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The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer

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Re: The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer

#21

Post by archagon »

jonshariat wrote: post #19
archagon wrote: post #9

Personally, I'd like to think that the good games will still rise to the top. Monument Valley wasn't a fluke; it's a game based entirely about the art and the content, rather than stale one-off game mechanics that could be cloned in an afternoon. It got noticed because it was deep and unique. (Did they even do any marketing?) I've rarely found a game with that same level of quality that got no attention[1]. Most of t…

One note about Monument Valley though: When they added new levels and charged for it, there was a big backlash at first. Luckily there was a counter backlash but it still shows the expectations of most gamers in the apps store. Especially on Android.

Sure, but as I think was discussed on the ATP podcast, it was probably a marketing gaffe more than anything. If they had called it "Monument Valley 2" and charged the same, people probably wouldn't have complained too much, as that sort of branding is more in line with App Store expectations. (Maybe not, though.)

In any case, whining aside, I doubt their sales suffered too much! And I'm glad we're getting more high profile pay-up-front games like MV to reset buyers' expectations.

Re: The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer

#22

Post by dirkk0 »

"For the lone game programmer that day has already arrived.

Twice."

If one sees 'the art of lone game programming' as a genre then this might be true. One successful lonely game programmer leads to a gold rush of many lonely game programmers digging the iKlondike for gold.

But I am pretty sure that there is always room for the brilliant idea that no one can grasp when you pitch it. I personally would have talked Notch out of the idea for Minecraft with the usual arguments (blocky graphics, not state-of-the-art, there's no real goal, etc pp). And when I played it, I was like - omg, I could have done that.

There always will be a lonely (game) programmer doing something extraordinary that you didn't think of in the first place or even despised. And then there is the next Notch, and I will again say - omg, not again.

And some of us have big ideas and don't dare to join the art of lonely game programming.

Re: The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer

#23

Post by k__ »

smacktoward wrote: post #10
vparikh wrote: post #6

Maybe I am being a bit naive, but I don't think many of those games in the good old days were made with the intention of making huge profits. Most of the people were hobbyists who just had an itch to create the game they wanted to play - and they lucked out that a lot of other people wanted to play their game too. I think the state of the game market is good -- let the hobbyists of today create the game they want to…

> Maybe I am being a bit naive, but I don't think many of those games in the good old days were made with the intention of making huge profits. They weren't -- but the dream people had was that their games would generate enough profit that they could make a living making them. I read the post's message as being that they did, for a while, but those days have receded due to the collapse in what people are willing to p…

Some devs of the community around Photonstorm/Phaser seem to make a living with games.

But it seems a different story. Most of them do mobile-mini-games they sell to sponsors and game-hubs, or they do some promotion games for companies.

Re: The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer

#24

Post by GuiA »

archagon wrote: post #9

Personally, I'd like to think that the good games will still rise to the top. Monument Valley wasn't a fluke; it's a game based entirely about the art and the content, rather than stale one-off game mechanics that could be cloned in an afternoon. It got noticed because it was deep and unique. (Did they even do any marketing?) I've rarely found a game with that same level of quality that got no attention[1]. Most of t…

Monument Valley is visually gorgeous, and I like a lot about it. However it has zero depth as a game- you can easily move through it by tapping randomly on the screen.

Also it's built by ustwo, and while they're lovely people, they're far from a small one man shop (they have hundreds of employees in several offices worldwide and know what they're doing when it comes to marketing). I don't think Monument Valley is a strong case for your argument (Sword and Sorcery is a better one, but they rode on the original iPad announcement, which is a strategy you can only use once a decade)

Re: The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer

#25

Post by archagon »

GuiA wrote: post #24
archagon wrote: post #9

Personally, I'd like to think that the good games will still rise to the top. Monument Valley wasn't a fluke; it's a game based entirely about the art and the content, rather than stale one-off game mechanics that could be cloned in an afternoon. It got noticed because it was deep and unique. (Did they even do any marketing?) I've rarely found a game with that same level of quality that got no attention[1]. Most of t…

Monument Valley is visually gorgeous, and I like a lot about it. However it has zero depth as a game- you can easily move through it by tapping randomly on the screen. Also it's built by ustwo, and while they're lovely people, they're far from a small one man shop (they have hundreds of employees in several offices worldwide and know what they're doing when it comes to marketing). I don't think Monument Valley is a s…

It's a puzzle-box/adventure-game-type experience — mostly a beautiful and interesting toy to fiddle with in your hands. Some people enjoy that, others don't. I personally love it, and I can see that a lot of App Store gamers do too. In that particular genre, it's a gem!

From what I've read in interviews, the team was comprised of about 6 people, and they didn't do any marketing or advertising.

Another recent example of a pay-up-front game hitting it "big" is Wayward Souls by Rocketcat Games (almost $10!!), though they have more of a pedigree.

Re: The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer

#26

Post by _pius »

dirkk0 wrote: post #22

"For the lone game programmer that day has already arrived. Twice." If one sees 'the art of lone game programming' as a genre then this might be true. One successful lonely game programmer leads to a gold rush of many lonely game programmers digging the iKlondike for gold. But I am pretty sure that there is always room for the brilliant idea that no one can grasp when you pitch it. I personally would have talked Notc…

But I am pretty sure that there is always room for the brilliant idea that no one can grasp when you pitch it.

You're right, but I don't think the author would claim otherwise.

The article is not about the possibility of breakout success, but about lone, reasonably skilled game developers being able to make a consistent living. Not the same thing.

Re: The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer

#27

Post by ddingus »

alacritythief wrote: post #20
simmons wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are there good sites for discovering these sorts of games? In the category of retro-style games for mobile platforms, it's an enormous chore to find anything good by just paging through the app stores.

You can find a lot of retro-style PC indie games on http://itch.io/ , regarding mobile it's probably best to check out the forums or categories on mobile game review sites like http://toucharcade.com/ .

Agreed.

I personally prefer retro on the older machines. One can play and code via emulation, which is quite good these days, or get some older gear and go that route.

Both work for me. I enjoy the real gear for those machines I am familiar with and own. (Apple ][, Atari 8 bit, CoCo) Emulation is great for others.

Emulation is good for coding either way. We get modern tools. There is a fun experience to be had working right on the hardware, but it's hard to put in the time. Emulation helps a lot with that.

Re: The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer

#28

Post by sago »

dirkk0 wrote: post #22

"For the lone game programmer that day has already arrived. Twice." If one sees 'the art of lone game programming' as a genre then this might be true. One successful lonely game programmer leads to a gold rush of many lonely game programmers digging the iKlondike for gold. But I am pretty sure that there is always room for the brilliant idea that no one can grasp when you pitch it. I personally would have talked Notc…

Except that the myth of the one-idea-making-a-fortune is mostly that. A myth. Minecraft, as incredible as it was, wasn't the only game of its kind. People routinely underestimate the role of luck in these things.

There is room for the one great idea. But the point is that the minimum production values on the platforms that sell that idea has risen beyond one person now. As it did in the 16-bit era in the late 80s and early 90s. I thought it was interesting that Monument Valley made it into the list at the end. Made by a graphic design agency, not a bedroom coder.

Re: The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer

#29

Post by nshunter »

Good Article. I'm actively trying to move out of the industry (or into a company that has more opportunity connected with non-games) now after almost 10 years in.

I'm fortunate that my skills are way more transferable than the majority of game developers (I build and lead SaaS teams), but it can be a bit of a slog to actually shift gears.

Games are a place to be if you're really passionate about it or you feel like there's another hill to take. In general tho, there are much more meaningful things you can do with your life (like raise kids). So I'm on the hunt for a job that lets me continue to build awesome products while have the ability to see my kid on a regular basis (not just 6 months out of the year).

Re: The Rise and Fall of the Lone Game Developer

#30

Post by ddingus »

simmons wrote: post #5
ddingus wrote: post #2

Retro is where it's at for lone developers. Systems are small, expectations low, challenges firm. I very seriously enjoy the retro scene today. It's possible for ordinary people to participate, even make games others will play and pay for. Homebrew. Completing that experience was one of those life checklist things. I had a great time and have learned a lot and was able to explore games on a technical level in an achi…

Are there good sites for discovering these sorts of games? In the category of retro-style games for mobile platforms, it's an enormous chore to find anything good by just paging through the app stores.

Good recommendation below.

The other path is to visit sites and forums that focus on older hardware. New productions are frequent, emulation good, help at the ready.

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