Expected Revenue

Forza1 · 2012-05-01T12:48:08

I have been considering the gaming industry for some time now and I can't help but think how much revenue there really is to be made. There was a study done in 2009 claiming that Americans alone spent $25.3B on games, which is probably an understatement and has definitely risen since then. However, there is also a ridiculous amount of competition and realistically a very small percentage of released games end up being successful. Before I go any further, let me explain why I am here talking about this right now. I am in my early 20s and have no college education so I don't believe my chances at this stage of my life are very high for getting a job at any of the gaming giants. Now of course I could go to college but, to be blunt, I don't find any point in it, I feel as though I have easily been learning at a much faster pace on my own then I ever could at school. So I am at something of a cross roads. Should I join / start an indie game company or should I try and push myself through 4 years of college and be in my mid 20s before I even start my career? Don't get me wrong, I'm one of those nerdy people that love to learn, but I'm also very eager to start my life and another 4 years of waiting doesn't appeal to me at all. So I guess my question is can one really make a living off being an indie game programmer? I started thinking about the numbers and it doesn't look too great. Assuming that I spend a couple years on a game then get lucky and sell 10,000 copies of it, where does that leave me? I would imagine that, for an indie game, I will be charging roughly $10 per copy which should leave me with $100,000. There's a couple problems though. First of all - I would have to pay my team of course, it's unlikely I am making a game that sells 10,000 copies on my own. Then I would have to look at partner expenses such as shared profits on Steam if I choose to sell my game through that platform. Assuming that I'm left with $40,000, that's really not a lot of money for a few years work and who knows how long until I make another game that actually sells. Unfortunately even the above situation is pretty unlikely, I imagine that my first few games will sell next to nothing. I am not being pessimistic, just realistic. So I ask you, the professional community, what your suggestions are. I love programming and I really want to break into the industry but I obviously need money to live as well. Do gaming giants like Blizzard, EA, Valve, and Epic take programmers without a degree if they have enough experience? Is a degree really necessary to go anywhere in this business with the exception of the lucky few that manage to grow their own? Should I sacrifice another 4 years because it will be worth it in the long run? Thanks.