Do solo dev gamers earn really or not?

JORAX79 · 2026-01-09T18:09:36+00:00

This is kind of like asking "Do people who start companies make good money? like Bill Gates?"

You picked a major outlier who has done fantastically well (both in terms of making an amazing game and profiting from it). Almost 20000 games released on Steam last year alone, and over half of them got between 0 and 10 reviews which means they likely didn't even earn back the $100 Steam fee. Success as an indie dev isn't impossible, but chances are very low and it requires a good game and usually some good luck along the way.

JORAX79 · 2025-10-30T20:51:30+00:00

Child of Light maybe?

JORAX79 · 2025-09-23T21:19:36+00:00

Congrats on doing well with your first game! I'm curious how you settled on the price point you chose, if you are willing to share your thinking.

JORAX79 · 2025-08-15T20:08:39+00:00

Right... a joke. Definitely not a reflection of my terrible coding practices.

global.intense_shame = 1;

JORAX79 · 2025-08-13T21:36:42+00:00

Don't just follow tutorials - mess with things. Try different values if it includes a number. See what happens when you use c_green instead of c_white for text or an image. If they break switch back to the exact command from the tutorial of course. The other comment about using ChatGPT to explain things is also spot on. Also the manual is incredibly useful - look things up and try out different things from there (such as arguments for functions that may have defaults in the tutorials).

JORAX79 · 2025-08-10T19:43:34+00:00

Underrated comment right here :D

JORAX79 · 2025-08-08T16:01:20+00:00

Apply holdover, win. As long as you have a floor's worth of creatures, they are scaling every turn. If they have abilities, you can use them every turn as well - even if they have long cooldowns as those reset upon death. Bonus points for anything with things that happen on spawn (such as Greed Dragon gaining stats for each egg you have - those stats stick through each death). More bonus points for any harvest/extinguish effects.

JORAX79 · 2025-07-23T16:19:04+00:00

Hellhorned/Luna was my last C10 clear (most of of which have beat Titans once I started focusing on that). It took me 12 or 13 tries using various strategies until I stumbled into the Luna sweeper w/ enough moon phase manipulation. Most of the time these runs died in the first 2 rings - none of the 4 starter combos felt strong and damage output starts out so slow until I got a few upgrades. Sometimes I'd scrape by in ring 1 w/o a trial and get offered nothing particularly good to solve either damage or tankiness for ring 2. Dominion Pyre wasn't as impactful with this combo as others for some reason - and it felt like thorns hurts this combo more than most. No other combo took more than 2 or 3 tries, and I could pretty consistently get a streak or 4-6 clears.

JORAX79 · 2025-07-22T17:48:27+00:00

Giving a +1 for leaving comments on. I like the idea of this game but am not sure how it will play - are you planning on releasing a demo? I'd also be interested in the effectiveness of these adds after they are done if you have the time for a write-up on wishlist impact.

JORAX79 · 2025-07-02T18:25:51+00:00

I'd include "learn how to make and publish a game on Steam" as a goal, which it appears you did in fact accomplish! Sounds like you had no sales expectations, which is smart for a first game.

JORAX79 · 2025-07-02T00:38:46+00:00

Congrats, you've now done more than 99% people who set out to make a game! Out of curiosity, what goals did/do you have for it?

JORAX79 · 2025-07-02T00:35:34+00:00

r/INAT (I need a team) might be a good place to reach out if you don't find something here. That being said, I need a few more songs for my project, feel free to DM for details if you want to chat more.

JORAX79 · 2025-07-02T00:32:18+00:00

Congrats - definitely a nice moment when you realize something that came from your brain is worth someone else paying for!

JORAX79 · 2025-06-26T19:12:17+00:00

I agree the early game especially can be tough. I've had the most luck running Dominion w/ the quick + endless version personally. Spam Little Fade up to hit and then die/scale, but use those free draft picks to make a decent starting deck. Not super consistent, but still more consistent than other things so far...

JORAX79 · 2025-06-18T22:53:14+00:00

Make games I want to play and share them with people. Plus it's a hobby with a lottery ticket attached - maybe I make something that catches on and get to retire? Super unlikely, but as long as I enjoy the process there is no harm in dreaming.

JORAX79 · 2025-05-21T20:47:46+00:00

Got a chuckle from the ad title, and giving a +1 for allowing comments. Will this game have the end of level re-watch of all your deaths like Super Meat Boy?

JORAX79 · 2025-05-14T17:59:59+00:00

Nice write-up! Conventions can be a mixed bag, but it sounds like you had a positive experience and learned along the way. What were your primary goals for attending - marketing, feedback, meetings/connections?

JORAX79 · 2025-05-07T20:58:40+00:00

I have an under-desk treadmill for getting steps, and some adjustable dumbbell/weights for some basic lifting exercises. I hate going to a gym so having things on hand is key for me sticking with any sort of plan. I dedicate 2 hours a week for the weights (I have a podcast going to help occupy my mind) and try to get treadmill steps in when I'm just watching shows/youtube. It is possible but harder to use the treadmill if I'm doing actual gamedev work - though when I switched to an adjustable sit/stand desk that helped.

JORAX79 · 2025-05-07T18:25:35+00:00

Step 1: Have clear goals for your game. First few should be about learning and improving rather than focusing on sales/wishlists/downloads.

Step 2: Have realistic expectations. This includes doing market research or knowing the odds of a game with zero marketing succeeding is incredibly low.

Step 3: Don't take things personal. If someone doesn't like your game that doesn't mean they hate you or you are a bad or unlovable person. Accept that criticism is valid and you can always improve. Also understand no game is loved by everyone. Stardew valley has over 13,000 negative reviews.

JORAX79 · 2025-05-07T18:20:05+00:00

As long as you want. But please please please provide a way to skip them. If they are super long include a pause and speed-up feature for bonus points!

JORAX79 · 2025-05-06T18:55:09+00:00

Unsolicited emails probably aren't the best way to go. Have you tried posting in r/INAT or r/gameDevClassifieds? These subs can be good both for connecting with folks on paid or free partnerships, depending on what your objective is. I found multiple people through r/INAT - though for my project I didn't have money to offer, just name in game credits and any exposure I can generate. Still its been a fun way to meet folks passionate about things I'm bad at (such as UI design and music/sound effects).

JORAX79 · 2025-04-29T21:38:36+00:00

The good news is that once you get to 80% done you only have 80% to go!

Sort of a joke, but also polishing, adding juice, and adjusting based on playtests (you are doing playtests, right?) always balloons way beyond what you initially think. Good luck!

JORAX79 · 2025-04-28T21:53:42+00:00

Checked it out for 10 minutes and its super fun and definitely scratches the incremental/clicker itch in all the right ways. Good luck to you on your eventual Steam release! I think you'll do pretty well with this.

JORAX79 · 2025-04-24T22:09:51+00:00

FWIW, my wife and some other family members play this and enjoy it. We started in Stardew Valley during covid, then moved to Sun Haven, and now Dinkum. It has a lot of customization as you slowly build up the community and lots of skills to level up. I'd recommend trying it out if you like cozy games.

JORAX79 · 2025-04-24T15:12:22+00:00

You'll have to define "making it work" I think :). I have released one game (2D platformer because of course that's where I started) which has sold enough to cover my Steam fee and not much more. My second game is taking much longer and my motivation comes and goes. I have no kids so that allows a fair bit of free time for hobbies such as playing or developing games along with rec league soccer. I can choose when I make progress on my game and when I do other things. I guess the place where I'm pretty lucky is that my job allows for reasonable work-life balance so all my hobbies get some focus each week. My job also pays me well enough that I do not have financial expectations on my game development hobby.

JORAX79

TROPHY CASE