I got my first donation - thanks Rosario! Just to give you an idea of how online economics work, 2 months of people clicking on my ads barely evened out with what I got from Rosario's single donation! So if you are looking to get rich from a blog, don't hold your breath =) This experience really got me thinking...as life crowds in, there are times when priorities shift and change and some things that used to be vitally important move to the back-burner. As indie game developers, we often have the difficult task of trying to squeeze game development into our already busy lives. So I started thinking about our source of motivation since I was finding it harder and harder to find the time to work on the project. Getting a donation really snapped me out of my funk and made me really look at how I can better motivate myself to keep up with the project. I think if we were to list all of the possible motivations that figure in to a game development project we would quickly run out of room, but I want to hit on a few.
I think that I have mentioned before that part of the reason that I am doing this a public/open project is because I feel that it will help me to stay on track, so the expectations of others can be good motivation. If you fall in this category, I would encourage you to find some public forum, whether it be family, friends, the internet, etc., and let them know what you are working on. It is hard to slack off on a project when people are always asking how things are coming.
Another reason is that I just love creating something that others will get enjoyment from. It's also the reason I like to play music up on a stage--I love to see other people getting enjoyment from something I am creating. If you fall in this category, you may want to get prototypes out in front of others to see their reactions. It will help you to stay motivated (as long as they like it) and help you to know when you need to make changes (when they don't like it).
The last reason is plain old money. I think when it comes to the creative process money may feel like a dirty word, but I think we would be kidding ourselves if we took it out of the equation--certainly when we hear of others that get rich off a game that went viral, we can't help but wish that we could be next. Getting a donation made me realize the real pull that money can have on motivation--I thought, if what I am doing is important enough that people are willing to pay money to support it, then I have to keep going!
In reality, I think that our motivations are very complex and shift constantly. If you want to see a project through to the end, it's important to maximize all of the motivating factors so that there will always be a reason to continue and give you the extra boost when times get rough.
Blog can make money but it takes time and quality, visit the blog that I will leave at the end of this text and you will see. It took about 18 months to achieve this (it is said by the author).
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I think it is necessary to switch to a paid domain, it is only thirty dollars a year, and the quality and appearance could be significantly improved. It would certainly instilled more confidence to new users.
Secondly, it is better oriented to small segments, "how to do something", a Corona and Shiva3d provide such capabilities, a simple prototype rather than the whole game. It is shorter, it may go out several articles per week and can attract new users.
Perhaps it is better to go to Corona because the larger community, and work on the 2d games can be much easier than working in 3D.
These are just my two cents.
Many greetings,
Boba
http://www.emanueleferonato.com/2011/06/10/removing-all-ads-from-the-blog/
ReplyDeleteForgot! :)
I hear you. I've thought about some of those things as well, but in the end I decided to keep things simple because making money is my last priority. I really wanted to learn ShiVa and thought it would be a great opportunity to help others as well. I was having enough trouble figuring things out based on the available documentation, so I thought I would contribute what I could.
ReplyDeleteBut you are spot on regarding the Corona idea...Now that I have some experience doing videos, blogging, etc, I think the next project will not be so granular since I will focus more on the engine itself rather than the actual process of making a game.
The money is just and added bonus, but really helps one feel appreciated =) What's funny is that I've made less in 2 months than what it costs for me to go to dinner, and yet it really feels great to think that I am doing something that people are willing to pay for. It's cheesy, but I guess I really just like helping people =)
I know, text ads can make a profit only if traffic is high. I hope you'll succeed and maybe money is not the primary goal but it was definitely one of the important factors because we are unfortunately very dependent on money.
ReplyDeleteMany greetings,
Boba