I am animator by hand, and i am doing game animation for at least 8 years so far. During the last 2 years, i came with a idea for game and maybe some day, i want to start indie game company. As i am thinking to start game company, i am also thinking what kind of value i can give to the company. For example, am experience in animation,sales(I was selling web development services, before i jumped to gaming), bit of rigging- just not for production, i am learning on the side as well. The rest of the gaming production, like modeling, concept art, texturing, i am total noob or to say better, i am no near interest to do modeling for example, don't have such a patience to do it. But before characters and things are made for animating, what the hell i am would do?

Also, what is the ideal size of the founding team of a game company? Positions to be filled mostly are, Concept artist, Modeler/Texture artist, programmer, animator-rigger. And later would need more people to join, like more animators, programmers, sound, fx,etc.

And lastly, do i need to have something,like a prototype, to show people and get them interest, or should i ask someone i know, for skill that i lack, for example, Modeling would be great, texturing and rigging, and to start all together from scratch?  

The job of running a game company is different from the job of building games, or the job of doing game animations.  Many people quickly discover their aptitudes for making games doesn't translate to an aptitude for running a game company.

For how many people you need, that depends on your skills and skill gaps.  There are a bunch of skills needed to build a successful company.  If you are missing skills then you need to bring in somebody who has those skills.  That may take one or two or ten people to have those skills.  You also need enough people to carry out your commitments. Some projects require minimum numbers of people to complete in a timely manner, so you need that many people.

As for prototypes and selling your own game, that nearly never works. Your odds are better getting a part-time job and dumping all the money into the lottery.  Most small game studios do contract work. It generally takes a few years to grow as a contractor, it can grow faster if you have strong industry connections, then you bring in more people who also have strong industry connections.  With all those connections it is easier to find and negotiate good contracts, and assuming the group meets those commitments, grow to subsequent and hopefully bigger contracts.  Eventually there will be enough money coming in through contracts that the company can build another product line that they own themselves.

Bokchee, it is common for a new company to have one or more original games to show prospective clients, but it is rare to strike it rich from those original games. In the absence of paid work, your team can work on original stuff. Original stuff has to be put on hold when a contract is in effect. 

22 hours ago, frob said:

The job of running a game company is different from the job of building games, or the job of doing game animations.  Many people quickly discover their aptitudes for making games doesn't translate to an aptitude for running a game company.

For how many people you need, that depends on your skills and skill gaps.  There are a bunch of skills needed to build a successful company.  If you are missing skills then you need to bring in somebody who has those skills.  That may take one or two or ten people to have those skills.  You also need enough people to carry out your commitments. Some projects require minimum numbers of people to complete in a timely manner, so you need that many people.

As for prototypes and selling your own game, that nearly never works. Your odds are better getting a part-time job and dumping all the money into the lottery.  Most small game studios do contract work. It generally takes a few years to grow as a contractor, it can grow faster if you have strong industry connections, then you bring in more people who also have strong industry connections.  With all those connections it is easier to find and negotiate good contracts, and assuming the group meets those commitments, grow to subsequent and hopefully bigger contracts.  Eventually there will be enough money coming in through contracts that the company can build another product line that they own themselves.

Thank you very much for the advice. I know quite a lot of people in the  gaming industry. But, i never brought up  the idea of starting with someone something, an indie game for example. I talked with people, to many times about what their plans in future about working in gaming industry or quit to do something else. Most of them told me that they want to change something in future, but want to stick in games. Maybe i need to approach people, tell them my idea, and i'll see what happens after it. 

But i am not sure how to even approach them. My only concern is, money, i don't need office  when starting out, everyone can work from their homes, i am not even rushing it. Just, how the hell i am going to pay those people? I don't want to use someone skill, and not even paying it as it deserves/Maybe they would work for less, but i don't want them to feel undervalued.

My plan to learn everything i can for starting and running a business. Just, i am not sure how to approach people and how much i will need to at least make some 100 models. 

30 minutes ago, Bokchee 88 said:

Maybe i need to approach people, tell them my idea, and i'll see what happens after it. 

Sure. But your idea is not just for a game. Your idea is for a company that will make lots of money and earn its employees a good living with a good benefits package, and will have a minimal-crunch policy. Back up the idea with a plan for obtaining startup capital.

Sometimes -- if your current employer doesn't object -- it is possible to make the start as contract work as a side project.  

As most studios seem to start out doing contract work, and since contract work means you can specify when and how you do the work, you might collectively start out by working evenings and weekends on your own project until money starts flowing.  VC money is nice enough, but usually has uncomfortable strings attached for a startup.

Then it becomes a matter of lining up a series of contracts.  If it works out, when you  begin to sustain yourself with your side projects turn them in to your main projects.

This may be less specific than you're after, but I'm going to suggest that you should start off with the smallest number of people that can get the job done, rather than a larger team that will require more management, have more communication overhead, etc.

Only add additional people if they're really required, and if they're only needed for a smaller task consider contracting out/outsourcing the work rather than making someone a full employee.

As has been said above, running a business is different than simply making games.  Fortunately, it's also something there are plenty of resources on, and at a basic level a gamedev business isn't really different than any other business. If you're planning to go into business, do some research on what that entails. Learn about the business types (LLC, Corporation, etc.), tax laws, employment regulations, etc.

If that stuff isn't the sort of thing you want to deal with, others can be employed or consulted to help you. Most state governments provide online resources on local regulations.

I agree with jbadams. Start as small as possible, and then work up from there. You can make a game with 2-3 people if you do it right, and that should be what you aim for.

I like to say, in order to have a stable project you need solid leadership in a minimum of 3 pillars, they are Art, Code and administration.

I would think running a game company would have the same requirements.

In any start up, you should try and get people that can wear multiple hats.