Right now I am working at a low wage dead-end job and I have no other option except to build some games at night after work. I doubt if it's worth it.
I wish to publish some free to play games on google play with ads attached to it.
I would like to know who how much earns at game development.
Thanks.
Frankly, if you're going to try to transition careers into a solo mobile dev, it's really not worth it at this time.
You'll be much better off applying for better jobs.
It's possible to earn good money and live solely on the income from making games, there are plenty of people doing it.
A few of them just got lucky with a game or two getting popular. The majority of the others were already experienced developers, and treat the process as a proper business; they put a lot of time and effort into their games, and do even more work to market the completed project. Many supplement their income selling assets, freelancing for others, or with other work.
You're competing with established companies with huge budgets, and there are constantly a huge number of new games being released.
The odds of just getting lucky are similar to winning the lottery. If you're planning to work hard and treat it as a business, expect to work really hard and not see success for quite some time.
Make games because it's what you like to do, not as a get rich quick scheme. 
- Jason Astle-Adams
I've made over $20,000 in the last year from a couple of my Android games that have got popular, the key is to write lots of games and keep them simple.
You shouldn't be showing that. I think it's against the store/admob policies.
The store seems to work that way. Some people get lucky in their first game/second game, and they can survive just from that passive income. Not even near the rule though.
4 hours ago, andymcadam said:I've made over $20,000 in the last year from a couple of my Android games that have got popular, the key is to write lots of games and keep them simple.
Worst article I have read in a while.
It took you a year to make what most people earn in a month. To do so you had to make two games and manage both of them to make it. The amount of work you did is worth around $20 000.
You noticed the incline in your sales, tract it. Researched it to find the key component, improved on it. You also got lucky with the advert but even before that your game was refined and in very good working order. Most indie developers will read "Make lots of games" and think that is how you earned your money.
Then you go and say it's all because you made lots of games. Two isn't lots and it wasn't the amount of games that earned you the money.
Also never tell people that your adverts work by click, once they know that they can use it to remove all adverts on your game. Yes there are players who do so.
Look I want to put this out there. Spamming stores with games, besides being against the terms isn't going to earn you much.
Also, although off topic: re-skinning games is a scam, not on the players but the developers. The people who re-skin games make much more money out of you than you make from the games.
On 8/26/2017 at 6:29 PM, blablaalb said:I would like to know who how much earns at game development.
It depends on your players and the amount each player is worth. A formula is used and it checks where views, clicks and sales come from.
A advert you are displaying a lot will earn less per view/click/purchase than one that only shows a view times. Banner ads will earn you the least and annoy your players the most.
I have two games. Both made this year, they earn me +/- $200 a month in adverts and most of that is when I update them. I spend 14% of the money in advertising. So maybe +/- $170. But not really because the updates is worth more than $500 each.
Most of my profit is made from selling my in game assets.
14 hours ago, Scouting Ninja said:It took you a year to make what most people earn in a month.
Remember that both incomes and living expenses vary greatly. Although I earn more now, a few years ago before I had kids my yearly income wasn't much more than that and allowed me to live comfortably (albeit not extravagantly). In the linked post, he mentions that he only work (or worked) part-time on the games, and for many people earning more than $1500/month for a side project would be quite an achievement. Depending on expenses it may even be close to enough to become a primary income if it were sustainable.
- Jason Astle-Adams
15 hours ago, jbadams said:Remember that both incomes and living expenses vary greatly.
My apologies I didn't mean it wasn't a good amount of money, there are many people who slave away each day, earning less.
What I meant was that some people earn more money each month, yet abandon there careers because they think games is some kind of easy way to earn a living.
What developers often forget when they tell other how easy it is to make games, the people who hear this can't change there passwords without calling IT for help. Not everyone is talented, or trained with computer skills.
A developer saying that making games is easy, is like a rocket scientist saying that building rockets is easy.
All you need to know is how to calculate the acceleration, velocity, the maximum height and angle of reach. Then your little game archer will hit his target, realistically.
On 11/9/2017 at 4:19 PM, andymcadam said:I've made over $20,000 in the last year from a couple of my Android games that have got popular, the key is to write lots of games and keep them simple.
Thanks or sharing your experience. I found it inspiring.
