As a game developer, you want to make money from your own products, right? Well, it is harder than it looks from the outside, as we will find out. Development is a hard process that takes a lot of time and budget. People are not really ready to explore unknown video games and get into the dark waters without having a good reason to.
Indie games are fun, and often can surprise us in ways that we would have never expected. Independent or indie games are built by one person or a small company of people who want to make something without a publisher, something for their own sake.
But, would it be worth it to develop indie games? It depends, and here is why.
Indie Games Are Many
You would not be the first nor the last indie developer to get into the process thinking that they will develop the next Minecraft. Indie games are hard to build, even though they may use simplified graphics, compressed audio and simple gameplay.
You still need to design the game, think about a story, and code the game so that it works. You need to test the game, see whether it needs adjustment and change and that process could take anywhere between months and years, depending on how much free time you have.
There are many indie games on the market, which is why you should not go into the idea of developing the game solely for profit. That would put lots of stress on your shoulders without a guarantee for success.
It Takes Skill and Some Luck
With indie games, it is not just about building a game. Anyone can make a game, in reality, but not anyone will be able to make the game stand out. You would need to make it better than other people’s games, in one way or another, or at least, so that it would attract attention. Cute graphics, good animations, great gameplay, an amazing soundtrack, all of these things could make your game better, but it might not matter.
One game might be played by someone popular like PewDiePie and then that game will immediately get a boost from all the subs that he has. The same goes for any other famous influencer. A bit of luck can make above average games become best-sellers. You don’t want to count on luck.
Build For Your Own Pleasure
This is where indie games really shine and how they should be built. Most game developers work on games because they find them amazing and they love the process of working on their own game.
This is what game development is about. You should be focusing on the game as a project you love and care for. If you are banking on it becoming the next best-seller, it will not be motivating at all to work on the project. If it doesn’t feel good, then can the project and move on.
Plan Ahead and Work Through It
But, you shouldn’t give up before even starting. With a good game plan, determination, marketing and effort, you should be able to make it through the list to a solid spot in the top ten. Most developers were nobodies until they broke through, but that won’t happen if you give up before trying.
With a good plan and effective work, advertising and networking, your indie game might just blow up.