Hi, I have some questions about the possibility of creating and selling a new board or computer game as a small home-based business.
Let's say that I create an entire board game from scratch, including all artwork, etc. The game itself is unique and not just a copy of an existing board game. So there are no copyright issues involved at all.
Is there a way to obtain financial compensation from having done this? I have a few ideas but their may be better ways to do this:
First Possible Scenario:
One way that seems obvious to me is to then physically manufacture the game myself and then sell is as a "boxed game" via online sales channels like Etsy, eBay, Craigslist, etc. I can't imagine there being any legal problems associated with selling a "homemade game" in this way. On something like Etsy it can be sold as unique art and be priced appropriately.
Up to this point I would imagine there wouldn't be any problem other than the fact that I need to design, and manufacture the entire game. My sales would most likely be quite limited.
Second Possible Scenario:
After designing the game, I could then write the game up as a computer program in something like Visual C# instead of physically manufacturing the game. Then I could sell the software game online via downloads. Again, I don't see where there would be any legal issues with this. The only problem here is that the game might end up being pirated and passed around freely to the point where no one is willing to pay for it anymore. (ha ha)
Other Possible Scenarios?:
Are their better ways to make money from having designed a new board game? Would it be better to seek out a potential game manufacturer who might just buy the rights to my game and do the manufacturing and selling and just send me a small percentage of the sale? Considering that they would be more likely to sell far more copies of the game, even if I obtain only a small amount per sale, that could potentially end up being more income than the original "homemade" idea.
Tabletop Simulator DLC?
I've only recently learned about Tabletop Simulator and their DLCs (Downloadable Content). A DLC is basically a game. I've heard that the people at Tabletop Simulator (Berserk Games?) are looking for game manufacturers to allow them to turn their games into DLCs for Tabletop Simulator. They even offer to do all the programming required to create the DLC from the game manufacturer's original artwork. I wonder if I were to actually create my game using Tabletop Simulator if I could then offer my game to Berserk Games for them to sell as a DLC. In this case I would have already done all the DLC work since I would have created all of the components for my game using Tabletop Simulator, so they wouldn't even need to do anything but upload the DLC and start selling it.
I tried to contact Berserk Games via email but they haven't replied yet. Of course, I don't yet have the game created, but at this point I'm just asking about what's possible. Does anyone else have any experience selling a game through Berserk Games and Tabletop Simulator?
So I guess a summary of my questions is this:
Is there any way for a private homeowner to profit from creating a new game? And, if so, does anyone have any experience with any of the above methods, or any suggestions for a different approach entirely. I'm not looking for a 'job' working for a game development company. I just want to create my own games and then obtain a financial reward for having done it. Manufacturing my own board game is not out of the question. I actually have a wood-shop and could make a fairly quaint wooden board with wooden pieces. I could have any cards printed by a local printer. All the artwork and game strategies would be my own. So there are no copyright issues here. It's all original "art". I'd just like to obtain some income from having done it. I'm currently thinking about the "homemade board games". But if there is a better way to make lots more money I'd be a fool not to consider it.
Thanks in advance for any comments, suggestions, or ideas.
