TIGSource Forums

Hello.

Is it acceptable within indie circles to have a full-time job in the industry, yet pursue a part-time indie ambition?

Has anyone here successfully made the transition from such a scenario to full-time-indie-heaven? If so, do you have any advice?

I was an indie decades ago and am keen to move back into development, so any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

I don't see why that wouldn't be acceptable, and I'm sure a number of people have made such a transition.

Good luck to you, sifr

Many thanks Andy!

Do people here think that a person with a full-time job lacks any credibility in trying to join the indie community?

if anybody does they are dumb IMO

do the games you want to do

usually its the companies that might have problems with you doing games outside of company work, no the other way around

make as many games as you like/can

I work at a studio at my day job, and make the games I want to make in my spare time. Don't worry about "cred", your games will speak for themselves. 

Some companies have different policies on what you can do while employed there. Some of the bigger companies will mention something about it in your contract, so it'd be wise to check if this is something you're looking to do.

Right, well it's a very big company and though I've been there several years, for some reason, I was never given a full employment contract. I'm sure if there was some commercialisation at some point, there might be a conflict of interest and I'd have to bring it up, but in the meantime, I'm going to keep going until something interesting develops.

Because there is a strict code for what is "Indie" and what is "Shit" and if you break it we will shun your game and compare it to Call of Duty and make fun of the bloom and brown in it.

You fucking traitor.

I had an industry job for a year, now I'm doing my own stuff full-time.  Plenty of people here have day-jobs in big games companies.

But it's not about whether it's acceptable or not, for most people, just do what you want to do and don't fret about social mores.

Thanks Carrie, I think...

The games industry teaches many useful and interesting things... so why not have a job?  :) It's fine to be a part time indie, though it does eat all of your spare time.

The problem isn't about if you work for the man or not, it is if you care or not, really. :gentleman:

I assume you've already looked at this, but I would make sure to be careful about what you've signed with your employer. Many software companies as part of their standard contracts have you assign ownership of creative projects done outside of work to the company. There are ways around this and in some states (California) shield laws, but you should at least be aware of what your situation is. If you're a contractor (?) though as you describe then maybe you are safe.

It is frowned upon.

Don't listen to moi, he's just messin' with ya!  :noir:

As long as you aren't being a terrible person and going around suing indies over the use of the word "edge," I don't think you should worry about what indie circles think of your day-job... if you are passionate about your artform and you create good games, who is anyone else to judge? ^_^ 

My only advice would be to work into your employer contract that you be granted the right to work on your indie side project (and own all of the rights to it).  The majority of large companies out there have you sign an employee contract that essentially states they own everything you create related to video games while you're an employee... but a lot of companies are very fair about making exceptions.  My boyfriend worked at Blizzard for a few years while working on an indie game that he had started prior to his employement there.  He made sure to talk to people and get it worked into the contract that he be allowed to work on (and own all the rights to) his game, and it worked out fine. 

Oh, and be careful not to overtax your wrist.  Working full-time in the industry and then coming home to use the computer for several additional hours for your indie game puts a lot of strain on the wrist.  Make sure to take breaks, because if you let it get really bad it could take as long as a year to recover... which is really inconvenient.

The one thing you would need to check on is the terms of your employment contract. Some large companies will place stipulations in their employees contracts that insist that they own any intellectual properties or products that the employee produces while they are employed at that company. This would include any efforts the employee makes while not specifically at work. (in their "free-time") Some employees have worked on side projects in their free time, only to have their hard work snatched up by their company when the company finds out about them.

Since more employees have become aware of such policies, this sort of employee contract is no longer considered to be a standard practice. It's likely that your employement agreement doesn't feature anything like this. But it is a good idea to check before devoting any time to side projects.

You will be shunned unless you grow a beard

D: What about indies who cannot grow beards? (That includes guys who aren't good at growing them too!) Can we be supplied with false beards in lieu of manly facial fuzz?

I got a beard and a job making casual facebook games. It's not only a great opportunity to make a living, it's a great opportunity to learn stuff and then use what I learn in my own projects.
I'm sure tons of indie devs would learn a lot about finishing games and releasing them from working in a non-indie game company.

Now having said that, I would love to go full indie, OF COURSE.

Hey, I make indie games part-time, and just look at me! Loved and respected! Right, guys?

...

...guys?




:'(

Well that makes me give up on the smallest whim of wanting to get in the games industry.  :'(

Not everywhere hates indies though... but yes, some are worse and may force you to be a games making ninja of sorts. But that's ok, just be a ninja! (And it's useful to have some time in the industry :3 if only to get a feel for how it ticks.)

Some contracts are much worse than others. While not a game industry contract, one of my previous employers made me sign a contract stating that if I quit/got fired/laid off/etc that I was not allowed to work with computers within a 250km radius of the business for 2 years. And it was worded that I couldn't work on a computer in the sense of like browsing the internet or anything. So if the next job I worked at used computers, I was not allowed to work there, for 2 years. So I moved away.

I thought it'd be better in a smaller town, but the employer threw a contract at me that was the same but was 5 years long! So my suggestion is, don't even deal with employers that have dirty contracts, it's not worth it.

But if you can find something good that isn't indie and you can work part time as indie, that's still indie. You're not a part of the company, you just work for them. People won't see you as some evil corperate rat for working a day job. You got to pay the bills some how, right?

As for wrist suggestions, I found having a drawing tablet and using it like a mouse really helps. Before I got a tablet I would just switch witch hand I used the mouse with for months at a time.

 

Thanks all, that was useful.

I now feel comfortable calling myself an indie, even if the last time I was an indie, we weren't called indies, we were called "bedroom programmers".

I'll do my best to use my experience to make something cool.

I plan on starting with something simple and achievable and I will move onto "subversive" games.

Regarding the contract stuff - I did some job-hunting recently (I work in "the industry" for my day job) and made a point of asking about that clause in the contract in every interview I went to. It's quite a fun thing to do, particularly watching the faces of the guys in the bigger, more corporate studios as they think "He just asked what?!". I think the answers you get to that question tell you a LOT about the studio. I now work for a studio that said that there wouldn't be any such clause in my contract  ;D

I can only assume everyone who is like, "You are not indie unless you live on a mountain clothed only in your giant beard, and your only friend is a goat," is pulling your leg. I guess we do have a small, vocal minority of judgey judgers here (it is the internet, after all), but by and large everyone is either already doing indie dev while working a regular job or doing the student thing, or has done so in the past.

Anyway, welcome, and good luck in your indie endeavours!

Wait, what?

What the hell am I supposed to do with this goat now then, Chris?

Milk it, man.

Sell the milk, fund your games.

What do you have?

A house? electricity? THE INTERNET?

I personally send Guinevere (my goat) down the mountain to the local post office with my TiGs posts. They then mail the post to my nephew who lives in America (I live in Peru, they have the best mountains and the cleanest goats) who goes on the internet machine and makes the post.

This is also how I code.

 

america is cool but i dont see why its better than japan. firstly we should learn to accept that japan is making big and long games while americans are making independent games and that is cool too. perhaps if we set aside our difference the japanese will confer their games creation knowledge and we can then learn to be stronger than them by pretending that we are allies.

"All warfare is based on deception"
Sun Tzu

This is extremely relevant.

@John - everything you post is hilarious when viewed through the lens of your avatar