I know Romero shared the work, Carmack was just the first one to come to mind.

I agree with everybody that 99.9% of people will have no idea who you are regardless of your success in games. And even when you are "internet famous" a fair proportion of it will be positive. Having said that, certain subgroups or fans in gaming can be a bit obsessive and weird. I would try to keep my personal and public means of communication separate as much as possible so that if your community turns feral you can get away from them for a few days to regain your composure. You don't want to have to hunt through the death threats for nerfing weapon X in your game to find the email that says when you're having dinner with the in-laws. ;) And try to avoid stirring up trouble without good reason, most people don't want the Phil Fish effect.

In truth.

If you become the next Notch, chances are that the people you know now in real life (at least those of them not necessarily draw to video games) won't even realize you are 'famous' or rich. Even if you tell them you're rich, they might think that you mean 'I had no debts'.

To most folks, this won't even make sense, because you couldn't possibly be rich through video games... like, this never happens, and only to these weird icons nobody knew right?

If some people in your entourage actually play games and see that you've become famous, there's a simple way to determine if they're pretending:

Were they interested during development? Did they ask you what you were doing? Were they ever curious? Did they want to playtest it? Or did it all become interesting once it was launched? And even then, did they only become interested after your first 100,000 sales?

Pitch them your idea, if they dont work on your game for 3 months without pay (before you have anything solid) they are leeching! :P

Pitch them your idea, if they dont work on your game for 3 months without pay (before you have anything solid) they are leeching!

Out of my own expierience, do not measure your friends on that. Tried forming a team with them, and also some people I hardly know. Most of the last group dropped out quickly (besides one guy, good programmer, sad he left for other projects in the end)... the friends stayed on the project, but didn't contributed in any meaningful way, until I gave it up with them.

That does not mean they are not good friends... just not cut out to be working autonomous in a project and that they are not as eager to learn new things as me.

Agreed though, I have also seen the odd would-be dev that thought he could stay on the project without contributing, yet (I guess) still claiming ownership in the end (never came to that). People like that do exists.

If some people in your entourage actually play games and see that you've become famous, there's a simple way to determine if they're pretending:

Were they interested during development? Did they ask you what you were doing? Were they ever curious? Did they want to playtest it? Or did it all become interesting once it was launched? And even then, did they only become interested after your first 100,000 sales?

My expierience was that most young(er) people that know me, even the not-so-eager gamers, want to volunteer as playtesters and are asking so many times about when they can start playing that its getting annoying sometimes

I think around here (switzerland) game developers are kind of a mythical creature every gamer knows exists but nobody has one ever seen in the wild. So if you even state that you are working on a game as a hobby, you get amazed "oh"s and "ah"s... So I guess, depending on where you live, and what kind of people you know, you already get the "fan effect" even if you are not famous or successfull. At least among your friends or people that know you.

And then of course there are always people asking about the Business Plan, if I did analyze the market, how much you can make with a game like this, questioning if it would ever be "worth it".

Bean counters.... not my definition of success, but whatever. People measure success by different metrics, for some it is just the net income generated.

About the false friends: You will always encounter these, no matter how successfull you are in life. If you get to know your friends better, you will find out for certain if they are true friends or not. You will not have to ask them to move bodies for you to find that out

I can imagine that creating the next Flappy/Angry Bird game could raise some problems like "how am I ever going to recreate that success" but I think it would create more opportunities than problems.

Which part of Switzerland are you in exactly?

Which part of Switzerland are you in exactly?

If this was directed at me: City of Zurich

I can imagine that creating the next Flappy/Angry Bird game could raise some problems like "how am I ever going to recreate that success" but I think it would create more opportunities than problems.

true that. The bane of all kids coming from successfull parents and anyone that has written that one lucky one-hit-wonder.

And if you start dating someone, don't let her know about your wealth until after she accepts your marriage proposal. Pick her up for dates in a rusty pickup truck, and take her to someplace normal like Apple Bee's rather than some fancy restaurant.

I agree with the rusty pickup, but not the latter. Meet with her in front of the company building you own, tell her in the pick up how bussiness is crashing and you are just full of debts. Then add that you always handled everything and that you will be fine you hope. And take her for dinner to best restaurant site.

Or just be honest from the start, too.