   What, to..do...
  First off, hello!  =)Any who, I have been reading this http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=573072for as much as that is worth, currently (it was posted...an hour ago?).I would very much like to do the same thing; to be an Ind. Game Developer (Graphics, Audio [maybe not audio, heh], Programming, Plot, the whole thing) and seem to be in the same boat as this fellow (aside from any serious dabbling in programming).  My first question, as I see to be the most important at the start, is it possible to earn a decent living being an Indie Game Developer?  I have my doubts, but I know nothing about any of this, so....  Question two would then be, where might the best logical starting place [or path] to follow such a "dream"? Should I get into the art aspect first; programming perhaps (flash, C++ [would take far longer, I assume], or perhaps test the waters with Game Maker / RPG Maker?)?I am just really looking for some way of knowing if this is for me, (I know I could do it, if I put my mind to it) as I don't have any experience with any of this.I would like to thank anyone who offers any help on my newb-ish questions, and furthermore for dealing with my ignorance.  =)   
  As far as making a living, well, that really depends on the lifestyle you're after, and being able to sustain sales.I would say that most people who earn a consistant living as an indie developer have a small stable of games that draw consistant, if not spectacular, sales. When their newest game comes out, if its any good, it'll sell like gangbusters for a handful of months, then fall into the long tail of sales -- in other words, it will continue to make a much smaller ammount of money over a much longer period of time. 5-6 games on the long tail, with modest sales, can be enough to live on if each game is doing a few hundred dollars in sales per month.There are a lucky few who have the right talant to produce the right game at the right time, seeing very big returns in the blink of an eye but that is exceedingly rare, and also isn't sustainable unless you can consistantly create indie hits every 12-24 months.Most people, however, aren't able to make a living as an indie developer. Some of them make next to nothing, some make pizza money (which, hey, is all John Carmack set out for at first,) some make a modest sidelines of income. Many of them work full or part time jobs in and out of the games industry. Many are independant consultants.Its a worthy dream to follow, but don't predicate any lifestyle decisions on becoming an instant success -- In other words, don't quit your day job (at least not right away), don't leave the wife for failing to "support" your dream, and don't take out a second mortgage on your home.   ;  Allow me to ask this, then: Let's say I want to start this process, right now.  Would you advise taking an easier route (to test the water, so to speak) such as with Game Maker, RPG Maker, and the likes; or would it be better to dive right into the extremely technical stuff: C++, DirectX, memorizing countless libraries, etc...?   ;  It is possible to make a living as an indie game developer. The evidence is in the indie game development companies with salaried employees. Whether or not you specifically will be able to make a living as an indie gamedev is a different matter, of course. You need a lot of skills to be able to make games, and then you need a completely different set of skills to sell software. Long story short: don't quit your day job. It'll be a long time before you'll be able to make something that enough people are willing to pay for that you'll be able to live off of game development. As for where to start, it really depends on what you're most interested in. You're going to need to know how to program; no programmer worth their salt is going to write your game's logic for you just based on your ideas. Everything else is gravy, basically. Games can be made with "programmer art" and no sound effects, at which point artists can be solicited to help out and royalty-free sound effects can be purchased. Or you can make your own art, in which case you'll have to pick up those skills too. Modding existing games is a good way to get your feet wet, since you can work within a provided system and only change what you care about.   ;Quote:Original post by DerakonIt is possible to make a living as an indie game developer. The evidence is in the indie game development companies with salaried employees. Whether or not you specifically will be able to make a living as an indie gamedev is a different matter, of course. You need a lot of skills to be able to make games, and then you need a completely different set of skills to sell software. Long story short: don't quit your day job. It'll be a long time before you'll be able to make something that enough people are willing to pay for that you'll be able to live off of game development. As for where to start, it really depends on what you're most interested in. You're going to need to know how to program; no programmer worth their salt is going to write your game's logic for you just based on your ideas. Everything else is gravy, basically. Games can be made with "programmer art" and no sound effects, at which point artists can be solicited to help out and royalty-free sound effects can be purchased. Or you can make your own art, in which case you'll have to pick up those skills too. Modding existing games is a good way to get your feet wet, since you can work within a provided system and only change what you care about.OK then, so modding, how do you go about following such an endeavor?   ;  Find a game you like that is moddable. Learn the process for modding it. Try to figure out how to make the game better. Start simple ("What if the pistol did slightly more damage?"), and get more complex as you figure things out ("Let's try to add an entirely new weapon and make it balanced"). Release your work to other fans of the game, and listen to their feedback (and learn which feedback to ignore). To be quite honest I've done only relatively limited modding of games, and I have zero experience with "game development systems" like Game Maker. That's largely because I enjoy reinventing the wheel, though, and by this point have built up enough of a personal library of code that I don't need to redevelop much from scratch. I wouldn't recommend this if you're new to the entire process, though.   ;Quote:Original post by Ploofafais it possible to earn a decent living being an Indie Game Developer?Realistically, No.There have been a small number of people in the past who have had the right idea/product at the right time and have gone on to make money, but things have changed. You may be lucky, but it's a very small chance.You can make games and make some 'pocket money', but don't give up the day job (or school).I don't want to shatter your dreams, but I also don't want you to lose sight of real life.;Quote:Original post by OldProgie2Quote:Original post by Ploofafais it possible to earn a decent living being an Indie Game Developer?Realistically, No.There have been a small number of people in the past who have had the right idea/product at the right time and have gone on to make money, but things have changed. You may be lucky, but it's a very small chance.You can make games and make some 'pocket money', but don't give up the day job (or school).I don't want to shatter your dreams, but I also don't want you to lose sight of real life.Hypothetically, would it not be true that if I were to create and maintain the next Farmville (crazy, I know =P) I would never truly have to work another day of my life (aside from the maintenance and updates / additional content)?  I'm not saying this is what I want, by a long shot, but would that not be at least partially true?   ;Original post by PloofafaQuote:Original post by OldProgie2Quote:Original post by PloofafaYou may be lucky, but it's a very small chance.Hypothetically, would it not be true that if I were to create and maintain the next Farmville (crazy, I know =P)Farmville was not created by one siingle individual. Take a look here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZyngaThat's not feasable for an individual with no financial backing, but as I said, you may be lucky but it's a small chance.Quote:Original post by PloofafaI would never truly have to work another day of my life (aside from the maintenance and updates / additional content)?That in itself would be a full time job for many people. If you don't want to work, you would have to create the team, the infrastructure and the reputation and IP required for someone to buy it.;  Yes, I realize that... I'm just confused on another matter, thus leading me to these questions.  This is far from the place to ask, but if anyone would be willing to allow me to PM them with some career-ish questions, I would greatly appreciate it.  =/   