So you want to be a indie game developer
By AjaxTheCoder โข 2025-12-11 17:17:00 UTC
So you want to be an indie game developer?
Alright, let's get some very hard truths out of the way before we go any further. Please don't feel like I'm being a grumpy old man, but this old man has been around the block a time or two.
Hard truths are how I learned.
Hard truths are how I learned.
Your game will probably fail.
Your idea has already been done.
You're not going to become rich overnight, and probably not at all.
YOU WILL NOT MAKE AN MMORPG BY YOURSELF.
Alright, that last one probably lost about 3/4 of you already. But if you are still here, then the rest is for you. If you're ready to jet, hang on. Let me impart some more hard truths. Also some good, honest insight you can use to keep yourself going.
Your game will probably fail.
I don't mean that you can't ship a fully functional, fun game. I mean that in this echo chamber of indie game designers, you are a micron in a very large atom/ecosystem. This year alone, it is estimated that 19,000 indie games were launched. Think about that for a moment. You are one out of the known 19k+ indie games launched. That isn't including the ones that you probably are about to launch or will launch. Again, I'm not saying don't make your game. Don't post it. Don't hype it up. But get ready for a reality check. You probably aren't going to make the next Minecraft or Flappy Bird. That is okay, though. Don't get me wrong. I've shipped games that never got a single download. I've worked on games that have had millions of downloads and millions of active users. Does that mean I haven't had failures? Oh boy, I have had some doozies.
I don't mean that you can't ship a fully functional, fun game. I mean that in this echo chamber of indie game designers, you are a micron in a very large atom/ecosystem. This year alone, it is estimated that 19,000 indie games were launched. Think about that for a moment. You are one out of the known 19k+ indie games launched. That isn't including the ones that you probably are about to launch or will launch. Again, I'm not saying don't make your game. Don't post it. Don't hype it up. But get ready for a reality check. You probably aren't going to make the next Minecraft or Flappy Bird. That is okay, though. Don't get me wrong. I've shipped games that never got a single download. I've worked on games that have had millions of downloads and millions of active users. Does that mean I haven't had failures? Oh boy, I have had some doozies.
Your idea has already been done.
Ah, the classic "I have an original game idea." Do you, though? Or did you get so blinded by your own "idea" that you forgot you got the idea for a game while playing another game? Nothing wrong with that. But keep in mind, your run-and-gun game has already been done. Your classic medieval wizard game has already been done. Your arcade game has been done millions of times. Does that mean don't make your game? NO! Make it. Improve it. Make it better. Give it your personality! Games will always be redone. That is okay!
Ah, the classic "I have an original game idea." Do you, though? Or did you get so blinded by your own "idea" that you forgot you got the idea for a game while playing another game? Nothing wrong with that. But keep in mind, your run-and-gun game has already been done. Your classic medieval wizard game has already been done. Your arcade game has been done millions of times. Does that mean don't make your game? NO! Make it. Improve it. Make it better. Give it your personality! Games will always be redone. That is okay!
You're not going to become rich.
This one is going to break some hearts, including mine when I was first coming up. Had some great ideas. Tried. Maybe made $1.00. xD So get it in your head now: you're not going to become rich. Probably won't even make any money off your game. Does that mean you can't sell your game? Not even a little bit. Offer it up for a price or donation, such as on itch.io. But you aren't going to become rich. Probably 99.99% sure of this. <3
This one is going to break some hearts, including mine when I was first coming up. Had some great ideas. Tried. Maybe made $1.00. xD So get it in your head now: you're not going to become rich. Probably won't even make any money off your game. Does that mean you can't sell your game? Not even a little bit. Offer it up for a price or donation, such as on itch.io. But you aren't going to become rich. Probably 99.99% sure of this. <3
MMORPG.
-sigh- So many young devs want to make an online game. Great. Love it. I love an online game. It takes studios that have MILLIONS of dollars and YEARS upon years to make this happen. Can you make an online game? Of course you can. Does that make it an MMORPG? Nope. It makes it an online game. The entire idea of an MMORPG is that it's MASSIVE. I'm not talking about a small online game that players can see each other and talk to each other, etc. That is doable if you have the right knowledge. But making the next WoW, EVE, RDR Online, Minecraft, etc.? Nah, probably won't happen unless you have a lot of free time and some friends that have no life either. Doesn't mean you can't try and start off small. You could use Unity and Fishnet. Get yourself online in a few weeks to a year.
-sigh- So many young devs want to make an online game. Great. Love it. I love an online game. It takes studios that have MILLIONS of dollars and YEARS upon years to make this happen. Can you make an online game? Of course you can. Does that make it an MMORPG? Nope. It makes it an online game. The entire idea of an MMORPG is that it's MASSIVE. I'm not talking about a small online game that players can see each other and talk to each other, etc. That is doable if you have the right knowledge. But making the next WoW, EVE, RDR Online, Minecraft, etc.? Nah, probably won't happen unless you have a lot of free time and some friends that have no life either. Doesn't mean you can't try and start off small. You could use Unity and Fishnet. Get yourself online in a few weeks to a year.
Overall, making a game is hard. It's not easy. But it can be FUN. What I want you to take from these hard truths is this: I want you to make a game. I want you to have fun. Enjoy yourself. Learn from these things. Grind it out. Make something you are proud of. Ignore the hate comments and the other drama. Surround yourself with positive people. They will hype you up and give you honest feedback.
I love you all, and I hope you all make games! <3