66 replies to this topic

[King Tetiro]

During my secondary school, I had no dream. Nothing. All I did was play games. But I found GM and started playing with it. I then decided to make my dream to become a game developer.

This was over 8 years ago. This year, I finished university. For my major project, I developed a role playing game engine that would work on mobile phones and I used GM and then GMS to develop the game engine. I did this with the risk that if the markers didn't like GM, I would definitely fail.

But half an hour ago, I got my final results. It turns out I got 67/100 for Project. This means I got a University grade of a 2:1 for that unit. I also got 83/100 for my Video Game Design, which I developed a 3D game with GM in.

Overall, I got a 2:1 on my final year results. What this means is that because of GM which I used to develop half of my final year work in, I can now get a job and start to fulfil my dreams.

So I'd like to say two words. Two words that everyone in this community should have said a long time ago.

Thank You.

Thank you Overmars and YYG for producing this software and giving me a future. A future which I can look forward with my head held high. And you also helped me become a skilled programmer as well.

(I will be releasing what I developed for free for others to see. In due time)

Edited by King Tetiro, 15 July 2012 - 11:05 PM.

[Takagi]

But half an hour ago, I got my final results. It turns out I got 67/100 for Project. This means I got a University grade of a 2:1 for that unit. I also got 83/100 for my Video Game Design, which I developed a 3D game with GM in

A 67/100 isn't that good, at least to me... is the class graded differently than in the average American system?

But still, congrats! It's very cool to see GM used in school!

[Davve]

You're welcome.

[King Tetiro]

But half an hour ago, I got my final results. It turns out I got 67/100 for Project. This means I got a University grade of a 2:1 for that unit. I also got 83/100 for my Video Game Design, which I developed a 3D game with GM in

A 67/100 isn't that good, at least to me... is the class graded differently than in the average American system?

But still, congrats! It's very cool to see GM used in school!

The grading goes like this in the UK

40-49 = 3rd = D
50-59 = 2:2 = C
60-69 = 2:1 = B
70+ = 1st = A

[Futhark]

Congrats!

Looking forward to seeing the final project.

[True Valhalla]

What this means is that because of GM which I used to develop half of my final year work in, I can now get a job and start to fulfil my dreams.

Why get a job when you could earn a living with GM? That's what I've been trying to do anyway, and GM Studio has made that a lot easier. A single GM game now has the potential to make you a millionaire. I'm not exaggerating.

[Lune]

I used GameMaker for a lot of my university projects as well. Great stuff there! I always had a lot more free time than my peers.

Now to develop that million-dollar app...

[newkill]

[Nocturne]

What this means is that because of GM which I used to develop half of my final year work in, I can now get a job and start to fulfil my dreams.

Why get a job when you could earn a living with GM? That's what I've been trying to do anyway, and GM Studio has made that a lot easier. A single GM game now has the potential to make you a millionaire. I'm not exaggerating.

Get a Job (for security) AND make an extra living from GM (for fun and money!)... that's what I suggest.

[True Valhalla]

What this means is that because of GM which I used to develop half of my final year work in, I can now get a job and start to fulfil my dreams.

Why get a job when you could earn a living with GM? That's what I've been trying to do anyway, and GM Studio has made that a lot easier. A single GM game now has the potential to make you a millionaire. I'm not exaggerating.

Get a Job (for security) AND make an extra living from GM (for fun and money!)... that's what I suggest.

But...but...if you have a job then you have less time to make a living from GM

[roytheshort]

GM is one of those tools that makes something otherwise difficult appear easy enough for people to obtain realistic aspirations and goals for themselves. I hope you have good luck with your career!

[King Tetiro]

Cheers everyone for the support, for those wondering, I plan to take a job and develop games in the time being. In fact, apart from the music, Leon is already ready to go for Android!

Now I have to find a job. Fun eh?
(Thanks for all the messages guys )

[The Legend]

That is AWESOME!!! Good for you!

[cantavanda]

What a peaceful speech! It made me happy to hear that wonderful story!

[Jobo]

While getting a job is a good idea for a better income, I know from experience that GameMaker is more than perfectly capable to earn money from.
And I'm not talking about the million-dollar app (I will however release this in due time, and it will be FREE to play for everybody - not just through a lite version!). It doesn't take up a lot of your time and you get a fine pay for it, compared to a nine-to-five job.

So True Valhalla and Nocturne aren't completely wrong

Oh wait, I'm saying exactly the same as Nocturne, just longer...

Get a Job (for security) AND make an extra living from GM (for fun and money!)... that's what I suggest.

Well, please do not stop to use the GMC, we'd love for you to answer all the annoying beginner dreamers that join every now and then asking for instant fame and riches

[devilkingx2]

I know from experience that GameMaker is more than perfectly capable to earn money from.

So True Valhalla and Nocturne aren't completely wrong

true, however I don't think you should tell people this, mainly because, for every 1 person who understands you there will be 50 who think they'll make $10million by coming up with an idea and getting people from the GMC to work for free on the vague promise of money if(but they always say when) the game gets successful,

it'd be much better if people thought that you couldn't get steady money off of this, and then the few who actually make games with quality will be pleasantly surprised.

oh and don't tell people you made your game in GM, there's a stigma people will think less of your game(kind of like if you made a game using that awful program scratch(don't google it, you'll be sorry)

[Desert Dog]

You live in Britain? Apply at Yoyogames!!

[Nocturne]

With GM:Studio that stigma is going away rather quickly... especially when people like the wonderful Nitrome have been actively looking for people with experience in GM and companies like Handy Games are using it to develop mobile titles.

[OMGCarlos]

TV I love ya, but don't listen to him on this. I'm with Nocturne, get a job.

If you're living with your parents then I say go for it 100%, you really have nothing to lose. But if you are living on your own, you had better have AT LEAST 6 months of bills covered plus multiple games already completed or damn well near completed with sponsors/investors horny to get a demo from you. When I started freelancing I had just come back from a deployment, so I had a full years worth of cushioning behind me.

TV's success is effin awesome, in fact he inspires me. However, he hasn't experienced pulling two jobs, getting your car repossessed, etc on top of that squeezing in every last nanosecond second you can to dev. This is the reality of trying to freelance on your own.

Anyone who follows me on Twitter knows that my passion, my absolute effin passion that I would OMFG literally die foraskdljhlkdsjhf, is my project. I thought like TV did that I would be able to just go at it. I dropped out of school, quit my job, and went into it full time (there's a post on the GMC somewhere actually). I almost became homeless, but only because I refused to move back in with my parents.

TV got lucky. He's fortunate to have the psychological cushion that if he fails he won't be on the streets. He was in the right place at the right time where HTML5 and mobile apps are an easy market. He is able to, through sheer will and hard work, make luck work for him. But that isn't the reality for everyone. Most people on the GMC would quite their day job and dev full time if they could - not everyone can.

I love him, but for him to say "Why get a job when you could earn a living with GM?" makes me angry because I literally went through hell to get to where I am today. I'm still grinding out 9-5 while I work on my project. I get 5.5 hours of sleep, and during lunch break I code on the site. Sure I love web development as well, but Game Dev is where it's at, baby. And yet, I couldn't be fu---- happier with my life right now. Spending a few hours on my project brings me more joy than anything I could think of.

“I had the luck of getting turned down by Harvard, which meant I got to study under Ben Graham at Columbia, which changed my life. All kinds of things have worked out. So I just hope I stay lucky. I’ve been lucky for 80 years.”
- Warren Buffet

PS - I still <3 you TV

[EDIT]
By the way Nocturne, awesome links! Someone should start a post with links like that - they are pretty hard to find.

Edited by OMGCarlos, 22 July 2012 - 11:51 PM.

[YellowAfterlife]

But half an hour ago, I got my final results. It turns out I got 67/100 for Project. This means I got a University grade of a 2:1 for that unit. I also got 83/100 for my Video Game Design, which I developed a 3D game with GM in

A 67/100 isn't that good, at least to me... is the class graded differently than in the average American system?

But still, congrats! It's very cool to see GM used in school!

The grading goes like this in the UK

40-49 = 3rd = D
50-59 = 2:2 = C
60-69 = 2:1 = B
70+ = 1st = A

Had same thoughts as Takagi - here, you cannot even advance to next course if you score below 60/100.

About decisions, I mainly stay at side of OMGCarlos and Nocturne here - if you'd like to go full-time indie, make sure you have a sort of budget backed up for case of things not gaining money as quickly as expected. Searching for a job isn't likely to be the fastest process ever. Again, depending on what you're doing, this may vary - having enough programming experience allows to 'free-lance' small projects for instant fund boosts.