Making Money As An Open Source Game Developer?

Fastball asks: "I have a couple ideas for some web-based games that I'd like to develop. I'm an avid Linux, Perl, Apache, and MySQL user, and I believe in the GPL. However, I'm trying to figure out how I can develop these games as open source and still make a buck. It would be rewarding to produce them without seeing a profit, but I'd like to make enough money to get a company going and quit my current, uninspiring job. Can I get there via open source, would I be more profitable going closed source, or should I forget about make money altogether?"

Comments

Hint.

[Triskaidekaphobia]

Give the game away. Sell the hint/walkthrough book.

Software companies don't make money

[anthony_dipierro]

Can I get there via open source, would I be more profitable going closed source, or should I forget about make money altogether?

Forget about making money altogether. Unless you're Microsoft, it's near impossible to make money selling consumer software.

If there's some way you can tie your software to a service, maybe internet gaming, then you can probably make money, and it really doesn't matter if you're open or closed source. Actually open source is probably better. I suggest you use the QingPL.

Hard Market... Fun Job... Skills First

[metacosm]

My answer to your question is: "you are going about it all wrong" -- if you really want to be a game developer, here are some facts and tips

• Facts
• When looking to break into an existing industry with a new company, you should not even bother trying until you have worked for at least one of the players in that market.
• Game coders are known for being very smart, very hard working, and very underpaid. This is a simple market reality because:
  • Many developers want to be game programmers
  • Most games are flops and never make back the money they put into development

• Tips
• Start getting in on public betas and tests of games you like
• Be a very active participant in the discussions and bug reporting
• Make yourself personally accessable to the game developers

Someday, if you are lucky, you might get a shot at being an actual game coder, and if you are really lucky, that game might be a success! (A friend of mine slid into a development position at DAOC, but she had 10+ years experience coding, was a early tester of DAOC, lived in the area, and made herself extremely involved in testing and feedback, and had to take a massive pay cut to join the team).

After you get this successful game under your belt, and you have a clue how the industry, the work enviroment, and the distribution work, then you can rethink this entire concept of an "open-source game" -- and if you decide todo it at that point, at least you will have a god-damn clue .

I do not intend to be harsh or mean, but the game market is really brutal, and from what I have heard, really fun to be involved in, so I wish you the best of luck. Perhaps you could use an individually completed open-source game as a resume point.

post the ideas...

[edrugtrader]

if you only have a few (can count them on your fingers) ideas for games, don't even bother.

1 in 10 will actually get done, 1 in 100 of those will be enjoyable for more then 2 minutes, 1 in 100 of those a consumer will be willing to pay for.

just keep your job, life sucks.

Re:The short answer

[billcopc]

Amen to that! Make a game YOU love to play, not what you think the rest of the world will like.

Proof: I write stupid puzzle action games, like Tetris/Columns/whatever. I like these simple nerve fryers and I've probably played them all, so when I code my own game, I know the pros and cons of each title and thus have an idea what it's like from the player's perspective, so I can tweak the gameplay intelligently. Ask your typical consultant to write a Tetris clone, he'll make a flashy noisy thing, but it'll be the blandest, most un-fun game you've ever played (besides Daikatana). Why ? Because he has no idea what games 'feel' like. To be a writer, you have to love books. To be a musician, you have to love music. To be a game developer, you have to love games. True game programming is art.

Investigate Pre-Existing Projects

[Cycon]

I thinking about similar questions a few years ago, and I can tell you what I came up with:

Write a series of small games, paying attention to details like story and plot development. End each game with a cliff-hanger, or at least an opportunity to continue the story.

Give each game away for free, and see which (if any) of them become popular. Create a sequel to the most popular game(s), and charge a small fee for it (something like $5). If the sequel does well, consider making more sequels in the series.

If you build your project like this, you won't be spending all of your time building a large game that doesn't end up going anywhere. Small games are also easier for a single person to create in their spare time (so you won't have to quit your job and take a chance on your project).

All that being said, you might want to investigate already-existing projects. You might find a lot of GPL'd code you can use for your own games, and you may be able to learn from other's mistakes before you get too involved.

Disclaimer: I've written my own Open Source create-your-own-game software.

--Cycon

Re:Write it for Linux/BSD...

[ConceptJunkie]

Yeah, that's right. If you want to make money writing software, purposely ignore 90% of the market. That'll teach 'em.