I couldn't agree more. Though now that you realize this the next logical conclusion is that money will attract more business oriented folks as it has in every other industry. I still maintain that passion doesn't have to go away. I love to create games which is why I am up at midnight on a worknight doing a design document. What you will need though is a good business sense to see to it that your money side of the equation isn't sucked up by some business type. Publishers have been raping developers for years and this is a chance to turn the tables. Anyway good luck in the future to all those that do not want to learn the business side of the entertainment industry. I wish you the best from a tropical island.(Though admittedly I am not there yet)

Kressilac

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Derek Licciardi

Obviously true, or the game industry wouldnt be making more money than the film industry. However, it means low to no money for most people trying, which I think a lot of that "you probably wont make money" stuff comes from.

Everyone expects to get rich, obviously, economic wont support that.

-Geoff

"For every success story, there are 10 failures."

Why is it that everyone is so quick to point out the failure. While I recognize this two things come to mind on the topic. "You can only succeed if you try" and "Believing in oneself is the first step to success, followed by planning, organization, funding, and execution!"

Kressilac
ps If you think you're gonna fail then most likely you will.

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Derek Licciardi

The subject of that other note finally bugged me to the point that I decided to put up a note of my own that contradicts it. =)

If games *didn't* equal money, then there wouldn't be quite so much of a "gold rush" mentality about them, would there? Low cost of entry (sorta), with potentially very high returns spells M-O-N-E-Y.

Make a good game and you'll probably make a decent amount of money. That's the dream, anyway. That's why people create teams and start divvying up the profits before they've even worked out the design. The profit potential is there. Just because most of these would-be Carmacks don't have a clue about creating a team, managing a team, and/or delivering a completed product (much less game design) is beside the point.

Creating entertainment that (other) people enjoy is *cool*. It always has been. First there was running away with the circus. Then going to Broadway. Then heading to Hollywood. Now it's "Create and sell a game on the Internet".

There's always a tendency for those who were in the industry before the "rush" to make long speeches about "passion over profit", how they weren't "in it for the money" and other such goofiness, but it begins wear thin after a while.

Fact is, computer games (whether for the PC, a game console, or a vt100 terminal) are now a form of entertainment that people pay for. A lot of people. More people every year.

Like it or not:

games == $$$

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DavidRM
Samu Games

I completely agree with Kressilac, but if you're even slightly put off by the negative comments on this site then give up now.
If your self confidence can be damaged by the fact that 90% of the people trying to attempt what you're trying to attempt failed, then you're going to join them.
Utter belief and doubtless passion are the mainstays of this industry, because these two attributes will keep you going long after common sense tells you to give up.
That's what will give you the stamina to get the project finished and, most likely, achieve what you wanted to achieve.
Whether that's creating a cool game, getting the game finally published as shareware or forcing yourself into a professional company, dedication is most definately what you need.