I am putting out a sort of casting call for solo programmers who wish to help develop innovative and engaging indie games.
My own experience is listed on my page; you’ll find I have a track record of bringing life to (often award-winning) projects, though I’ve come to realize that anything I have to code myself tends to amount more to a personal achievement than to an entertaining experience.
Will Wright (of the Sims fame) said that a game is written for two computers: the machine and the human brain. My experience in coding is decent enough to execute and troubleshoot, yet it pales before a lifetime of creating captivating games and stories.
In short: if you can translate my vision into a format that the machine can execute, I can guarantee your involvement in the production of a work that tantalizes the human computer.
And I’ll be your friend.
It’s quite the pitch, I know, but I have over two decades of experience, in and out of this medium, to back up my credentials. That amounts to more Word Documents than even my P.C. can count, at this point. (Mainly since they are so spread out across multiple Cloud Drives, terminals, and User Profiles.)
Contention One: “but I have my own ideas!!”
I’m sure you do. Human beings are idea-synthesizing creatures. Yet consider the years you put into Computer Science. How much free time did you have to visit Philosophy? Literature? Poetry? Theater? Film? Music? Communications? Public Speaking? Sales?
You see: I may be a jack of all trades, but what I’ve mastered is that which they all have in common: an understanding of the Human Mind as it functions upon both a conscious and unconscious level, my own mind included. That and I’m constantly taking feedback from collaborators and supplementing my scholarship daily.
Contention Two: “when do we get paid, bro?”
Obviously, if this were a paid gig I wouldn’t be self-promoting on a free forum on itch.mf.io.
The business model is adapted to the product, not the market, since the intent here is not simply to produce a conventional item for consumption which is formulaically proven to succeed, granted that it can compete with thousands of other imitators.
Our goal is to produce Successful Art Games. Video games ought to be recognized for the multimedia masterpieces which they are; they are verily our generation’s most enduring contribution to the culture of (Hu)mankind.
That being said, I understand that “starving artist” might not be what you had in mind when you elected a Computer Science degree; coders want results. Be that as it may, I can promise you this:
A. So long as you are working only for experience and exposure,
- You make your own hours.
- You make your own code (in whatever language[s] you feel fluent in, just so long as it/they execute{s}).
- You own the rights to all your Source Code; I just own the rights to the Ideas it conveys.
B. Once we have a few successful Game Jams under our collective belt:
- Projects will become more ambitious and challenging.
- Networking and marketing opportunities will grow.
- Crowdfunding will kick in for more lucrative and time-expensive enterprises.
- Payment will be deliberated prior to the start of any commercial publication.
- Early publications will be paid a percentage of Final Sales, but
- Later publications will offer upfront payment, and candidates will be chosen based upon both skill and seniority.
It’s a long mountain-climb, but I’m one of the last guys to give up.
Contention Three: “didn’t you have some drama with some other groups?”
It’s true: sometimes this industry can be a warzone. Just try learning the language of every Department. Yet I can assure you of this: those developers whose departments understand one another, both technically and empathically, succeed on more fronts than those which degenerate either into mobs or authoritarian dictatorships. While both mob rule and tyranny can produce short-term micro-success, on a long-term level you want to work with people who appreciate your honesty, your vulnerability, and your full disclosure. It’s only in these environments that we learn, and it’s only in this Spirit that we grow.
I’m not only about the ends. The means matter to me, because I’m not just an Idea Person, but a People Person as well.
My motto is: I’m not hard to work with. It’s just that Work is Hard.
If you are interested, hit me up at SubliminalMindGames317@gmail.com. You can also follow me on SoundCloud or here on Itch.
“Lin Ji.”
Subliminal Mind Games.
[({L.J.)}]
My most pious thanks to Ludipe and RicoAlbe for allowing me this platform for the exchange of ideas and the growth of a brainchild.