Is my game doomed to fail because I'm not an extroverted teenager?

[skyrune83]

I need some serious advice. 

I've been working on my project now for 6 years, and I still think it's going to take at least another year to finish if I really crank it out and work on it like mad.  But the thing is, I've been wondering if I'm too old (I'm 27), too mature, and not funny enough to release this game even when it's finished.  Seems like everyone else who has released their game is some teenage prodigy who cranked it out since they had all the time in the world, and they also posted everywhere on this forum to become popular.  One of my colleagues at work who's my age thought that all JRPGs are "cute".  I absolutely hate that this is how JRPGs are perceived, and if this is indeed the case, does that mean people my age are gonna hate that "cute $#!t" and wanna play something "hardcore" like WoW or Halo instead? 

Also, I tried introducing myself on this forum and replying to topics, and before I even wrote this, I already had +0/-1 rep.  Considering most of the people on here seem to be younger than me, I take this to mean anyone younger than me hates me, therefore they will not want to play my game.  So am I to believe that if I post, nobody will like my game because my rep is bad?  But if I don't post, nobody will even know my game is there in the first place?

Sorry for being such a pessimist, but I really feel strongly for my game, and I want it to succeed.  I shaped my LIFE around this game, getting a Comp Sci degree and then harshly realizing I can't work for a company in THIS country that makes the type of game I love. 

[Solar Eclipse]

First thing you gotta know: Rep doesn't matter that much. +0/-1 just means that someone thought it was funny to give you minus rep on your first day. For the most part, people only hate you if you run around claiming their stuff as your or generally being stupid.

[skyrune83]

First thing you gotta know: Rep doesn't matter that much. +0/-1 just means that someone thought it was funny to give you minus rep on your first day. For the most part, people only hate you if you run around claiming their stuff as your or generally being stupid.

Yeah, sorry, I think I overreacted a bit on the rep thing.  I guess working on a project for this long, one gets kinda on edge...

[Zylos]

Like Solar said, rep means next to nothing here, it's just a joke that people like to abuse. Super moderators can even edit it at will to whatever they want.

Secondly, you're never too old. Despite what it seems like, not everyone here is an energetic teenager, so age is never an issue for creation itself. It is, however, part of an important factor to keep in mind for "target audience". What type of people are you aiming your game at?

[skyrune83]

Secondly, you're never too old. Despite what it seems like, not everyone here is an energetic teenager, so age is never an issue for creation itself. It is, however, part of an important factor to keep in mind for "target audience". What type of people are you aiming your game at?

You know, that's a good question I've never really thought too much about.  Age-wise, it will not be for kids (like 12 and under).  In general, I'm aiming for anyone who has played JPRGs of the 90's and 00's and can appreciate humor based on archetypes and themes from those games over the years.  I guess that would tend to be people in their 20's and up, but I've been surprised (and happy) to see teenagers talking about playing the classics like Secret of Mana and Chrono Trigger. 

I guess I'm a bit down because it seems like people my age seem to be abandoning the JRPG style of game and migrating over to American stuff like WoW and Halo - you know, the stuff that involves mmo-ing all the time and shooting people with 377 different types of guns.

[Gracie]

I plus repped because you actually normally have something pertinent to say, which is ironic because I rarely do.

[IAMFORTE]

what she said ^

In other news, making a decent topic with decent grammar tends to make people download your game, make a game with decent grammar and things that make sense, well, some of those people might even finish it.

[skyrune83]

Thanks for the rep, all of you!

what she said ^

In other news, making a decent topic with decent grammar tends to make people download your game, make a game with decent grammar and things that make sense, well, some of those people might even finish it.

I'm a perfectionist.  I plan on making the grammar as flawless as possible.  As for the jokes and humor, that's where I'm a tad worried I might lose a few people.

[Strak]

Grammar. Spelling. Win. As for jokes and humor, I'm not even that good at it, but when people test play my game, a part that wasn't meant to be funny turns out to be funny. Just make your game, the humor comes naturally. Don't overthink it, but don't completely forget it either.

[Holkeye]

Most of the regulars here are at least 19. The rest are at least 17. Some of us, like myself, are older. The age of the members doesn't matter. What matters is the age of people who play RM games. Read: young. I wouldn't put so much stock in an RM game becoming a smash hit, unless it does something vastly superior to others. I haven't played an RM game in almost 10 years, and I'm helping out on one because I think its incredible, and its fun. I'm not expecting to win a Pulitzer for it, and neither should you.

As for the rest of your post, its just self-serving whiny bullshit. And choosing WoW and Halo for "hardcore" games was a mistake.

[Grafikal]

Meet Holk. lol. He's right though. Usually is haha. Anyways, most of the regulars are 19+. I'm 23 in a couple days, Holk is mid 20s, Arlen is mid 20s etc etc. Like Holk said, an RM game isn't really the outlet to expect a great reaction from. The program is fun and people can do some really cool things with it. That's why I'm still around really. I like to fiddle with maps and make tiles and such for whatever. I don't get past much making a whole bunch of really nice maps. No stories or anything, just maps and maps. lol. I'm also helping on and off on the same project Holk is working with for the same reasons. I do, on rare occasion, download and begin an RM game but rarely ever get past the 1st hour of any of them.

Also rep doesn't matter. I randomly give people +10 or -10 or +200 or -200 on occasion usually for no reason. So I wouldn't worry about that.

My favorite genre of games is the good 'ol RPG. I love JRPGs. I get how they're cute and all, but that doesn't bother me.

[Countdown]

I may/may not have missed the topic if you posted it, but have you posted your game here? I like your style, which means that I'd like to check out your game.

[tSwitch]

Make your game look attractive.
People will play it.

[Garge]

Don't let something trivial like age get in the way of you making games.  As others have said, people will play it as long as it's well made.

[skyrune83]

I may/may not have missed the topic if you posted it, but have you posted your game here? I like your style, which means that I'd like to check out your game.

Well, that's the problem... I don't have a demo yet because I've spent so much time on maps, music, and monsters, that I don't have all the storyline and events set up yet.  According to the "Introduce your game" forum, the intro should be thorough and should include a demo.  So I'm trying to at least get a demo done now.  Feel free to check out www.ironpawn.com for the time being (does anyone think it's weird I have a website for the game, but no demo?)

Don't let something trivial like age get in the way of you making games.  As others have said, people will play it as long as it's well made.

Now that I think about it, the idea for my game actually was born WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER... I made a game that was very similar to Iron Pawn using the original RPG Maker on the PS1.  I made the HUGE mistake of deleting all the game data after my brother played through it all because I didn't know I could move the data to the computer...    But then when I found out about RPG Maker XP, I thought I'd recreate my old game, but on a more stable platform this time, with more customizable options.  What sucks though is that meanwhile, I lost a job, had to move out of the house, I met my bf, I started taking trips to anime cons, and started living my life without the support of my parents.  So now, here I am, all these years later, and still am not finished with the game.  And it sucks because the general vibe I've gotten from everyone is that RPG Maker games are not allowed to be epic nor long for some reason that I do not know.

[Sophist]

As long as you stay true to wanting to finish it to complete a game, not to shove it out into market. I'm pushing 20 now and just making a game because I want to, not so I can make big cash off it. Or even to have it done.

And you think your negative rep is bad, look at mine. Ain't got shit on that.

[Grafikal]

And it sucks because the general vibe I've gotten from everyone is that RPG Maker games are not allowed to be epic nor long for some reason that I do not know.

Not that you can't have a long game, but you have to consider how many games we see roll through here daily/weekly/monthly and how about 98% of them are pretty trash for games but good for just people beginning game creation. So in our experience, there are no epic RM games. There may be some really good RM games, but it goes to show that if there are epic RM games, I haven't heard of them. I've been doing this for at least 3-4 years so I would imagine something epic would have come along. Also, I would recommend a shorter game just because it's easier for someone to create. People come here with huge grandiose ideas of creating the best RPG game ever but they can't seem to understand that if it's going to be as awesome as they think, it'll take A LOT of time and effort. I don't think I've actually seen anyone with such devotion.

tl;dr The shorter the game is, the easier time it will be for one to create an epic game. Freeing up all that time from the game into other things like story, graphics, scripts, etc.

Epic RM Game "Idea" + Long Game Time = Fail (vs. all of our experiences)
Epic RM Game "Idea" + Short Game Time = Plausible

[mouse]

Most people in RM these days actually aren't extroverted teens, as opposed to say four years ago at least. If a game's good it will do fine. If it sucks it sucks.

[Irock]

People will enjoy your game if your game is good. Try posting a project topic with screenshots and information to build up interest.

[Lunarea]

How do you measure success? By the number of downloads, or by the level of enjoyment players get from your game?

Personally, I would rather have only a couple people playing my game and loving it, than have hundreds of downloads from players that will forget my game an hour after playing it. I consider my game a success if it manages to entertain the player, and maybe even give them something to think about/wonder about. I think I'd be pretty much over the moon happy if my game inspired someone to create something of their own.

When you're enjoying making a game, and you're willing to work hard and to the best of your ability, it shows. In the beginning, you might not get the same level of attention as a new, flashier game. But quality is what keeps players going. It's far easier to get a large player base than to keep it over time. This is why you'll see all these new MMOs get great sales, and then practically disappear a year later.

So instead of focusing on how you can get more players, think about what you're going to do to keep players interested. Focus on making your game well. The rest will come in time.

[skyrune83]

People will enjoy your game if your game is good. Try posting a project topic with screenshots and information to build up interest.

1.) Knowing that my game has at least another year of development before completion, is it too early to post screenshots and raise interest?  I'm worried people will lose patience and interest if I make promises early on and then have something happen that delays the game further (like moving / switching jobs, etc.)
2.) I was planning on posting on the New Game Intro topic, but I don't have a demo yet.  I think I will post the screenshots with the demo when it's ready.

How do you measure success? By the number of downloads, or by the level of enjoyment players get from your game?

Personally, I would rather have only a couple people playing my game and loving it, than have hundreds of downloads from players that will forget my game an hour after playing it. I consider my game a success if it manages to entertain the player, and maybe even give them something to think about/wonder about. I think I'd be pretty much over the moon happy if my game inspired someone to create something of their own.

When you're enjoying making a game, and you're willing to work hard and to the best of your ability, it shows. In the beginning, you might not get the same level of attention as a new, flashier game. But quality is what keeps players going. It's far easier to get a large player base than to keep it over time. This is why you'll see all these new MMOs get great sales, and then practically disappear a year later.

So instead of focusing on how you can get more players, think about what you're going to do to keep players interested. Focus on making your game well. The rest will come in time.

That's a very pleasant way of thinking about it. 
I guess I'm fixated on the mentality, subconsciously, that I was hoping to make a living off of working on games.  Nowadays, I know that's just not the case, considering I have a very specialized interest in games (mainly JRPG style).  As it stands, at this point, I'm planning on making the game free for download - I guess I just want to prove to the world that old school JRPGs can still be good quality, and not just another "flashy but shallow" game.

[Irock]

1.) Knowing that my game has at least another year of development before completion, is it too early to post screenshots and raise interest?  I'm worried people will lose patience and interest if I make promises early on and then have something happen that delays the game further (like moving / switching jobs, etc.)
2.) I was planning on posting on the New Game Intro topic, but I don't have a demo yet.  I think I will post the screenshots with the demo when it's ready.

1) No. Just keep the thread updated and post your progress.

[Holkeye]

I don't understand. You seem think that there aren't good quality JRPGs, and that your game, made in RM, is going to change all that. I think the problem isn't the fans, but your delusions of grandeur.

[skyrune83]

I don't understand. You seem think that there aren't good quality JRPGs, and that your game, made in RM, is going to change all that. I think the problem isn't the fans, but your delusions of grandeur.

Well, okay then.  In your opinion, what are some JRPGs in the last 3 years that you think are as good as the ones from the 90's?

[Holkeye]

Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, Star Ocean 4, all of the DQ DS remakes and DQIX, Magical Starsign, Nier, Avalon Code, Infinite Undiscovery...

Probably more that I'm forgetting.

Living in the past is lame. Embrace the now.