Get Rich Playing Games

195 Pages·2007·12.158 MB·English

by  Scott Steinberg

PRAISE FOR GET RICH PLAYING GAMES
“A must-read… The first book on the videogame business that’s
both insightful andentertaining.”
Ed Zobrist
President, Sierra Online
“Finally, a book that shows you how to make all your dreams come
true – and make serious money doing it!”
Brian Fargo, Founder
Interplay and InXile Entertainment
“A home run… touches on all the bases necessary for creating a
winning strategy for success in the videogame field.”
Bill Gardner
President and CEO, Eidos
“There’s a fine line between getting rich and losing your shirt in the
videogame business, so arm yourself with the essential weapons to
succeed: This book’s a cruise missile!”
Charles Bellfield
Vice President, Marketing
Codemasters, Inc.
“Reveals the secrets of playing to win… and how to do it
making great games!”
“Wild Bill” Stealey
Lt. Colonel, USAF Retired
Founder, MicroProse Software and Interactive Magic
“Full of sound advice and priceless resources for those looking to
change the face of gaming.”
Nolan Bushnell,
Founder, Atari, Chuck E. Cheese’s and uWink
GET RICH
PLAYING GAMES
BY
SCOTT STEINBERG
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SCOTT STEINBERG’S
GET RICH PLAYING
GAMES
All Rights Reserved © 2007 by Power Play Publishing
“Creating Hits” © 2007 Steve Allison
“Breaking Into Game Writing” © 2007 Dan Hsu
“Reporting Tips” © 2007 Kyle Orland, David Thomas and Scott Steinberg
Author’s Note, Introduction and all stories © 2007 Scott Steinberg
Cover Illustration Source: IStockphoto
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means – graphic, electronic or mechanical – including photocopying, record-
ing, taping or by any information storage retrieval system, without the written
permission of the publisher.
Published by P3: Power Play Publishing
4045 Five Forks Trickum Rd.
Suite B-8, #244
Lilburn, GA 30047
www.p3pub.com
ISBN 978-1-4303-2028-9
FOREWORD
Curiously, today’s videogame business has founded itself on sequels and hits that
cost literally millions to develop, produce and market. But don’t be fooled by what
you see on TVor in the movies.
The real truth of the matter is that there are many ways to make money in the
field… even if you don’t have a ton of cash sitting around burning a hole in your
pocket. In fact, sometimes capital is a poor substitute for creativity and passion –
something the game industry desperately needs more of, especially now!
Hoping to strike it rich and see your name up in lights, even without technically
ever having played in the big leagues? Allow me to share a trade secret I’ve
learned during my years at the sector’s forefront: Plain and simple innovation is
what drives the field ever forward, expands it and helps it to uncover new markets
and attract new customers. And there’s nothing stopping you from tapping into its
potential, right now, this very minute.
Case in point: Currently,there are over 15 million hardcore gamers and 285 mil-
lion casual gamers. Nonetheless, bizarrely,most of the industry’soutput focuses
on the former audience, leaving literally hundreds of millions of potential buyers
(not to mention the vast majority of the market) out in the cold.
Because of this, there are huge opportunities lurking on the sidelines right outside
of the mainstream gamer demographic just waiting to be tapped. And a fortune
presently sits there untouched, ripe for the taking by those with the insight, talent
and wherewithal to deliver innovative products and services destined to engage
players’attention and spark their passion for interactive enjoyment.
In other words, you’re more likely to land a high score if you take the road less
traveled… So if you have an idea for a new version of a hit product like Madden
NFL,DON’Tattempt to do it! Remember: Madden took hundreds of millions of
dollars’worth of programming hours and hundreds of people supported by a solid
business infrastructure to produce and market. Even if you were to develop a com-
petitive product, simply marketing it alone would cost millions – and then you’ve
still got to go head-to-head with the #1-selling game in its category.
The lesson to be gleaned from these scenarios, not to mention years of real-world
experience, is as follows. If you really want to score big, instead of attempting to
follow in others’tracks, do things your own way, be smart about your business and
look for low-hanging fruit. Doing so can potentially even be as effortless as target-
ing openings in markets that already exist with lower-cost games that, with better
gameplay (or a little tweaking), could easily become tomorrow’s best sellers.
In addition, I’ll also say this: It further pays to know your core skill set, inside and
out, and educate yourself thoroughly in those areas you don’t. Combining multiple
talents and abilities – as well as possessing the know-how to gauge situations from
several perspectives – is vitally important if you ever want to break the bank to
boot.
Ask yourself… Are you a programmer? An artist? What about a level planner or
mod-making expert? Imagine how much more capable you’d be as a combination
of all. Many of today’smost acclaimed producers possess greater talents than sim-
ple job titles convey. As insiders know, the ability to visualize ideas as tangible
graphic representations or edit soundtracks on the fly to better convey desired
moods, for example, can add to any game design.
Furthermore, when it comes to choosing topics to base products or services
around, be sure to think about areas in which you have unique knowledge and can
therefore specialize.
For example: Ever worked at a gas station? How about a restaurant? Diner Dash is
abest-seller – and it’s merely a game about a girl waiting tables. Who knows…
perhaps a title featuring a gas station and its overworked attendants is the next big
thing? Maybe even being a barista at Starbucks – open as the market’s become
today, the sky’s the limit. Consider: There are books filled with games that were
popular in pubs 200 years ago that have yet to be converted into interactive
form… and they’re already proven to have been played and enjoyed by millions.
Inmy opinion, the mother lode you should be questing for isn’t just a game, but a
new game type unto itself. To be specific, one that has not been done before… and
something that new technology allows for the first time. People forget that way
back when, even Tetris was once such a property.
Similarly,Dance Dance Revolutionand Guitar Herostruck a chord with fans by
turning everyday concepts like dancing and guitar-playing into best-selling titles
based on entirely new experiences. Nintendo’s Wii is doing the same thing as we
speak as well, with its motion-sensing controllers rapidly giving way to new types
of interaction and virtual experience. Frankly, the types of controllers and activities
associated with these outings will likely give way to an entirely new era of enter-
tainment and record-breaking profits alone.
Then again, when it comes to financial success, not everything has to be about
software itself… Sometimes, new business models are just as important.
Can an MMO game make sense selling spells for a nickel? What about Halo sell-
ing bullets for a penny? Is there million-dollar potential in cell phones with built-in
GPS abilities that allow for location-based play based on treasure hunts in
Manhattan or live whodunits that sprawl across the entirety of San Francisco?
Who knows, but these days, such ideas don’t seem so far-fetched, and both brazen
entrepreneurs and old-world media titans are waiting with bated breath alongside
one another to find out.
The main point I’m trying to get across being simply this. The world consistently
hungers for new and fun experiences – and no matter how and where they’re
delivered, it’s always willing to pay for the good ones. Knowing this, as game
enthusiasts, developers, fans, marketers and executives, not to mention fiscally-
responsible individuals, it’s our job to champion the cause of innovation and help
bring it to market.
Take what you will from the following manuscript, full as it is of sound advice and
priceless resources for those looking to change the face of gaming as we know it
today. Ultimately, the most important thing is that no matter how future ventures
pan out, we always have as much fun taking part in them as our customers – and
probably more, if anyone’s counting.
Nolan Bushnell
Founder of Atari, Chuck E. Cheese’sand uWink
AUTHOR’S NOTE
So you want to be rich, right? Congratulations – you’ve come to the right place!
But before starting down the golden road, let’s be up-front. As you’ll soon see
from the following collection of assorted essays, how-to articles, interviews and
editorials, there’sonly one constant when it comes to commercialism. Specifically:
For any lone, individual gamer or software development/publishing company,
there is no one surefire path to profitability.
Certainly, the advice and insight contained herein presents a singular record of sev-
eral men and women’s quest for, and achievement of, record financial gain and
stardom in the $13.5 billion videogame field. (An industry that brings in more than
Hollywood, for those counting… Although astute readers will note that a $600
PlayStation 3 and $60 game do cost more than a $10 ticket and concessions, even
if a large popcorn will set you back, what, $125 now?)
However,you should never lose sight of the most important maxim: Despite what
you may think, in most cases, for these and countless other would-be entrepreneurs
with IPOs dancing in their eyes, it’sseldom really about the cash. Those who
break the bank gaming generally do so because of a passion they share for this
groundbreaking creative medium and rugged determination to pick themselves up
and succeed no matter the cost. Even if that means risking everything and losing it,
then suffering the pain and ignominy of living to tell the tale.
What’s more, learning to write your own chapter in the pages of interactive history
is half the fun. Therefore the best professional lessons I, or anyone else, can ever
provide you are simply don’tstop believing, never quit trying and remember the
people and ideals you came up with – not to mention never lose sight of what
inspired you to greatness in the first place.