Making Money Off Of Unity

Hello guys!

So I've been using Unity for awhile now and am coming across a space in my life where I'm needing money for college. Given my current job at McDonald's doesn't always exactly pay what I wish it did I was hoping I could sell one of my games, or release a game free with a purchasable DLC.

I'm currently using the free version of Unity as well as the student version of 3Ds Max.

Is there any possible way that using these tools and making a game could get me anywhere? If so, how?

Thanks,
James

 

It's absolutely possible. Take advantage of the time you have now to put everything you've got into it, and if you happen to hit it right you can indeed make money with it. It's also possible to not make a cent, but if you like making games then at least you'll have fun doing it.

Someone like me, I sort of have a rep around here for being discouraging about getting into games, especially for money. I've been at it for a long time and I need to make quite a bit from development, which puts a slight damper on my general enthusiasm level. I'm trying hard to change that now and I think if you're in a position where you have a roof over your head and it's paid for regardless of how much money you may or may not make with games, then hell yeah give it your best shot.

Good luck.

 

It's possible but unless you have the skills to create a game or two a month with addictive or fresh gameplay with zero or very limited budget I would so not to quit at McDonalds since sadly chances of you getting decent and steady income from games are pretty slim to none. It's possible to earn some money with IAP and ads but without a hit game your game will quickly disappear among the hundreds of other games released daily.

 

Hard work, dedication, long hours, and a lot of luck.

 

Assuming you've got the programming and design skills, you'll also need marketing skills. That's how you get people aware of your product.

 

While possible, it will not be legal as far as I know (IANAL) to use the student edition of 3DS Max for a commercial project. I'd recommend switching to Blender (as it is well within your price range...being free and all ) for your artwork.

 

You can't use ANY Autodesk student versions to make money profit. Any work made with student version can't be used commercially.

Agree, if you are here for money, maybe give up and do something else what actually can bring you money.

 

I think you may have an easier time getting a better job with your skills than you would turning a buck with Unity.

 

If you were going to make a fortune off if independent game dev you already would have. It takes a particularly special person to combine the skills, tenacity and luck required to make significant cash on their own. Most people are better off working for someone else.

That doesn't preclude you from trying to get a job making someone else's games.

 

YUP!

Don't let the fact that you HAVE a job stop you from looking for better jobs. It's WAY easier to get a new job if you have a job than it is to if you're unemployed.

Also, Chris Rock pretty much sums up minimum wage jobs perfectly:

 

It is my strong belief that just about anyone is able to make a living selling games. It may take a particularly special person, but mostly anyone can become that person. The thing is - it takes a lot of effort. It takes a lot of patience, a lot of dedication, a lot of time, a lot of learning, a lot of failing, a lot of misery and frustration, and sometimes a lot of fighting through becoming demotivated. It takes a special person to get through all of that without quitting.

For me, I keep it as my goal: to make a living off selling games. However, I do think it's not the smartest idea to rely entirely on it. Because you never know if you're going to give up because it's too much for you, or how long it's going to take to make a game that's going to work, or what's going to happen in the future in general.

So, I plan to get a job working for someone else and keep my personal projects as a side hobby. This way, if the personal project fails, you still have a backup. And that's probably the best way to go about it. You just have to take advantage of any free time you can get to put into your personal projects.

 

Don't down on McDonalds jobs...at least not yet. I am currently a department manager in North Texas, not even in charge of a store, but more of what you would call an Assistant Manager. I work 45 hours a week, and make around $17 per hour, plus the last 5 hours are OT. My point is that it isn't the dead end some make it out to be.

I would much rather make money off gamedev, but I have to feed my family. It isn't the rosy pasture some people make gamedev out to be, but it isn't all that bad either. There are plenty of "middle of the road" people who aren't making it big, but at the least are able to support themselves. Not everybody makes minecraft, but with some work, determination, and some luck, it is possible to scratch out a living, at least to start with. But don't abandon a secure paying job until gamedev is as secure, and you have lots of savings just in case.

 

Apparently we have different definitions of dead end

 

You're pretty fortunate. The non-manager positions in my area (Central Virginia) are minimum wage. Or $7.25 per hour.

 

Always find it interesting why Unity attracts so many people into making games to make money. I mean I am sure all of the press rambling on about Minecraft, Flappy Birds and so forth has a lot to do with people connecting making money with making games to begin with. Somehow Unity seems by far to get those people though.

 

Interesting point. It got me thinking. My personal perspective is that game dev has been my career since 1994 so yes, absolutely, I make games for money. I have to. Game development (my own games and development for clients) is my sole source of income.

Unity, for me, is just a tool that helps me do my job. One tool in a long line of many tools over the years, for a job that I'm skilled and trained in and have over a decade of experience with. For a lot of other people, making money with Unity and game development is like a golden ticket they hope to find, and some are even convinced they'll find it.

Sure, there are outliers who hit it big and make millions, but there are tons more people putting everything they have into it and make nothing, and there are tons of people who have put in the time, the money, and the drive to make a living at it.

A lot of newcomers only see the big winners, and don't seem to see that game development is like any other job. You have to pay your dues if you want to truly make anything out of it.

It's free. Easy peasy.

 

Survivorship bias. No one ever hears of or plays failed games. If they did, the games wouldn't have failed.

That and the young kids dream of making it rich just by being smarter.

 

If you got income you should take that money and use it to buy art, music for your game. It costs money to make money. If you have money use it to make more money.

The minimum wage here is $12.5 an hour (if your working from home).

 

It's possible to make a living purely off making your own games, but you have to be some combination of:
1) Very hardworking
2) Very lucky
3) Very well-connected
4) Very skilled

So the other indie developers who don't meet those combined requirements (98%+ at a guess) would make a lot less overall than what you'd be making at McDonald's. Also the thing about development is, it'll take usually months of time and money before you make 1 cent back. I definitely wouldn't give up your job until you someday get close to making decent profits on a game.

The other option is to work for other people/other companies. Then you can live off a salary or contract, and gain more experience while you're at it.

If someone was focussed on making money as their main goal in life, I would not recommend game development as the chances of getting rich from it are slim for most. A lot of us do it on the side with another paying job, or in a company.

Also as the others mentioned it's illegal to use student versions commercially.

Good luck.

 

As an aside, comparing indie game development to working at McDonald's is hardly fair. If you have the skills and aptitude to develop games their are other fields that pay far more for the skills then fast food.

 

Yup, I agree with most points above, and feel quite fortunate to be making this much in what is basically managing a burger flipping job. I would prefer gamedev, but until it pays the bills, I'm fortunate to have a viable alternative.

 

I don't think there is anything wrong with working on a small indie game in your free-time while working a day-job you don't especially like. Quitting your day job and going "all in" with an indie game (especially if you are not already an accomplished developer) is madness. Your first game will probably not be any good. Maybe your first few games won't be. But you learn and get better. I think it's certainly possible for anyone to jump in and have a breakout game, but it's not easy. There are lots of factors, and even if you have the most skilled team your game could still fail due to timing, bad luck., etc.

A better idea may be to build your skills and try to get a job working for someone else. Even if you make a few commercially unsuccessful games, they can be good portfolio pieces if they look nice or are fun to play. Getting into a big name studio is probably not easy at all, but there are smaller shops that may be willing to take on an unknown junior-level employee. You could also consider doing freelance work over the internet, but you'll still need to prove somehow that you have the skills.

So I guess what I'm saying is: don't quit your job, work on your game on your off hours, and even if you can't make enough money off the game it may open some doors to getting a better job. Hope that helps.

 

Because, press and everybody else talks about only "one in a million" successful game. Automatically everybody think they can do next hit, and get rich!

Was a time when Quake 2, was a true hit, and everybody else was doing a quake clone, nothing else. From all of them, only Valve made a hit with Half Life. I don't remember any notable other games made with the engine, but I remember was zillions of clones.

See.. history repeats somehow, this days everybody want to do an MMO

I am still waiting for next big thing to define the next level in gaming

 

The way I looked at it when I considered going fulltime was am I capable(be honest) of producing something I as a player would want to play(keeping in mind what the competition looks like). At the time it was no - not really. If I can't make a compelling experience that my biased self would play it's not time to throw away the day job just yet.

 

When I've asked myself that same question it's been a yes, but when I've asked myself if I could stay motivated enough to work on a game all day instead of playing the Witcher or something, that was a no
Fortunately both my day job and hobby both involve Unity so at least I have experience in development. Having a full time job in other fields (albeit similar), has helped me develop other skills I wouldn't have, though.
The steady income from a wage is too necessary for me right now and for the foreseeable future.

 

Yeah I hear you, and now that my skills have gotten much better, I have a 2 year old and a wife so that put me into a whole different mindset. I'm still interested in starting my own business but I will lay the groundwork for many years first.

 

Exactly my intentions too, life gets in the way far too often to just be able to go out and 'wing' something like that.

 

Well as for where I'm coming from being a senior in high school whose leading 3 different robotics teams, McDonald's has decided it be best to cut back my hours to a steady 0. So no matter how much it pays me, no hours = no money.

 

I'm not necessarily going for big bucks here. I just need to start rolling in some money to get me to a point where my college scholarships will take up the rest.

 

Mind you I'm not going after a career in game development. I just need some extra money to get me to college.

 

Ugh. Zero hour contracts suck. They are currently in the process of becoming illegal here, which will be nice for anyone that does fast food for a living.

Making your own game might work. Doing free lance contracting for someone else's game is also an option. Look at tutoring to, I made some decent play money at uni by tutoring local high school students in my area of expertise.

 

If you're in the US, you can start finding paid internships your first year of college. And if you like the place, and they like you, it can often turn into a part-time job. Sure it might be line-of-business instead of game dev, but it pays and is valuable experience nonetheless.

If you want better paying part-time work that isn't an internship and isn't fast-food, see if any welding/fabrication shops are hiring (and if they're willing to teach on the job). The pay is usually pretty good, and having job experience outside of software dev is also pretty useful*.

*case-in-point: cattle farming and welding helped me nail my interview for my current job by being interesting and helping the interviewer (VP of programming) remember me by name. YMMV

 

You will not roll in money with game dev. Especially if you are new and want to learn, you will spent more money that you may think also.

If you are here for money, and new to game dev, any other job will bring you more money.

If you are here for making games as a hobby, you may roll some money in one day.