How is developing working out for you?

Was it rated 17+, because lmao if a 12 year old made an app he isn't technically allowed to buy.

 

So I'm guessing this preteen didn't hire models. I wonder if these pics are copyrighted.

 

They don't, you have to be 18 to register as a developer, but that doesn't prevent a kid asking his parents to create the account in their name.

@Bravetarget I've seen you around on here and another forum, had no idea you were 12, pretty amazing, good job!

 

Replying to the OP,

Age: 32

Size: 1 (One man show) - full time app developer

Budget: USD99 (literally that, cause I borrow this Macbook from a friend to develop, USD99 is for developing license, and i have no other hardware except my old PC running winblows)

Marketing: I do everything - submit to forums, press release (lame one i know), and review sites. Cost = 0.

Time taken for my 1st game: 2 months - doing it all from scratch DIY-style - graphics, animations, sound effects. Cost = 0. I have to admit, developing games is not easy because you gotta compete with so superbly made games that comes from Big companies. even 99cent dont cut out. I am starting to think that Apple should introduce a new price tier - USD0.49. LOL!

Doing: Below average. But I am a positive thinker. I believe I'll get there, by few months, that I'll be able to put food on the table for my family just from this business.

What you can do to help: OMG!!! BUY MY APPS & GAMES!!!! LOLL!!!!!

As for spending $$ for marketing. That's just it. I don't even have revenue yet to invest in marketing. But as far as I have seen, you don't really need a big marketing budget to set off getting good sales. Of course there are few cases that marketing does the job for you, but basically, what you need FIRST is a SOLID IDEA, GOOD, POLISHED, SHINING app.

I do this for a living, and unless I have too much revenue, I don't see why I should invest in marketing. I can't take a risk of losing money right now. Marketing is a gambling business really.

 

It is funny how you say,

But then, go on saying, we.. this.. we.. that.. hehe...

 

When you figure it out be sure to let me know!

I have very few direct costs (basically just hardware + software). I do the code, graphics, and music/fx for all my games and also handle the website/trailers/marketing (for what that's worth). I'm not loosing money out of pocket, but I pay more in terms of time simply because I don't farm out the work. I make much less or no money when working on one of my games vs freelance/contract work. Sometimes it pays off months later, sometimes it doesn't.

 

Team Size: 1
Age: 15
Budget: None. I do everything myself
Marketing Options: Free advertisement in apps/TouchArcade threads, Twitter.
Time it takes to develop a game: Cheese Collect took 26 days. (art and all)

I'm doing alright I guess, nothing big (yet ), but not too bad either.

What you could do to help:

Spread the word, buy Cheese Collect, follow me on Twitter, the usual publicity stuff.

 

Exactly
Check out Bravetarget's post a success story: really? to understand how to make money on the appstore with innovative and well-executed concepts
And do not believe everything you hear: this "12 years" story seems like a cheap advertising.

Woah, child labor!




Out of the out topic
In a not-really-old thread i made (here) i asked a similar questions-i think you will find many interesting infos if you read it
Howewer, if you don't want to crawl through 9 pages of thread the conclusion are:

-poor concepts executed poorly with any budget will not recoup their cost.

-decent concepts executed decently with a (really) small budget will recoup their cost

-poor concepts/copycats executed very well will possibly earn quite a lot

-innovative concepts executed well with a small budget will barely recoup their cost

-innovative concepts executed well with a decent budget (read: outsourcing, polishing) will most likely never recoup their cost. I know this one seems strange-but that's because of the "gold rush" dream that the AppStore raises. For every Ravensword, Minigore or Guerrilla Bob there are thousands of innovative and well executed apps that will fail.



So, the succesfull indie scene is made from a majority of small, cheap, decent apps, and a minority of innovative and big expensive apps. All the rest falls into the huge limbo of the unsuccesfull apps.

Another interesting thing that came out, is that you'll have higher odds of breaking even (and even have a high revenue) if you toss off multiple small apps instead of pointing on a big hit (that will most likely never come unless it's hyped, marketed, or have a lot of luck).


My personal conclusions:
If you're looking for revenue, you can go for many little, innovative, great apps (like LittleWhiteBear's ones, or like the ones from Imangi) or for single better-executed copycats of crappy/decent apps that are already succesfull (not making names here).
If, on the other side, are looking for a personal project that you can be proud of, that you can put in your portfolio to get hired, that will make you happy while doing it, ecc ecc, then go for a big app-even though you'll have higher odds of not making it to break-even point.


Fede

 

We want to do this for a job, we just don't have the means to support ourselves by doing this exclusively yet. We're not suffering as the case may be, we just haven't done enough to bring in the cash. We're transitioning this as something we enjoy into a full time job (so we can leave our regular jobs that we don't care for).

Scraping up money for marketing... to do what? Look around for the threads about failed advertising campaigns and all that. I put out some nationwide press releases and other efforts to no effect, so we're still trying to figure out WHERE to put the marketing money before we put it out there. Why waste money if we don't have to?

Paying ourselves means taking the revenue from sales and giving it to ourselves as living expenses instead of reinvesting it into the company.

Any publicity is good publicity (well, aside from an awful review) so I would be happy there was a youtube review.

 

Age: 25

Size: 2 (both have full time job and develop for part time)

Budget: USD99 for developer license. ~5XX for a mac mini. 2 iphone is for our own use. SO it should not be counted.

Marketing: Submit to forums and review sites. Cost = 0. Actually, we have not do much at other forum or review site. Most effort is put on TA.

Time taken for my 1st game: 5 months. Part-time developing iphone game is really not a good idea. We got concept in August but at least 3 games come out in December play similar to our game. Full time developing will only take 1 month.

Doing: Really poor. We are updating our app and going to realease a Lite version. Hope these will help.

What you can do to help: PLX!!! BUY, RATE and REVIEW OUR GAMES!!!! Uggy
We are still thinking why we are doing really bad. We would be appreciated if you can tell us the reason.

We did not spend any money in Marketing since we are really poor. We love developing game and we hope our game can be a success. However, we really do not have the money to do advertising. LOL!!! We do think our game has good quality so we are going to keep trying hard to make it sell better.

 

hah, I was just looking that up to quote as well.

 

Age: 39
Size: 1 + a friend who helped with the art
Budget: 99$, bought a mac, a 2nd gen ipod, an iphone
Time taken: about a year because I have very little free time
Doing: Fantastic reviews, even got mentioned as one of the 5 best puzzle games in 2009 by TouchGen. Sales, not so great. Haven't completely paid for the stuff above.
Help: Get Apple to feature my game

 

Regarding Bravetarget

This kid is dynamite. He deserves praise nothing else. If all 12 year olds were this motivated and gifted our old age security cheques would be guaranteed. What I really like about this 12 year old is the fact that he doesn't appear to be hiding in his mom's basement. He seeks confrontation and spreads the word about his apps in an arrogant and confident manner.

 

as mentioned by others - i don't think he is 12 just playing that card for discussion purposes, users will check him and his applications out now (how do we know that he is even male?) if he is under 18; his parents would have to sign up for the developer account - affecting their taxes as well. not everything you read on the internet is true.

have you fallen for the trap and picked up his apps because you think he is a talented 12 year old? you:0, him:1 - great sales/marketing of course; he could be 12 too

 

I will admit I looked up his apps for the sole reason he is(or said he is) 12. Didn't buy though, the apps are no use to me. But still kudos for making money reguardless of age.

 

Age: 37
Size: 93 Kg. (Yes, that's just one person thank you very much!)
Budget: Probably close to 1K by now, that includes no hardware as I haven't actually bought any new gear exclusively for the developing stuff.
Time taken: Lost track, but something like 18 months I believe. All part time though.
Marketing: Tried some small magazine ads, Lots of press-releases and have a spot on TA coming up. Been tweeting like mad, blogging, participating in these and other forums, sent mails and sacrificed a small goat. (Don't worry it was really old*).
Doing: Pretty much redefined the word failure with my Fumbers release.

Not worrying too much though, loving every minute of it and as 3 of 4 of my apps have been true crap I have no reason to complain. I figure it's all part of the learning experience. Both learning the actual developing side of things, but also trying to figure out just what makes a hit. No point asking me though, I am obviously without even the smallest part of a clue whatsoever. If there's one thing I have learned over the years it is to lower my expectations when it comes to other peoples interest in my creative escapades.


*Yes I'm just kidding!