WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS A RANT ABOUT CASUAL GAMES. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
I have to let off some steam. I could make this post short and to the point, but I'd rather go into some detail about this.
Let's face it, casual game developers are in it for the money. I was reading a thread on the Indiegamer Forums about a male game developer that wrote a casual game about clothes shopping. A male game developer writing a shopping game? Are you serious? Do you honestly think that he would actually play and/or buy a shopping game? What ever happened to people making games they want to play? Typically, if you can think of a game you would enjoy playing, there's usually a group of gamers out there that also want to play that game. I would rather make a game that I love and reach that small group than make another game that every soccer mom and her daughter likes. I'd rather be happy with the game that I have to spend lots of time developing than be miserable and reach a larger group of people. That's the key to making a truely awesome game. You have to like what you're making, or else the end result will reflect you're attitude towards the game. I have a list of ideas for games and the ones that I like the most get made. Every single game I make is the result of me coming up with an idea that I like. I never have (and never will) take a look at the market and see if people will like it. If they like my ideas, awesome! If not, too bad, the game is getting made anyway. I think game developers should start making what they think is badass and not what will make them the most money.
Unfortunately, they don't. So this post is most likely to be continued...
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7 comments:
Unfortunately, KG, a lot of the time you might need to work on something that appeals to a wider demographic to make it as an independant developer. Some, such as Clifski, manage to work on stuff they like themselves, but the truth is most of the time anything you would like to play yourself is unlikely to make enough money to support full time development.
That said working on a casual game that is purely to make money, to fund development of something you genuinely want to make... I think that's the magical road. I wouldn't be surprised if these developers are doing just that, but rebadging them to disassociate the stuff they're making money from and the stuff they are proud of :)
Just my opinion!
Lemmy (NOT Cagey :D)
Yeah, I wasn't saying that it's totally impossible to make a casual game and not like it, but the way I see it, making a direct clone is basically just remaking the game. There's barely any original ideas left, but making a clone with absolutely no twists is pointless. I don't think people should try making a full income off games unless they're totally positive it'll be a hit. Cliffski isn't a good example because he's made hundreds of thousands off his games. He could live off of that for a few years if he really wanted to.
Agree with lemmy...
How many times have I heard this exact rant about what a game developer "should" make. You know, it's not wrong to create something that other people will enjoy.
Men have been creating ladies clothing for decades without wearing them, what's the difference? Zero.
I wasn't saying what they should and shouldn't make, I just think a lot of them make games they don't like just for the money.
kg_brad, what you said is true. But that doesn't necessarily mean that they did not enjoy the challenge that this kind of game presented design/programming-wise!
Good point. I'm like anyone else who enjoys a challenge. I stand corrected.
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