Re: [GD-Design] Indie games?

[Jan E. <ch...@in...>]

On Tue, 25 Feb 2003, Brian Hook wrote:

>
>
>On Wed, 26 Feb 2003 08:32:01 +0200 (EET), Jan Ekholm wrote:
>>
>>Can single persons still make games that get published more
>>officially than "downsuck from here and pay me 25=A4"?
>
>As a generality - no.  You have the VERY infrequent outlier such as=20
>Chris Sawyer (RC Tycoon), but even then he almost didn't get=20
>published.  But that is so rare that to even call him an exception=20
>would be minimizing the completely rarity of such cases.

Ouch.

>>Is it worth even to try to get something published?
>
>Sure, go ahead and try, but just be prepared for rejection and=20
>heartache.  The fact of the matter is that retail games today require=20
>a ton of money and time to make because of the expectation of the=20
>consumer (and publishers) about the size and scope of such games. =20
>"Value" games have no inertia in the market simply because the cost=20
>of shelf space is high enough that most retailers would rather stock=20
>a $50 title than a $20 title in the same slot.

Heh, I don't aspire to get anythin published, it was more general
intesrest that made me ask. I know I could never do anything that anyone
would want to buy.

Actually, I think there is one genre where one person could do a great
game: strategy games. I don't mean RTS games, those have nothing to do
with "strategy", but real hardcore strategy games. Not much has happened
in that field for ages, except maybe for Combat Mission that introduced
the concept of a fully 3D battlefield. One person with a few good ideas
could very well create something very new within this field, and there
*are* people that buy these games, although not as many as those buying
the mainstream "sequel games".

>>Is the games bussiness as
>>evil as the music bussiness where the developers end up with
>>virtually nothing except bills?
>
>Possibly even more evil, because in the music industry at least a=20
>band can tour and pocket a good chunk of that change.  In the=20
>traditional game industry the typical developer is living advance to=20
>advance, and even with a huge hit they're often screwed in the=20
>process.
>
>For example, many starving developers will gladly:
>
>- grant ownership of IP to the publisher
>- grant right of first refusal on subsequent projects to the=20
>publisher
>- grant minority ownership to the publisher

Ugh, I'm glad I make my living coding boring bussiness apps. :)

>It's a rough industry, and maybe 1/20 developers would be considered=20
>"successful".  Look at the all the recent studios that are closing,=20
>often after shipping successful products (Sunstorm (?) who made Deer=20
>Hunter; Presto who made Myst 3; Rogue who made Alice in Wonderland;=20
>Looking Glass, list too long to enumerate; etc.)

Yes, the dumb mass only buys sequels. All EA games for instance are just
sequels to known concepts.

--=20

             Gravity is a habit that is hard to shake off.
                                              -- Terry Pratchett, Small God=
s