Is creating an amateur rpg maker game worth it ?

[Nantas]

Hello everyone !

I have began to create a rpg maker game (on MV) since last year, and I have already done a lot of things. But I know that developping the game I want will take several years.
I am all alone to create this game and my wife is my official testor.

Just some days ago, my wife said to me that my game was good enough to become, at the end, a commercial game. She said that in order to make my game known to the outside world, I have to make my game commercial because not many free games are known.
She said that and one big question came to me like a punch on my face : is it worth it to make an amateur game along 3, 4, 5 years (even if it is good) ?


I know that a good game and a good developer can access some popularity among the developpers on this forum, for example. But is that even worth it ?

I want to create the game I always wanted to play. But I want this game to be known by other people too.


What do you think of it ? Have you been confronted to that kind of feeling ?

( I hope that I didn't hurt developers that didn't think of it earlier, but I feel like it is an important question ).

 

[djDarkX]

It's a fair question, but honestly, even freeware games have been met with HUGE success. Cave Story is a very good example of this. Everyone knows that wonderful little gem of a game and it was and has always been freeware. It has even gone on to become a commercial title on Steam because of the additions, but if you want the original game with a simple English translation, there's places all over the web you can find it.

That is only one example of many that I can think of off the very top of my head, but more than anything, getting your game known requires advertising it, spreading it around and so on. Now, unlike this situation, the Cave Story developer had a following already due to his previous games, so he was known to an extent and when he created his most popular game, it became an overnight hit. That being said, sometimes success won't happen, but it's still worth trying anyway. If nothing else, at least you got to finish and play a game you've always wanted to play. Still a win in my eyes.

We all want our creations to succeed, but if you put the time and effort into getting the word out to a bigger audience while keeping your vision and goals clear, you can find minimal or moderate success. If it's that good, could even be huge success like To The Moon and Undertale.

 

[Nantas]

Thank you for your answer @djDarkX .

It's clear for me too that finishing a game, play it and like it is an achievement and I hope to realise that one day.
I have put a lot of effort into my game since the beginning but the goal of making it known by a few people seems so far away from me...

 

[sabao]

Baby steps. Very few people are commercially successful on their first games. Your skills as a developer/designer at this point may still need polish and your ability to reach out and market your product may still be limited. I'd personally recommend investing in projects you can churn out sooner rather than long term commitments. People who bite off more than they can chew usually find themselves stuck in the middle of the project and never get to experience the full cycle of creating a game. You'll want to see projects through and learn what part of the process you can improve on in the next one.

Actively sharing content here also engages you with the community. You'll receive feedback that can hopefully help you improve in your craft and you make a name for yourself in the process.

 

[Nantas]

I have been already confronted to a lot of problems ; for example, my first version of my game was on rpg maker vx ace, and I lost it because a virus crashed the whole game ( I learned to make backups lol )

So in fact I have like two games, and through all that time of creation, I have learned a lot of things. I know that usually people don't finish big games for many reasons, but I know that I am not that kind of people because this game I am creating is a project for my whole life. I am not too involved in the project too, because I have other hobbies : poetry and writing for example.
In my childhood, I used to criticize the RPGs I played (Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and many others) and I used to think of the ameliorations that could have been done in these games.

That experience is really beneficial because it helps me to see clearly the goal of making my own RPG.

 

[Eviticous]

I want to create the game I always wanted to play. But I want this game to be known by other people too.

Then create the game you want to play and be happy with it. I wouldn't worry so much on the "popularity aspect" or the "how do I comercialize this game?" I would worry on making the game you are happy with making.

 

[sabao]

So in fact I have like two games, and through all that time of creation, I have learned a lot of things. I know that usually people don't finish big games for many reasons, but I know that I am not that kind of people because this game I am creating is a project for my whole life. I am not too involved in the project too, because I have other hobbies : poetry and writing for example.
In my childhood, I used to criticize the RPGs I played (Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and many others) and I used to think of the ameliorations that could have been done in these games.

That experience is really beneficial because it helps me to see clearly the goal of making my own RPG.

Simply understanding what makes a good game isn't really all it takes to be commercially successful. Mostly everyone here has an opinion on other games and their creative processes are informed by the media they consume. I mean unless you have the skillset or resources on par with the goals you're aspiring for, you've got a long road ahead of you.

This isn't to deter anyone from making games they want, but throwing something together and then putting it up for sale hoping it makes money isn't that simple. There are big studios that crumble under the weight of the scope of their own projects, independent devs that burn all their life's savings hoping their next game will pull them out of the red, or even teams with angel investors or successful crowdfunding campaigns that have crashed and burned because of things they weren't prepared to handle.

 

[Eviticous]

throwing something together and then putting it up for sale hoping it makes money isn't that simple.

It should also never be the prime objective.

 

[sabao]

It should also never be the prime objective.

Of course not, but looking at it realistically for anyone aiming to make this their day job or anyone looking to invest a lot of time and money hoping to recoup all of that down the line, it's something to consider.

I did it for around five years and still work closely with a lot of independent game studios and I found that making the game is the easy part. Again, that's enough for a lot of people, but for everyone else it's best to manage expectations.

 

[Sharm]

I think you need to focus on your goals for the game. It's easy to get feature bloat with goals too. If you're succeeding at what you set out to do when making this game then a commercial success isn't a qualification for wether or not it's been worth making. What's important is if you got out of it what you wanted. If your only goals were to learn and have fun, for example, a game that was hated by everyone who played it could still be a success, would have been worth the effort put into it.

 

[Eviticous]

Of course not, but looking at it realistically for anyone aiming to make this their day job or anyone looking to invest a lot of time and money hoping to recoup all of that down the line, it's something to consider.

Not to be the worlds biggest d!ck but is rpg maker a good platform to build commercial games on? I would go for something more substantial. To me it seems like the rpg maker series is good for hobbysts and communities such as this, not to say it cannot be done.

 

[sabao]

Not to be the worlds biggest d!ck but is rpg maker a good platform to build commercial games on? I would go for something more substantial. To me it seems like the rpg maker series is good for hobbysts and communities such as this, not to say it cannot be done.

There's little denying that the RPG Maker series has been used to make commercial games before (to varying degrees of success). There's even a dedicated support section in these very forums for commercial games made with the engine. If people want to do it, they're very much free to do so. My bottomline is they'd best give it a lot of thought before they do, especially if there's real risk involved.

 

[Nantas]

Thanks for all the conversation, it's very interesting !

My goal isn't to make it commercial. I want to make the game I love and share it to a maximum of people, if possible.
But as you said @Sharm , I will try to focus on the making before thinking on what I want to do after.

As I said, I have a lot of work to do, but I really think my project is worth the time it takes to make, because people around me really like what I do, and I have fun doing it.

 

[Titris Thrawns]

Whew ! Your post and questions gave me a shiver due to how similar it parallels my current predicament. Especially the questions of time investment, commercial viability and the emotional gut punch of 'How much is your time and/or game worth?'.

I cannot speak as an established developer, just an aspiring one that felt your questions hit close to home. I'll try formulating a few observations I've made from all the game making tutorials, tips and general advice I've read.

First complete game: Early developer project advice tends to advocate doing shorter games to get a feel of the game production cycle. @sabao echoes this and sums it up quite well in my opinion. This 'shorter cycle' also has the benefit of allowing you to learn from mistakes and managing burn out. This stance also allows you to build up to your 'dream project' with confidence of completed projects behind you. Burning out on the dream project, that also happens to be your first one that you have invested 2+ years into, sounds very soul-crushing. I am following this baby step pattern for my sanity's sake.

Commercial versus free: This is a tough one. I've had friends say I need to pump out a bunch of short, free games before going commercial. Then I look at how bad the backlash of the Steam/Bethesda attempt at allowing developers to charge for their mods for Skyrim... And observing the entitlement attitude a portion of gamers hold... I feel conflicted. Completing small, free games can build your reputation as a developer. I didn't know the story behind Cave story so @djDarkX reinforces a free game can become popular and then have a commercial bent added later. This decision really depends on what you want to do with your completed game; ask people to spend their time playing it or convince people that it is worth their money and time to play it. Either way, you'll have to 'market' it.

Time: The best advice, that I use everyday, is a line from @Sharm post; Focus on your goals and prioritize! Some people want to use RM to make money while others want to create the game they've always wanted to play. The values of good and bad come later as the game is judged and put into the hands of different gamers. If you already have a well structured development plan for your game, go for it! If you judge the game as good and it takes 3+ years to develop? May as well learn what it will take to go commercial! It's your time, so as long as you and the wife are happy with the trip, the destination is simply a direction to set sail towards.

Spoiler: Hijacking that Happy end note...

Sometimes struggling to figure out how to steer the boat is frustrating. Sometimes the ship gets hit by a storm. Sometimes the boat needs to go into port to resupply. I think this analogy has been strained enough! Good luck on your project and I hope you have success in sharing it!

 

[bgillisp]

@Titris Thrawns : If you're worried about that, you could always make a short game which focuses on one item of your main game and one item only. To give you an example, I made a short little 20 map dungeon crawler, where the entire focus was battle. No story, nothing. Just pick a party, and slog your way to the end and stay alive. This way I both got experience making a game to the end, and it was something relevant to my big project still.

As to the OP's question: I'd be leery of releasing a game based on feedback from one close family member. Often times they don't want to tell you if your work is bad, even when it is. I'd consider getting feedback from a few others. Maybe see if you can make a demo of what you have so far, and post the demo on the forums? That way you get feedback from someone who isn't close to you and afraid of maybe hurting your feelings.

 

[djDarkX]

Yeah, I'm doing what @bgillisp did and working on a short game this time around. My ideas were far too grand in scope before and thus I stopped very early in development. I know the goal, I know how to meet it, the player can have a good time and it'll be short, but hopefully a good experience.

 

[sabao]

Completing small, free games can build your reputation as a developer. I didn't know the story behind Cave story so @djDarkX reinforces a free game can become popular and then have a commercial bent added later. This decision really depends on what you want to do with your completed game; ask people to spend their time playing it or convince people that it is worth their money and time to play it. Either way, you'll have to 'market' it.

I can answer this!

A lot of people endorse starting several small projects first because first it nets you experience in the entire dev cycle and second because trying your hand at different things exposes you to several things that buckling down on a single project for years may not teach you (although the inverse to the latter is also true).

Sharing your games will in turn provide you the opportunity of receiving feedback from other people who will likely be much more honest with their opinions than friends/family as @bgillisp points out. Sometimes it's very hard to catch faults in things we make ourselves, so input from other parties can be insightful. Sharing the game for free makes it that much easier for everyone to try your game out.

Also, people discover you. If they like your work well enough, they may just be interested in your next one. Khan Gao built his stock in forums like this with games like Quintessence before he made To The Moon. Matt Glanville made the Legion Saga series and now he's worked on stuff like the Oddworld: New n Tasty. Shadows of Adam was made by folks that met in the old RM2k community, GamingW.

That said, just keep doing what you're doing and keep building. I'm pretty confident I caught all the opportunities that I did because I was building a portfolio people could look at. I've yet to build a game I'd call my masterpiece or my life's greatest work, but with each new project completed I feel I'm inching closer toward that goal.

 

[Kes]

I'm going to start from a somewhat different angle. You say that you want your game to be known. Your wife says that unless it is commercial, it will not be known.

That is factually untrue. There are a great many free games that have had a couple of thousand (and more) downloads. Equally, there are commercial games that have sold less than 100. "Commercial" does not translate seamlessly into "well known".

There is another thread going on at the moment which includes some posting saying how dispiriting it is to put up a game thread and it gets lots of views, but no comments. It is worth thinking about why that is (from the point of view of getting your game known). I will leave to one side all the obvious points about having a quality game, well presented. To some extent you get out what you put in. If someone never comments on other peoples' games, never tries to answer help questions, or join in general discussions, it is not (imo) surprising if their own game gets little attention. Becoming known as a person is a great help to having your game well known.

 

[Nantas]

In fact my wife would hardly be too much kind with me if I do something wrong ^^
I am making a demo but my problem is that I've created my game in french, so I have to translate it in english first before making it appear on this forum... But I really really want to show you what I'm able to do.

I don't plan to earn money for my game, so I think I will keep it free as I wanted it to be first.

Maybe one day I will take a break and start a small project in order to be known from people here ^^ But I think that a demo can do that job well too.

All that makes me feel that making a game is finally not necessary the thoughest work...

 

[HarmonyGames]

As long as you're happy with the progress & the result of your game, it's worthy.