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>Add this to all the other issues you've mentioned, and it adds up to games being a lot like hopping on the bus for Hollywood. You're probably not going to be a

>Add this to all the other issues you've mentioned, and it adds up to games being a lot like hopping on the bus for Hollywood. You're probably not going to be a star, and the industry will still have a hundred more just like you to chew up tomorrow. I totally agree with you, but as a musician, i would go even further and say, when you're a succesfull musician or actor, you can make big bucks pretty easily. AFAIK, this is just not true about game developpers, who even if they are successfull, will probably earn just as much or a bit more than a regular programmer. We talk a lot with my friends here about artist's condition, and how it's hard for a musician to make a living. However, the situation has greatly evolved, and being an indie game developper today is more like being a musician in the fifties, where musicians were really truly exploited by record companies and where releasing a hit album could be paid almost nothing. I really hope the situation evolves, tho. The emergence of more conscient game portals would be a first step IMHO

SwellJoe 17y ago
I totally agree with you, but as a musician, i would go even further and say, when you're a succesfull musician or actor, you can make big bucks pretty easily. AFAIK, this is just not true about game developpers, who even if they are successfull, will probably earn just as much or a bit more than a regular programmer. The average record deal pays the artist about 12%. The "ridiculous" rates being paid by the games distributors that have been mentioned in this thread are 45%. Going it alone in music and games is harder, but in both cases it pays much higher percentages on sales. I suspect it is easier to go it alone, or use a hybrid model, in game development, but I'm not sure about that. I think you have a sugar-coated view of the music business if you think it treats people better than the games industry. As someone that started out working in the music industry in the early 90's and moved into technology, I'm absolutely certain that it doesn't. Software developers have it easy compared to musicians, and even the game industry treats developers dramatically better, on average, than the music industry treats musicians. You should realize that the average full-time musicians salary is about $21,000/year (or was when I worked in the industry; I'm sure it's gone up a few grand due to inflation). The average full-time software developer is making something like $80,000 (much higher in expensive markets like Silicon Valley). All the same evolutionary pressures that are making the music industry more tolerable are also occurring in the games industry. Indie developers can get their games in front of players via all sorts of paths, including mobile app stores, aggregation sites like Kongregate and Heyzap!, the various console stores, as well as traditional shareware models and channels. These are pretty much the same things that are happening in music (and a lot of the same players, Apple in particular, are involved in building them).

SwellJoe 17y ago

I totally agree with you, but as a musician, i would go even further and say, when you're a succesfull musician or actor, you can make big bucks pretty easily. AFAIK, this is just not true about game developpers, who even if they are successfull, will probably earn just as much or a bit more than a regular programmer. The average record deal pays the artist about 12%. The "ridiculous" rates being paid by the games distributors that have been mentioned in this thread are 45%. Going it alone in music and games is harder, but in both cases it pays much higher percentages on sales. I suspect it is easier to go it alone, or use a hybrid model, in game development, but I'm not sure about that. I think you have a sugar-coated view of the music business if you think it treats people better than the games industry. As someone that started out working in the music industry in the early 90's and moved into technology, I'm absolutely certain that it doesn't. Software developers have it easy compared to musicians, and even the game industry treats developers dramatically better, on average, than the music industry treats musicians. You should realize that the average full-time musicians salary is about $21,000/year (or was when I worked in the industry; I'm sure it's gone up a few grand due to inflation). The average full-time software developer is making something like $80,000 (much higher in expensive markets like Silicon Valley). All the same evolutionary pressures that are making the music industry more tolerable are also occurring in the games industry. Indie developers can get their games in front of players via all sorts of paths, including mobile app stores, aggregation sites like Kongregate and Heyzap!, the various console stores, as well as traditional shareware models and channels. These are pretty much the same things that are happening in music (and a lot of the same players, Apple in particular, are involved in building them).