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Making Money As An Open Source Game Developer?

Posted by Cliff on from the learning-from-the-Loki-experience dept.

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?"

2 of 63 comments (clear)

  1. Hint. by Triskaidekaphobia · · Score: 4, Insightful

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

  2. Hard Market... Fun Job... Skills First by metacosm · · Score: 4, Insightful
    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.