Id did this... except for the ''name in lights'' part.

They created a game that was shareware and asked people to send them money. You send the money, you get the full version of the game, but you could still play it without the money. They made a mint off it, but it''s not exactly the same thing.

You have to nearly remake a genre (or mix a couple in a way that hasn''t been done very well in the past) to get that kind of fan base and every other publisher out there will be ready to jump right on it in no time, putting out cheap knock-offs in no time at all. Sure they''ll be cheap, but so will your ''demo'' game.

If you want to get into the game industry and don''t want to start at the bottom, find some friends who feel as you do and start making a game. It probably won''t work, but you''ll probably get an offer to start above the bottom rung when you''re done.