I'm working on making a small multiplayer game and I think it would be a big hassle to actually sell the game.

First, once you charge for it, players expect a certain degree of things from the game... like customer service, etc.


I think I'd rather just ask players to donate what they want if they like the game. I realize I'd most likely make less money but I doubt I'd get rich off the game by selling it anyways.


I would like it if I could cover isp and power costs of running a server for the game from my house.


Do you think this could work?

I understand where you coming from, since the moment you sell something, it will become a business. first, there was a post here regarding sell vs donation. donation didn't make the author of a popular game rich (I forgot the example), but sell makes minecraft developer rich. however, we all know some of the support story of minecraft, including that they have been hacked just because of some support issue or something.

there is a tips to circumvent this issue: make the game free, donation wise, but sell extra level, upgrade, etc. this way people tend to think that they are buying the extra stuff, not support issue itself. i guess it just about perception and psychology.

I think so, yes. This is what the humble indie bundles are based on (pay what you want) - of course, they had a lot of publicity and a bundle containing a number of great games.. You could also sell "premium content" (eg, extra levels and such as FableFox mentioned here) or merchandise based around the game (soundtrack, t-shirts, whatever).

I think so, yes. This is what the humble indie bundles are based on (pay what you want) - of course, they had a lot of publicity and a bundle containing a number of great games.. You could also sell "premium content" (eg, extra levels and such as FableFox mentioned here) or merchandise based around the game (soundtrack, t-shirts, whatever).

I didn't take the poll to mean stuff like the humble indie bundle. The humble indie bundle is very complex and I found it more about donating what would be the profit (not gross income) to the developer to charity. I got a much stronger to-charity association with the humble indie bundle donations.

I voted no not because I don't want to support indies, but because I don't want to support a sense of entitlement and a poor-me attitude in the industry. Charge what you think the game is worth. If I agree I will pay it. If I like what you have done I will probably buy sequels or downloadable content. If I really like it I will talk it up to all of my friends.

Would I invest in an indie developer I like though? Certainly. That's why there's things like the Indie Fund.

I wouldn't donate to an indie developer for the same reason I wouldn't donate to Microsoft, and I would invest in an indie developer for similar reasons to why I'd invest in Microsoft.

If they were open source and free I may consider donating.

I voted no not because I don't want to support indies, but because I don't want to support a sense of entitlement and a poor-me attitude in the industry. Charge what you think the game is worth. If I agree I will pay it. If I like what you have done I will probably buy sequels or downloadable content. If I really like it I will talk it up to all of my friends.

Would I invest in an indie developer I like though? Certainly. That's why there's things like the Indie Fund.

I wouldn't donate to an indie developer for the same reason I wouldn't donate to Microsoft, and I would invest in an indie developer for similar reasons to why I'd invest in Microsoft.

If they were open source and free I may consider donating.

You make a very good point. What about in what I read to be the OPs case (rather than the poll question): free and closed-source?

You make a very good point. What about in what I read to be the OPs case (rather than the poll question): free and closed-source?

"free or open source" is what I was thinking even thinking even though I put "and."

The Dwarf Fortress team received about $56,000 for 2010, it's perhaps not "rich" but fairly decent

The "rich" stories about indies game studios aren't common by the way.

If you don't think you'll be able to sell the game, then ads and donations seams to be the way to go. If people likes your game, they will get their friends to play it as well. And if you end up with a reasonable user base, you can always reconsider your financial plan. But it is very difficult to say, whether donations and ads will cover your expenses. And I don't think that poll is going to give you a reliable answer :/

But good luck with your project

"free or open source" is what I was thinking even thinking even though I put "and."

In that case I completely agree. I voted yes in the poll because I would donate to the developers of a (free) game that I played and enjoyed. If the game was not free to begin with then, under normal circumstances, I wouldn't feel the need to donate anything since I already showed my appreciation of their work by buying it.

I guess I should have added specifically that the game would be free.