What's the best/easiest way for a Game Addict to make $$$$?

[Blade]

Seriously, I'm having trouble finding work where I live (Milwaukee, WI sucks in the employment sector)...and there's always new and interesting games I wanna try out there, but darn if I don't have any cash on me I can spend!

It breaks my heart, it really does...I'm falling way behind on titles I wanna try, and stuck playing older stuff over and over again.

I'm a nerd, so...I'm good with PC stuff, documents, office work, basics, etc...I'd love to get into game design, since I'm also a writer/artist...argh.

So frustratingly hard.

And by "addict" I don't mean that I would put gaming ahead of work...I'm not like that, lol...ideally I just want something that pays for itself based on my skillset so I can get what I want, you know?

[Jockel]

Get a proper job.

[Ruldra]

Working in the game industry isn't nearly as fun as playing videogames. In fact, considering all the horror stories I've read on the web over the years from employees (low paying jobs, working excessive hours, getting fired for nothing), it sounds like a horrible area to work.

Find a proper job and leave gaming as a hobby.

[t0yrobo]

writer/artist...argh.

Good luck, it's a hell of a time to convince most business people that those skills have any real value. Around here people constantly turn down artists for art related jobs and hire business majors instead

[Jeneki]

I'm falling way behind on titles I wanna try

I don't see any problem with this. Mainstream games always get cheaper over time anyway.

[professor ganson]

Go back to school, and then return to the job market.

[Gus]

Stick to MAME/doujins.

[Estebang]

Proper jobs aside, your best bet is probably to work on a shitty "indie" game, pass it off as "art," sell it on Steam/iOS, get featured on TIGSource/Kotaku/Destructoid/The Escapist, and watch the moolah roll in.

More serious advice: If you've got the foundations of a major writing/art project that you think you can get published and make money off of, use Kickstarter. My friend's mediocre band somehow got over 10 grand in donations to professionally record and publish their album. The site is a goddamn goldmine.

[CMPXCHG8B]

Working in the game industry isn't nearly as fun as playing videogames. In fact, considering all the horror stories I've read on the web over the years from employees (low paying jobs, working excessive hours, getting fired for nothing), it sounds like a horrible area to work.

Find a proper job and leave gaming as a hobby.

I just wanted to add to this.

As a freelance game developer myself (though I do other things as well)- I'd like to point out that working on games is not the same thing as playing games. For some reason people seem to think that "being in the game industry" means you just sit around dreaming up whacky stuff and it magically appears inside your Xbox 360 as a playable product, and everyone in general just kinda sits around in big comfy couches all day long playing the results.

This couldn't be further removed from reality.

Building games is not playing games. If you're going to confuse the two, then you're in for one hell of a surprise.

After spending 6+ months on a single title- scheming over every little variation and possibility, every mechanic and rule, every texture, character, sound bit and music track... The last thing you would EVER want to do is sit down and play it through yourself. What's the point? You already know everything there is to know about the game. If you're going to play through it again then it'll probably be for play testing purposes, and play testing is about the most tedious, boring, and gruelling job that rolls around in the gaming industry.

Now, of course, watching /other/ people play your games is kinda fun. It's nice to see people having a genuinely good time after you just spent half a year working on something- the smiles on their faces when unexpected things happen (though not unexpected to you) or the shock when things suddenly go sideways in an unexpected (but not to you) way.

But that's about the end of it. Once your project is done I can almost guarantee you you'll never want to play it through again.

Gaming is about experiencing other people's products. Working in the gaming industry is about creating products for other people to play. You will never enjoy your own games like you enjoy someone else's.

Proper jobs aside, your best bet is probably to work on a shitty "indie" game, pass it off as "art," sell it on Steam/iOS, get featured on TIGSource/Kotaku/Destructoid/The Escapist, and watch the moolah roll in.

iOS is not a gold mine and I'm personally tired of dealing with idiots who think that it still is.

If you're not willing to invest significant time and money in yourself and sometimes equipment as well, then you're basically doomed to becoming a copy and paste programmer. You will forever find yourself trolling the Apple Developer Forums and Stack Overflow like some sort of code Gollum constantly begging for scraps of code- something- anything that you can somehow jerry rig into your masterpiece application that will make you a millionaire. And it will never happen.

You can make a living off iOS development, but you need skills in just about everything if you're a one man band- Graphics Design and UI Design, Programming (C, C++, Objective C- the latter more then the former two, but since Objective C is a superset of C you need to know C irregardless), and Audio/Music production.

Once you're good enough to make an app that doesn't look like crap, works well, is innovative, and isn't something that hasn't been done a billion times before (if it is, then you better have a new way of doing whatever it is you're trying to do that has never been done before), then you'll find that iOS development is often a 10 hour-a-day 6 days-a-week job.

And it never ends. Once one project has been launched, either it will bring in enough money to justify further work on that application (ie, if it's a game- more maps as in-app purchases, etc), or it won't. In either case you need another project rolling right away. Applications don't "make lots of money forever". They eventually die out, so if you want to sustain yourself as an iOS developer you need a nearly endless stream of ideas and innovation to fuel your development off of. If you're not creative enough to do this, then you'll eventually sink.

There's no reason why people can't make a comfortable living off this stuff (I do). It just takes work. Lots of hard work. It's equivalent to opening your own gold mining company and constantly discovering, mining, and closing sites looking for precious metals below the surface of the planet. If you think you're just going to show up in a field and literally trip over a 16lb brick of gold just lying there in the open, then you're direly mistaken. Lots of people think this and they make up the majority of the "developers" out there. There is no "push-to-make-awesome" button in Xcode, just like there is no button like that in real life.

-CMPX

[Drum]

I'm seconding Estebang, but without the snark - if you want to 'get into game design' ... design a game. That's all you have to do. All it has to do to get some attention is look nice, and if you're an artist you're in a better position than most. There are a ton of decent programs custom-built for game making (Game Maker being the best known).
But if you need money, yeah, get a 'real' job.

[Blade]

In my case, I've been working with some friends off and on to make an interactive PC Visual Novel, though I'm not the programmer, I'm the writer/assistant-artist, so I give feedback on designs and stuff and do the script. I'm not entirely sure what places or people actually dig visual novels, but it's something the main producer of this wants done, so I'm doing the scriptwriting for it.

I just hope it pays off.

Thing now though, is that I'm not making any money by producing this work at the moment, at least not till it's released in beta or something. And while money is a good motivator for artists and writers, this is my first time doing this so I'm not surprised I'm not working for anything yet. So I need some paid work that guarantees me $$ on the side.

My skill ranges from clerical to a little HTML to general office IT work to Photoshop/Illustrator/Quark/Office/Premier/Access/AutoCAD and a little SQL and C++ on the side. I'm not all that great at coding, but it's not like I can't do it if needed. And my art skill is such that I can sell my work given the right audience and what they want, though I've never sold my writing yet...heh.

So basically, I'm just looking for something basically PC-related to do that pays a reasonable amount. Since I can do alot, it's just hard to narrow down my specialties besides writing and art which are both things I like to do in my spare time anyway.

[Estebang]

In my case, I've been working with some friends off and on to make an interactive PC Visual Novel, though I'm not the programmer, I'm the writer/assistant-artist, so I give feedback on designs and stuff and do the script. I'm not entirely sure what places or people actually dig visual novels, but it's something the main producer of this wants done, so I'm doing the scriptwriting for it.

Show it off around 4Chan and NeoGAF, they love that shit. It's a rather convenient time for Westerners to be making visual novels, since Katawa Shoujo got a lot of attention.

[xris]

Get a part time job doing labor, work in a restaurant, swing a hammer, or move boxes. Sorry, but if you don't deal with a physical product you are extremely lucky to even have a job. Or, completely ignore gaming for a year, so when you go to buy games they are all sorts of cheap. This is what I did, but I feel a little bad I couldn't buy the games new to help out he peoples that made them. I'm doing better money wise this year, and am planning to get a couple games new off the shelf to keep the coming.
Time are tough, if you can take anything you are good at and make a few dollars on the side then you should. $3 an hour for something you enjoy/find easy to do for 20 hours to get a game you want is pretty decent. Sell some stuff, barrow from friends, or just realize the game is prolly shitty anyway.

[Casper<3]

r u the same blade from dustloop?

just get a part time job waiting. If you are lucky enough to get a weekend shift, you'll probably take home between 60-100$ a night (plus have a minimal paycheck every two weeks)

or do what I do, just make an amazon wishlist to keep track of the games you want to play and buy them after they drop in price. Its not like the old days, prices drop insanely fast. Look at RAGE, it's not even 6 months old and is at the 20$ mark. Modern Warfare 3 is as big of title as it gets and is barely 3 months old and is already at the 30$ range.

I also use the "save for later" list on play-asia for the same purpose.

[xris]

Prices do drop fast, but then it is a factor of availability. some games disappear when cheap. Sometimes it's a matter of just getting the chance to buy it. I'll shop nonstop, but be really cheap about buying things, and I'll look anywhere - all the time. Good examples; Bayonetta - got it here $10, Dante's Inferno - $7 new a couple years after it came out at a local game store, Echocrome - $8, bought it today off of amazon.
But I'm still holding out for Silent Hill Memories on the psp for $15, and it seems to stay at $20+ and I haven't seen a copy in the wild for about a year. I'm really hoping to get Child of Eden for $25, but that is not going to happen.

[neorichieb1971]

I know 2 people who work in the industry. I have never seen them since they started up. One is Dave Cox who produced the last Castlevania and the other is a member of this forum (I won't state who). Dave is in Spain, Japan and sometimes in America globe trotting around promoting the game, or he is AWOL somewhere (like now). He even closed his Facebook account because of lack of time.

I also knew a member who worked on Sega Rally and before that Colin Mcrae rally and variants. The problem lies with the "lack of time" culture of the job. If you don't finish shit on time you get a battering. As soon as you finish one grueling project another comes straight up right away. Outside of visiting family and really close friends (of which I am not) they seem to move around in close circles.

I think both parties are pretty well off though, but no time to spend that time having fun and BBQ's.

I'd like to make a game or two, but strictly as the guy funding the project, not making it. Since I don't have enough money to fund a game for more than a week (lol) I don't see it happening.

[Kaiser]

Gaming is about experiencing other people's products. Working in the gaming industry is about creating products for other people to play. You will never enjoy your own games like you enjoy someone else's.

Well while that is mostly true, it isn't always the case, I am working on a FPS based on the Doom engine by myself with a good friend of mine and let me put this straight. I love trying it out and see if things are the way I intended them. However I have to say it out loud straight, the enjoyment wears out when you are doing big games that are intended to sell.

Let me put this straight, finding people for your project is one of most unrewarding shit ever. Recently when I was asking around people on modder forums for help, I got flamed, joked upon and so on. I was treated as if I was a pathetic loser. That's a warning as a reminder. Unless you code your own prototype, you have no fucking chance for anybody to work with you. I wasn't looking for people on the FPS project, something way bigger than that but you now know how it is. People are such fucking dicks everywhere, but gotta live with them.

[BPzeBanshee]

I'm seconding Estebang, but without the snark - if you want to 'get into game design' ... design a game. That's all you have to do. All it has to do to get some attention is look nice, and if you're an artist you're in a better position than most. There are a ton of decent programs custom-built for game making (Game Maker being the best known).
But if you need money, yeah, get a 'real' job.

I'm with that. Game Maker is the bomb. I'm trying to learn Actionscript 3 and it's a bitch that makes me want to play cricket with the keyboard and the wall by comparison. My personal plan is to finish my education and get a job in IT Support or something similar as that's what's booming in my local area at the moment.

We have a Development forum for a reason, too, just don't post complete shit and you're bound to get some level of assistance.

[Ex-Cyber]

Let me put this straight, finding people for your project is one of most unrewarding shit ever. Recently when I was asking around people on modder forums for help, I got flamed, joked upon and so on. I was treated as if I was a pathetic loser. That's a warning as a reminder. Unless you code your own prototype, you have no fucking chance for anybody to work with you.

If you aren't bringing anything to the table (money, code, really good concept art, an established track record as a project lead, blindingly obvious creative talent), looking for people on forums tends to come off as someone saying "hey guys, I have this awesome idea, but I want everyone else to do the actual work". A lot of programmers, musicians, artists, etc. have met that guy and worked on his project, only to find that the project never goes anywhere, all their work is wasted, and they didn't even get paid for the trouble.

[05pro]

If you know Photoshop and the like try knocking up a few sample adverts, posters, business cards etc for local shops. Just cold call them with a few pre-made samples and push for a sale. Worst case scenario is you waste a few hours practicisng your skills on the computer, best case scenario is you make some cash. Offer to do one for cost price just to get your foot in the door and then take it from there.

[Herr Schatten]

Working in the game industry isn't nearly as fun as playing videogames. In fact, considering all the horror stories I've read on the web over the years from employees (low paying jobs, working excessive hours, getting fired for nothing), it sounds like a horrible area to work.

Find a proper job and leave gaming as a hobby.

This is good advice. I have worked for two different games companies in the past, and I really can't recommend pursuing a career in that field.

Working at the first one was actually quite a lot of fun until some larger company with no experience nor interest in games swallowed it up and then ruined it within a year. It was amazing, really. They brought in financial guys who hadn't got a clue what they were doing. When sales went down due to moronic decisions on the management side of things, they fired all the developers, because they felt those were to expensive. After that they seemed to be genuinely surprised that they lost even more money, which is only natural if you consider that without the developers they didn't have any products to sell.

Working at the second company included experiencing pretty much every single horror story Ruldra mentions above. Additionally, no one there ever tried to make a good game, or even a bug-free one. All they were interested in was making up new ways to squeeze micropayments out of the players. As an avid gamer, I felt that I was helping destroying a thing I truly love, so I quit and never looked back since.

If you like games, stay away from the games industry.

[Blade]

I guess I got lucky cuz I got approached by some nice artists/coders who liked my writing/art/concepts and want to use it.

So hopefully things will turn out well.

I'll just have to do some bullsh!t work in the meantime between writing the script. Sign up for the election commission or something...

[drboom]

From a guy who has had a ton of jobs, from drving trucks to working in the computer industry to being a writer/freelance writer and finally settling down in the bike industry at a respected components manufactrurer, I can give you some simple advice that will get you to where you need to be. Find a good company - one that has good growth, good benefits and one that treats its employees well. There are usually local magazines that will do stories on the companies in your nearest najor city that highlight these companies - like Crain's. Check em out and try and find one that fits and apply for something you can do and hopefully do well.

I have had a lof of 'fun' jobs and a few serious ones. All the 'fun' jobs I had petered out or were grueling or paid for shit or the companies folded, bounced checks to me etc. Of the serious jobs I have had, I found over the years that its not the job, its the people you work with, making the company you work for and the treatment of its employees incredibly important to having good people stay there. Companies like Google, Nike and my company SRAM, do this very, very well. I have also found that most companies will have a few jobs I could be happy doing. Start at a good company and figure out what these jobs are for you. Friends who work for good companies are gonna be the best connect you have for new jobs, too.

You will make good connects over the years and this will lead to new possible jobs, hopefully doing other things you love and not just tollerate.

[Mortificator]

I just want something that pays for itself based on my skillset so I can get what I want, you know?

Three words that will open a world of opportunity: gay for pay.

[jonny5]

From a guy who has had a ton of jobs, from drving trucks to working in the computer industry to being a writer/freelance writer and finally settling down in the bike industry at a respected components manufactrurer, I can give you some simple advice that will get you to where you need to be. Find a good company - one that has good growth, good benefits and one that treats its employees well. There are usually local magazines that will do stories on the companies in your nearest najor city that highlight these companies - like Crain's. Check em out and try and find one that fits and apply for something you can do and hopefully do well.

I have had a lof of 'fun' jobs and a few serious ones. All the 'fun' jobs I had petered out or were grueling or paid for shit or the companies folded, bounced checks to me etc. Of the serious jobs I have had, I found over the years that its not the job, its the people you work with, making the company you work for and the treatment of its employees incredibly important to having good people stay there. Companies like Google, Nike and my company SRAM, do this very, very well. I have also found that most companies will have a few jobs I could be happy doing. Start at a good company and figure out what these jobs are for you. Friends who work for good companies are gonna be the best connect you have for new jobs, too.

You will make good connects over the years and this will lead to new possible jobs, hopefully doing other things you love and not just tollerate.

I was going to say almost the same thing. This is solid advise.

[ED-057]

I`ve been wondering if the development of oldskool games could return to being a viable business. Games targetting old platforms like the few recent DC, NG, and MD/Genesis releases for instance. (In many cases they could be made available for current platforms also, with a port or emulation.) Free tools for the software development side of things get better all the time. And maybe those "3D printers" could be used to make small batches of cartridge shells cheaply?