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[Moon Goon]

Hey!  I've found the space I find the most enjoyment in is making simple, fun games for classic consoles.  In most cases you'd almost call my games de-makes on retro hardware.  Example:
 



I've even contemplated making an all ASCII graphic game on the sega genesis.  Yeah, that kind of weird.

I kind of feel there's not a fanbase for what my games are.  Sega Genesis fans expect Gunstar Heroes.  Atari 2600 enthusiasts expect graphics befitting newer systems.  How do I move forward as a business considering my niche?

[ndnninja15]

This is something I struggle with as well. I make a certain type of game and enjoy playing it but when I give it to others for play testing they don't like it. Some of them say they downright don't like the genre of game I created which made me have to shift my focus a bit. I think it comes down to a balance of what I want to make and what are people going to pay for. Furthermore, experimentation is really key for this. I'm going to keep making a game, getting feedback for what people think of it, then refine for the next/current game. I don't think flipping completely to the opposite end of the spectrum is the way to go though. I believe it's simply dialing in my own style to the point where people are able to relate to the game.

[Moon Goon]

@ndnninja15  Yeah.  There is the impulse to make what sells.  I guess what keeps me from going all the way with that is everyone else is doing that too.  Also, lack of motivation to do more of the same.

Blazing a new trail is a business no no though.  Sometimes being first to market is because there IS no market. Sega Genesis games with ASCII graphics is one of those kinds of ideas.

I'm wondering if anyone had had success finding or creating a market for their preferred style of game.  I mean, look at Dwarven Fortress.  The dude literally lives off of that one game and the community he fostered.

[ndnninja15]

I didn't mean to make what sells such as candy crush or call of duty. I mean that there is a balance of making what I want to make and making what will sell. This is where the distinction of doing this for a living versus doing this as a hobby is made. If trying to make something completely off the wall the only way to tell IMO is to make the game and see if people like it.

Worst case scenario I make something I'm comfortable making and it sells though it may not entirely be my cup of tea. Then the next game could be something a little more weird. For example Edmund from Team Meat made Binding of Isaac, something he said he wanted to make because no outside influence would tell him how to make the game, after Super Meat Boy and he didn't even think anybody would play it. But maybe he was only able to do this because he made SMB first, a game that sold.