you can estimate the per-unit price. I have no idea how you'd do a sales forecast without paying a couple thousand for market data that someone else has gathered.

-me

Most indie games that I've seen reviewed on gametunnel.com sell for around $20, give or take a little bit. I think the reasoning is that if you sell your game for too little, say under $10, people will think it is cheap and tacky (even if it is not). Whereas anything too high ($30 plus) seems a little steep for an indie game. Exactly how many copies you will sell is a different matter, and I don't know a good place to get an estimate of that.

I also recommend seeing what other indie titles in your area sell at.

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Original post by Sharp17 What's it worth?

I think it's worth a lot, to you, as the start of your programming portfolio - it'll be instrumental in getting you a career in games.

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Original post by tsloper Quote: Original post by Sharp17 What's it worth? I think it's worth a lot, to you, as the start of your programming portfolio - it'll be instrumental in getting you a career in games.

Hmm..Do major studios care much about the games you did as an indie - or even pay attention to them much? I was never sure how much weight the biggies (Microsoft, etc) gave your indie game "portfolio".

Derek - Stormcloud Creations
www.stormcloudcreations.com

Game companies want to see you 'demo' which shows you can do something. If your demo is a real game that's very good.
I suggest you register at www.indiegamer.com.

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Original post by d000hg Game companies want to see you 'demo' which shows you can do something. If your demo is a real game that's very good.

Agreed, though I'd replace "very good" with "very very very very good". :)

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Original post by StormcloudCreations Quote: Original post by tsloper Quote: Original post by Sharp17 What's it worth? I think it's worth a lot, to you, as the start of your programming portfolio - it'll be instrumental in getting you a career in games. Hmm..Do major studios care much about the games you did as an indie - or even pay attention to them much? I was never sure how much weight the biggies (Microsoft, etc) gave your indie game "portfolio". Derek - Stormcloud Creations www.stormcloudcreations.com

Put it like this:
What else would they care about, if not how good you are at making games? [wink]

<>Well I was just wondering what the opinions were. I'm not in it for the money, more for the fun of it I guess. I'm not starting a game design business, either. In fact, I've never even made a game before and am just now starting the prototyping process. I just kinda wanted to know what to expect.

If you are going into the industry as a programmer, artists, game developer etc ... your portfolio is absolutely valuable to your career.

Even if it isn't "very very very very good", the fact that there is something about it that is "good" and that your personally did puts you above hundreds of other applicants who would have NO demo / portfolio at all.

Even an unfinished product can improve your portfolio in 2 cases: 1) the unfinished product represented a finite amount of time (such as 1 summer, 1 semester, 2 months, 1 week, etc) - although they won't necessarily believe you. 2) the unfinished product shows 1 things that is really great which your are demoing (such as a model loader, a ray-tracer, an AI, a scripting system, a low latency network framework, etc).

However a finished product is much much better.

And a product that was ever good enough to sell AT ALL is enourmous, when compared to nothing.