119 replies to this topic

[Gupocca]

I read through the first couple of pages and ignoring the rest( sorry ) i have to say it doesn't really take time and experience to make a good game. You just have to make a game that people want to play, and it can be the most simplistic idea ever for a game yet become instantly popular.

Simple ideas are great. However, many of these ideas are easier to come by if you have experience in thinking up such ideas. Still, it often takes some time weeding out bad ideas until you find something which will be fun, playable... etc.

Once you've got an interesting idea, it will still take some effort for it to be successful, while your post seemed to imply that not even the slightest effort is necessary. If that were the case, YoYo Games would be flooded with only good games.

Edited by Gupocca, 27 August 2010 - 03:50 PM.

[yalmic]

Well that's true enough as long as it doesn't look ugly.

[matty_richo]

Surprised this wasn't mentioned.
I believe Meiun has made in excess of a thousand dollars in donations. Most of which went to paying for the server. But that was very successful and I believe in was in magazines, and on TV, it was also a popular game on onrpg for a while.
Stick Online

[Smilodon]

After all the game maker games that attempt to become popular, does anyone know of one that has actually succeeded?

I dont say this out of criticism, but I have always wondered because I have seen so many failed that i think it would be an inspiration and just plain cool to see one that has actually made it out of the "hobbiest" section with a non professional game making tool ( no offense at all to game maker, I personally love it).

If anyone knows a game like this could you please share! And moderators, I was not sure if this would be okay for this section, so feel free to move it or delete/close the topic.

In my school Death Worm is a massivley popular game piles of people play it during class

[Me the III]

In my school Death Worm is a massivley popular game piles of people play it during class

Mine too! Coincidence?

[Un_t0uch]

Spelunky.

[Rexhunter99]

I've heard about 65 million and one BC outside of the GMC, a number of people who mentioned it to me had known it was made with GameMaker and had purchased it... though that doesn't technically answer the OPs question.

[FortyEightKay]

I made a c**p midi karaoke player and have had 20,000 downloads in the last year.
On running the program it takes the user to my website where I sell music. I generate about $25 a day, which is nice.

48K

[Unsung Hero]

I know someone has already said this but Gang Garrison 2, although being freeware, is a very popular game with a lot of fans. In fact, it even has its own website and forum! People make tons of servers on it and there's always at least SOMEONE playing it, even when it's late. I consider it very successful, but it is not a financial success because it's freeware.

So far, it is the best game I has ever seen made with Game Maker, and even beats Iji in my opinion. However, both are very good games made with GM.

[Hockeyflyers]

In my school Death Worm is a massivley popular game piles of people play it during class

Mine too! Coincidence?

Mine too. I was surprised to see someone playing it (on their phone) because I remembered playing for a while and it was a game maker game. The one he was playing on his phone was definitely slightly different with different graphics. It was also a popular remade in flash...

[Dark Matter]

Since this topic has just been bumped anyway, I may as well post this. 2DCube's done quite well off GM, it seems.

[Unsung Hero]

Ummm...for GM games you could try the GM creations? Have you tried that? Or check out my signature for Gang Garrison 2, which is a side-scrolling multiplayer online shooter also made in GM.

[nxs]

Spelunky by Derek Yu is very successful and is made in Game Maker.

[JamesA]

In my school Death Worm is a massivley popular game piles of people play it during class

Mine too! Coincidence?

Mine too xD that game is addictive

[JamesA]

Spelunky by Derek Yu is very successful and is made in Game Maker.

That game is also going to be on Xbox Live Arcade soon, check out the website

[Super Guy]

Besides the Ipod/iphone apps, I never saw a GM game get all that far.

Besides Splunky, lol.

Edited by Super Guy, 22 June 2011 - 09:25 AM.

[Mr. Aidan R.]

Hi,

Personally, I think that the real challenge lies not in making it out of the website, but to just develop a solid "game".
If your concept and execution is good and well-received, and with a bit of logical marketing, you'll have a big chance of spreading your game to a bigger audience.

So my humble advise would be, don't worrie about publicity and so on, just make sure your game is good.

The best of luck!

[yalmic]

Nobody should really worry about publicity until their game is as good as
the cleaner or spelunky I should think.

[Desert Dog]

Besides the Ipod/iphone apps, I never saw a GM game get all that far.

Besides Splunky, lol.

I seem to recall Cute Knight&Bumps made it to retail stores, if that's your definition of 'far'. I got the impression from hpapillon that it was more trouble than it was worth. All of her games have done well, and rinkuhero's game Immortal Defense has always received positive reviews, and sold a modest amount itself, as he generously disclosed.

And then there is Mr. Smoozles goes nutso, which had some nice reviews on game sites, and then there is good ol' Mr. Chubigans games, Oil Blue seems to have done alright.

These are great games, I wouldn't say that a game got 'further' simply because it became an iphone/pod app.

[hpapillon]

Getting to retail is a lot easier than you might think.

Getting paid for it is a lot harder than you might think.

I'm an old-fashioned girl, I'm more interested in getting paid for my work than in trying to fluff up my business profile. I know someone in a niche near to my own who's been running a 'business' for years and shelling out to go to tradeshows and conventions, more than I do, and bringing much bigger fancier booths than I do... and has no products on sale. At all. Ever. We can only imagine that they are attempting to LOOK like a successful business in the hopes that an ACTUAL successful business will buy them out, and then they can run away laughing. Or something.