The kids of this era play games ever since they start to walk. Majority of the teenagers and youngsters too are addicted one or other games, which not only give them enjoyment but even help in cognitive and mental development too.
There are many custom gaming hardware we come across now as PS3, PS4, Wii, DS, Xbox 360, XBox 720 and many out there who are not used to the consoles are playing on their PCs and mobile devices as well. Playing these over many years may make you an expert gamer; however, making them is a totally different story.
The game publishing industry
Game publishing is a multi-billion dollar industry no across the globe. Still, many of the leading brands you know make their users highly unsatisfied with the majority of their hyped-up new releases, which you may think could have been done better by yourself. Even thousands of the new cheap games coming up on mobile devices are not so good as still not easy to be created and marketed this way.
If you have entrepreneurial plans to get into the gaming industry, there are many ways to make a living out of it, though not easy. Majority of the avid gamers who later become game makers choose the traditional route to join any of the major publishers in the gaming sector and work for them. But, what we discuss below are not for them.
Starting a game publishing company
You may have to start with a very lean beginning at the initial years with working for almost nothing to eventually take a fair portfolio of products to the market and make a living out of it. At first, you should realize that there are different levels when you are planning to enter this market, let’s have an overview.
Know your aptitude
It is important to identify your aptitude in the gaming sector and learn the craft. You will it real fun if you are meant for it, and if you find it boring, it’s better to choose a different career. Similar to painting, acting, or music, anybody can become a game maker hobbyist. If you are new to programming, the baseline requirement is to know JavaScript, which is the easiest among programming languages.
Move to a real engine
Once if you find fun in it and learn the basics, next you can move on to the game making engines and find the best which can bring you from the basic hobbyist game developer to a professional level. Free versions of game engines like Atomic Game Engine may be right to start with, from where you can add more versions and platforms. Atomic is a good point to start with a majority of the game programming happens in JavaScript. The heavy lifting parts can be done in CPP, for which the engine source code is made available in open source format at GitHub. If you aiming at something heavier, then think of options like complex AI or Physics engine etc.
Among many other primary considerations startup business owners need to make in terms of website management and marketing, debt comes as a priority need, which needed to be taken good care of in order to safeguard business finances. In most cases, debts get accumulated and finally become uncontrollable due to inappropriate financial practices. However, once you get into the debt trap, it is essential to work hard, find amicable short-term settlements, and work hard to ultimately get rid of it. As suggested by national debt relief sites, debt consolidation and debt settlement are the ideal way outs of multiple bad debts, which you need to use judiciously to lighten the overall debt burden.
At the hobbyist phase, spend maximum time learning in-depth about programming, go through the tutorials, vide channels and enhance your knowledge. Try assignments like making bubble poppers, shooting ‘em ups, space invaders etc. and try to understand a fair bunch concept which you may be used individually or in combination later in game development.
Build your portfolio
Now on entering into gaming business seriously, you have to master the craft and start building your resume and portfolio to be shared with the world. If you are a developer, you can learn the basics easily. If you are from an artistic background, then try to start from the Open Source Blender type of free platforms and learn how to make use the commercially viable 3D modeling tool like Maya or 3D Studio Max.
Apart from JavaScript and the animation tools, you can also try and learn Python, Ruby on Rails etc, and it is essential to understand how web, as well as PC and GPU architectures, work. It is ideal to know Direct-X and OpenGL. Each technology you acquire creates an impact on your portfolio.
Along with mastering the craft, you need prepare and get on a real team by building a blog and keeping it updated with the most innovative and interesting information about the industry you enter into. You can effectively link the articles to a web page or blog showing all your projects. Try to make connections and become active in the leading game development communities; GarageGames, Unity Forums for example. Keep on writing articles for #AltDevBlogADay or Gamasutra etc, which will help build a community around you.
Hit the market
This is your ultimate goal. It is all about you along with two or three guys against the world. Your products have become much like your children and now you have to take them to the world. Remember that you have to live with these products for so long, so you need to ensure that you made it to optimum for the time before planning to market. In fact, don’t do it simply for money, but release those which are really proud of.
There are many business strategies you can master in maintaining a fine balance between risk vs. innovation, building an admirable portfolio, maintenance and updating your products etc., which we will discuss in detail in another article.