How To Succeed As An Indie Developer: This AMA Events Are a Beginner’s Guide To Making Your First Video Game

Indie development studios are taking the video games market by storm. When an industry is generating billions of dollars annually, it always follows that people will try and capitalize on the market. However, the thought of making a video game can be daunting. There’s code to write, 3D assets to model and texture, sound design, music, gameplay, voice acting, multiplayer, platform integration, marketing, bugs to patch… The list never seems to end. Thankfully indie developers aren’t deterred by a challenge, and they go for it anyways. In a world where technology is at everyone’s fingertips and the paths to exposure are more accessible than ever, the market is flooded with ideas, games, and creators.

“Indie” (which is short for “independent”) simply means “created without financial support from a publisher”. This means that unlike the big-budget titles made by the top developers, indie games are made by people working on their own dime.

While being an indie designer remains a gamble, our AMA hosts prove that the right tools and mindset can make a difference. While some of these projects obtain help from crowd-funding sources such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo, usually it’s still not enough to cover funding expenses, not to mention costs for marketing and other assets. Game Protocol’s unique decentralized platform and GameStartercrowdfunding center provide solutions to many of the deep-rooted issues indie developers face. For developers looking to raise funds for their project, there is the Gamestarter crowdfunding section of the website. Developers looking to increase sales will also enjoy the benefit of a decentralized game store that will not give preferential treatment to any studio. Last but not least, there will be a lively community of developers and fans, which will increase exposure to projects.

However, you may have thought it was impossible, but our AMA host can make you sure that you can make an indie game — without spending a single penny! Meet Ted, a solo game designer and developer at Liquid Neon Games, who released his first complete Indie title PowerOrb Neon. He took the simplest arcade game of all, Pong, and re-versioned it in 3D projection. He wanted to make something original and simple, and interesting enough to attract gamers around the world. You asked him what advice he would give to all those who want to be soloist like him.

“My main piece of advice is to simplify everything that you can. Making a complete game is very hard. The first 30% of the process is fun; exploring ideas, learning new things etc., but the last 70% is just hard graft which can be quite tedious and repetitive; debugging, creating menu systems, testing, admin, testing, debugging, testing, testing, etc. Getting through the hard parts is not fun but it is necessary. Start small and go through the whole process before deciding to make Grand Theft Auto or The Witcher. When I started Liquid Neon, I decided to make PowerOrb Neon as a small but complete video game that would allow me to go through the entire game development process before trying my hand at something bigger and more personal.”

Solo developer vs. team developer? Here’s what Ted advice:

“I think that there are benefits to both. Being a solo allows you to be in control of every aspect of development from start to finish. That’s great for keeping the project in line with your own personal vision. Being on a team would make that harder but you would have the benefit of multiple points-of-view, multiple skill sets and multiple people’s time, all of which could allow you to take on a bigger project or finish a smaller project sooner. Even as a solo-developer, you still take input from the people around you. For example, I worked with a composer called Derek Brown when I was working on PowerOrb Neon and he was not only a valuable asset in terms of his great sound and music creativity, but he also was able to offer really useful game design advice as someone who is a gamer and works professionally in the game industry.”

Also, when your game is at an alpha state, you can start thinking about signing it for some indie competitions such as Independent Games Festival which is held inside the Game Developer Conference in San Francisco, IndieCade which is one of the most important showcases of experimental and innovative games and Fantastic Arcade.This competition is all located in the United States; in Europe, you can check out A MAZE, which is held in Berlin.

What are the differences between game programming and game design?

While there is little overlap between the two careers, they do go hand in hand. To an industry outsider, the distinction between game design and game programming might seem negligible, but if you plan to make a career out of one or the other, you need to know what’s different. A game can’t be created without both the designer and programmer working closely together from start to finish.

A game designer differs from a programmer in that this is a much more holistic and creative career than a programming career. A game design is much more than a game idea. It’s a detailed specification for how the game should work. What does each button on the controller do? What does the HUD look like and what do each of the pieces do? How does enemy AI work? What pickups can players gather and what do they do? The game design describes every part of the game and tells how all the parts fit together to create a fun game.

Indie games are incredibly important within the broader video games industry. They push the boundaries of mechanics, highlight talented individuals and teams that wouldn’t have otherwise seen the spotlight, and bring attention to themes and genres that many gamers wouldn’t otherwise look into.

Let’s imagine you already have an idea (and the necessary knowledge and skills) for your game. The main question remains: How to make the game idea become a game? I don’t pretend I will be able to walk you through every step of the process of making a video game. It can take years, sometimes over a decade, to make a game. What I can give you is a roadmap of the steps, along with plenty of tips from our AMA hosts, to get you on the right path. So, let’s start!

Be a part of the community

Whenever you are looking to create an indie game, one of the first things that you will read about is how valuable an active community is for your game’s success. So what exactly do we mean, when we say a community for you the developer? To put it simply it is a place for you to meet other indie game developers who are experiencing the same ups and downs that you may be facing or have faced them many times. Having this pool of talent is going to really help you as the developer to network and ultimately find some needed guidance. Being active in the gaming community can really help you in more ways than one. For instance, it opens up the floodgates for brainstorming new ideas.

Another reason to get involved is to learn. Ask questions and gain valuable feedback from your peers and fans. And you can also network, building relationships or opportunities for potential collaborations later down the line.

Do your own research

In the very beginning, before you start making your game, it’s important to do your research. As an indie developer, it’s important to know what games are performing well on the charts, in which categories, and why. Knowing what’s already working will help lead you in the right direction. If you create the type of game that players are actively searching for, it’ll dramatically increase your odds for success. When you know what’s working and the reason why it’ll lead you in the right game design direction. You’ll be able to make the type of game that players are already interested in and as a result, you’ll be a step ahead of the competition.

Don’t ever be concentrated on just one idea

While we all have that “one great idea”, we strongly advise people to come up with at least three concepts before starting to break ground in their new indie game. It’s an opportunity to let your big creative brain run into overdrive. Especially if you are stuck in the “creative pit” and you need to figure out a way to escape and let your creative juices flow. You might come up with an idea that is just infinitely better.

Ask yourself, “Can I really do this?”

Make sure your game is doable, consider your skill level, tools, resources and the time required to complete each task. By keeping your goals realistic and achievable you are reducing the chances of failing in the worst way, by not completing the game. Learn what’s necessary, try to do what you can, and outsource the rest. You want to pick a game idea that is unique but at the same time is something that you can make without any major obstacles.

Pick your genre

While every successful game is unique in its own way, almost all of them fit into a specific genre. Decide what kind of game you want to create, and look at what other games in the same genre do. Some common genres including arcade games, shooters, puzzles, platformers, racing, adventures, endless runners, first-person shooter, Tower Defenses, horror, fighters, comedy, survival, etc.

Choose a platform for your game

The platform that you choose to develop your game for will significantly impact the way it is developed. The platform dictates the way the game is controlled; smartphone games are typically touch- and tilt-based, PC games typically use a keyboard and mouse, and console games use gamepads.

Find a Great Team!

You’ll need a team that covers all areas of game development including programming, art, design, sound, project management and business. Even if you have all these skills, having at least one other person will half the amount of work you have to do and double the number of people contributing to game ideas and “finding the fun”. Find people who are passionate about game development. Game development involves a number of common roles as well as some overlooked ones.

Programmer

Your idea can be the best thing ever, but without a programmer, it will probably never come to life. A computer programmer is a guy or gal that will spend most of their time developing codebase and the tools for the game. Since video games are electronic entertainment, no programmer usually means no video game.

Designer

A video game begins with a concept and design is one of the great areas it pays to share ownership. Video game designers design or program games for a variety of formats, such as consoles, wireless applications, the internet and mobile phones. Video game designers make that concept of gameplay and layout come alive, often through experimentation with several themes and genres, as well as developments and improvements on existing games. The designer has the final say on decisions and keeps the design loyal to the original idea. Designers have a different role to that of video game developers, who take designers’ concepts and write the code to make them into a game that can be played.

Artist

Artists create the visual elements of a game, such as characters, scenery, objects, vehicles, surface textures, clothing, props, and even user interface components. They also create concept art and storyboards which help communicate the proposed visual elements during the pre-production phase.

• Concept Artist — sketches ideas for the game worlds, characters, objects, vehicles, furniture, clothing, etc. They also suggest level designs, color schemes, and the mood and feel of the game. Although not involved in creating the actual game art, their concept shapes the look of the game.
• 3D Modeller — builds the characters, objects, and environments of the game, including life forms, scenery, vegetation, furniture, and vehicles, etc. They need to balance visual richness and detail with the limitations of the game’s technology.
• 2D/Texture Artist — creates and applies textures to characters, environments and game items, such as the surfaces of walls and floors of buildings. This is also a highly skilled area, which requires considerable knowledge of lighting, perspective, materials and visual effects

Sound Designer / Composer

Since sound is incredibly important to most video game experiences, you’ll want someone that knows what they’re doing. Often overlooked, a sound is vitally important to give atmosphere — all the sound effects and music for the game.

Project Manager

Project managers are responsible for the velocity of the team (how much they are achieving each milestone) and to make sure the team works fast and efficiently. Visibility is the key to making sure everyone on the team is aware of their current goals and deadlines. This involves motivating team members that fall behind and making sure everyone is performing their tasks.

Quality Assurance / Tester

Without QA the game will be unplayable. QA is another area that is good to share with the whole team. Ideally, everyone on the team should be a tester and responsible for reporting bugs that they find with each new build. This makes sense since you’ll all be playing the game constantly as development progresses anyways. Sharing the games with friends and having a beta-testing period is a great way to share the load.

Producer

Without someone managing the business side of game development, you may as well be making the game just for fun (and you probably want to sell your game and make some cash off of it.) That’s why you need a producer who will take care of the marketing strategies, cash flow summary, and economic assessment.

The visual appearance of the game is as important as the game itself

First impressions matter. The art style is the first impression, and it’s important to nail that. If they don’t see something that is enticing, they will NOT give your game a chance. Things like the title screen, the visual interface of the games, and the visual appearances of the game menus can communicate a great deal about the game itself and how the player is expected to interact with it. Every successful indie game has a great stylish look. It’s one of the things that separate indie games from other types of games.

Maria Fornieles, marketing expert, graphic designer, and visual researcher, has been working as a marketing consultant for video games. She answered all questions about the marketing of video games for all those who plan to launch a new project. You asked how much colors are important for the video game and why. And here’s what the expert said:

“90% of the information you perceive along the day is visual and 93% of human communication is visual, so yes, colors and visual identity, in general, are paramount for a video game. Through colors, you can set up the mood of your players, direct them through the different levels, hierarchyze the information that they need. Yes, definitively, colors are important.”

Make your indie game stand out among the masses

Don’t let the first comments on your game be: “It’s another zombie game”, or “it’s another military game”, or “it’s another fantasy game”. Despite how good your game is, without something to set it apart from the countless others in the industry, it might get looked over. Always strive to make your version of the game different. Even if it’s just a minor tweak to the game’s physics like increasing the speed, try to make improvements wherever possible. When you successfully accomplish this, you’ll have a completely new game that’s better than the original concept.

Marketing your indie game

You can create all the websites, blogs, and trailers in the world, but if no one knows who you are, they’re not going to matter. Perhaps the toughest part about marketing a game is making the public aware that it exists. Once they know about it, the rest is actually pretty easy.

That’s exactly what the GameWorld3D did. A solo indie game developer made a website in order to upload all his beta demos on — for free! He believes and hopes that people will enjoy some of them and will encourage them to buy full games on Steam. He was our AMA host on a #GamingAMA channel. And he gave a brief but important tip for all those who are wondering what the first steps in advertising of the games are.

Create social media accounts immediately to grow your following and get your content out to more people.

• Scrap all your first 3 games [they will suck] but you will learn a lot.
• Don’t try and create something to huge [always takes longer than expected]
• You must be passionate or you will quit!
• Google it because this is just my opinion!

And of course, when it comes to marketing video game consulting, we again looked for advice from Maria Fornieles. You asked her which marketing strategies should be noted in order to make the crowdfunding campaign successful. Maria said:

“It would be very easy to say that a combination of all of them, which is true by the way, but let me select a few for you.

• Your crowdfunding is a campaign with a limited number of days in which you’ll make lots of exceptions. Be consistent with your tone, time, and message, and stick to your planning.
• One to one contact. Before you launch your campaign, take your time to make a list of friends, closed ones, and relatives, and meet them for a coffee or a walk to talk about your project. This is exactly the same thing you’ll do with emails but in a warm atmosphere.
• Show yourself. Contact inspiring people and potential clients. Show them what you do and why you think they may be interested. Take your time and create a few lists of people you will contact, before, during and after the crowdfunding. Be sincere and they’ll show their support in exchange.

For her, the best marketing platforms for video games are:

• Twitter: The community of game developers is huge and very supportive.
• Specialized Facebook Groups: You’ll find lots of help and people willing to spread the word and test your games.
• Blog: They tend to be very open to answer questions that developers and marketers are trying to solve.

If you are more interested in a marketing strategy for video games, according to her advice, visit the GDC YouTube channel that is closely related to the video game industry. So, try to check this advice, too.

Never give up!

Finally, you just have to put the work in. If you work hard, learn from your mistakes and listen to your community. If you really want to do this … it’s not a matter of IF you will succeed, it’s a matter of WHEN.

Written by our genius blogger Tina based on advice from our great Hosts in www.GamingAMA.com and originally published on www.AMAfeed.com