I often see many independent developers oscillating between work and dream, and hesitating. As a 16-year-old (2000-year-old) gamer, I feel it is necessary to provide some advice to young people or friends who plan to enter independent development.
Income
Many people care about income, so let me talk about it, personal observation is for reference only, there will be a relatively large gap; between 2011 and 2013, there are fewer independent developers, and large companies have not fully joined the mobile trend, a medium The average income of developers at the level should be around 5K-10K/month. From 2013 to the present, competition may intensify. Large companies monopolize traffic. In addition, there are more and more learning materials. Young practitioners Lu Yi are determined to join independent development. Even less, it is estimated that the average income of most independent developers is now 1K-5K.
Let me talk about the landlord's own situation and the situation of some independent developers observed: Economic: The landlord has been captured by this free thought trend since he contacted independent development in 2011, but it was delayed until 2016 before the landlord developed full-time independent development, to put it bluntly. , In a big company, the income is good, first pave the way out (for example, if you can stabilize in the city where you are located, and the pension has a certain scale), and then pursue your dreams, this is the landlord's plan (also recommend independent developers); if not If there is enough economic retreat, it is difficult for you to develop games happily under various pressures. If independent game development is very hard and loses its fun, then you might as well go to work in a company. So let's talk about income, independent development is very unstable. When the landlord's 12-year-old game was newly released, his monthly income was tens of thousands. Now, one or two thousand is the norm. Think about it if you didn't pave a way out and act rashly. , will now be passive.
lifestyle
Completely changed, completely free, time, space, and contacts are completely determined by you. You can develop at home today, or you can develop in a hotel in Southeast Asia with a laptop tomorrow; I feel that no matter how much money I give, I no longer want to go to the company. I went to work, because I have worked in the company for more than 10 years, and it is like the feeling of being locked in a prison. I sleep until I wake up naturally, and eat until I feel full; later I found that I was too free and had to set a schedule for myself, such as going to climb a mountain on Wednesday or something; because independent development does not need to expand my network, I can’t reach many people, naturally There is also less comparison mentality, but instead calmly be yourself.
Operating mode
In fact, there is a lot to know about developing games, but if it is an independent development, the landlord is an individual, so you need to learn all the development links. Fortunately, the landlord has an artistic background, has been in the industry for a long time, and has spent time in various fields. Programming is self-taught in the company , You can build a game only after you learn the company. The development process varies from person to person, but the landlord has never made a plan. Sometimes he pretends to write an exel table, but later he finds that he can't read it at all, and then he can do whatever he wants. , As for whether it is good or not, benevolence and wisdom have seen each other. I think this is also a development style, and there is no way to win.
As for the future
The landlord believes that it is more important to expand his horizons and understand new fields, and to be familiar with the market; of course, if the game industry needs new blood, the landlord is more interested, and he is very interested in the international vision landlord. In fact, the main game users of the landlord are Southeast Asia, India, There are many users in Brazil, Russia and other regions. In fact, the landlords rarely download these long-term domestic games. As we all know, this is caused by traffic monopoly. Regarding the domestic game development ecology, the landlord expresses a little regret, no Say more.
Summarize
Maybe everyone can see that once the economic retreat is set up, you can develop independently as you like; the ideological industry is completely released, which is very important.
If the economy is not optimistic, the landlord recommends that you bear the humiliation and bear the burden, at least a little retreat before making rash moves, because if the purpose of independent development is to make money, it is usually impossible to make money. It has also been proved that successful independent developers are more optimistic and positive. People with an upward mentality, if you are very happy in the company, then you'd better treat it as a side business or a hobby.
In other words, independent development is a way of life, not a money-making tool, of course you can make a lot of money, but believe me, a successful indie developer is not interested in making a lot of money because he is already happy Among them.