Indie Income Inquiry #3

The Indie Income Inquiry is a small series that I do to give new developers a look into potential earnings as a contract worker and/or independent developer. Some months are great, others aren’t, but I’m hoping to give a clear picture of what is possible for those eager to make ends meet using Game Maker: Studio (and/or similar products).

It has been a few months since I have done one of these, but many have asked about INK sales, so I figured that this was as good a time as any.

Overview

As usual, it has been a busy month. I spent most of April working on a small game called INK. It took me about three weeks to develop (20-30 hours a week). After the release of INK, I got started on my full time project with Sandy Gordon and was asked to do all of the code on a small contract gig.

Developing and monetizing your hobbies/passions

Recently, I was on a podcast called, Mr. Pod (watch that HERE). We talked very briefly about what I have done to monetize my passion, personally. Later, I mention that I have a book/E-book in the works and I’d like to discuss that here.

What I want to create is a guide or a blueprint for people who don’t quite fit into the typical, “job” or workforce system. This is for creative people who would prefer to make money doing what they enjoy rather than find a day job.

Indie Income Inquiry #2

Most of you who follow me on Twitter and read my blog posts know me strictly as the dude who makes a bunch of stuff in Game Maker Studio and tweets piles of GIFs each night. You’d be correct in thinking that these things are a big part of my life, but I’d like to start posting more about what I call ‘new-age lifestyles’ and where I think people should be looking if they want to monetize their passions.

More on this very soon, but for now, I leave you with my income report for the month of November.

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I got a lot done this month and even had enough time to commit my weekend to the #IndiesVsPewDiePie game jam. You can check that out over on GameJolt. If interested, you can vote for my entry by playing it and giving it a positive rating.

Patreon

Hi all,

I have decided to give Patreon.com a shot. Creating and maintaining this blog has really been a treat for me. The overwhelmingly positive feedback that I have received has certainly had an effect on my productivity. I would LOVE for this to allow me to work on games and Game Maker assets full time and that is why I am turning things over to Patreon.

http://www.patreon.com/ZackBellGames

Indie Income Inquiry #1.5

I posted my first entry of this series HERE. I posted that prior to the end of the month. This is an update to that entry.

This is for anyone who was interested in both my marketplace asset sales and my contract work.

1) Marketplace sales increased from roughly $370 to $630.51 within the last week and a half of October. This is probably due to the high traffic sent through this blog and my Twitter page (since the last update my following has increased from 650 to 815+).

2) My contract work is all said and done. I am now accepting contract work.

Thanks all,

-Z

Indie Income Inquiry #1

Several years ago, I decided that I wanted to live off of my work as a game developer. I didn’t know what to expect, how to prepare for it, or where to ask for help. I am finally to the point where I feel comfortable being completely transparent about my work and about my income. This has led me to the idea of The Indie Income Inquiry!

My goal is to create a give-and-take regarding independent game developers and their insight(s) on how to make money, find work, and survive in the current marketplace. I will first offer my monthly report and hope that a few people contact me with their information. In Indie Income Inquiry #2 I will share what I have gathered!