how much to build a game?

rdcube

Hi y'all,
I noticed that some people are taking game development as side jobs/contracts.
How do y'all usually charge...per hour, per project???

I'm not sure how to go about it, I don't feel the rate as a web developer should be the same as game developer...should be less/more?

any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Raul

xyloFUN

Hey rdcube,
I was quoted $50/hr by a professional programer who makes iPad and iPhone apps fora living but works as a freelancer with no company behind him.

Luckylie, I've discovered gs just before I committed to the deal!

I think that if someone works with x code, the fee will always be high but for gs, it's impossible to say.
A gs game incontrast is a different story ... just look at the Gfx quotes which are very very low as well.

Are you thinking of freelancing?

Photics

I think if I was to build a GameSalad game for someone, I'd probably charge by the project... which would vary if a commission and/or branding was included. I'd figure out the approximate time to complete the project before accepting it... and then I'd stick to the schedule.

With game development, sometimes I work really fast... and others really slow... it's not really like a 9-to-5 job to me, so I don't think I'd bill it as such.

calvin9403

$45/hr sounds good

Dethe

if it is really long and really polished then it could be around $1000 for a whole game. But so far all my games cost $0.00

rdcube

@xyloFun, you're right, it depends on the tool you use.
I'm not exclusive to GS; I'll use the tools I need based on the project requirements.

For me making games is about fun and enjoyment.
When you're making games for someone else, you go back to the same issues that any project has (deadlines, stress, scopecreep, time away from family, etc), all that needs to be accounted on your hourly rate to make it worth while

But again, for game development, how much is too much and how low will you go?

Thanks y'all for the feedback.

mangaroo

Not to bash your business guys but $20/hr is pretty reasonable! although of course the more experience..the more demand their is for you, the higher you can charge

Dhondon

mangaroo said:
Not to bash your business guys but $20/hr is pretty reasonable! although of course the more experience..the more demand their is for you, the higher you can charge

If you're living with your parents, 20$/h is good. But if you pay rent, loans and taxes on your freelance work 40$/h is reasonable. I'm charging 40$/h and the guy who outsource most of the graphics I work on says that I could probably go as high as 50$/h.

mangaroo

Of course all depends on who is hiring

Photics

rdcube said:
you're right, it depends on the tool you use.

I don't agree with this. What other profession do people care about the tools used? If you hire a cleaning lady to do you say, "Oops, you're using a sponge. That's only $10 per hour." Do you hire a carpenter and say, "No power tools!"

Asymptoteell

Photics said:
I don't agree with this. What other profession do people care about the tools used? If you hire a cleaning lady to do you say, "Oops, you're using a sponge. That's only $10 per hour." Do you hire a carpenter and say, "No power tools!"

Yes, but that's because I love human torture, but that's beside the point.
Unfortunately, it does end up working out that way. I'm not saying it should, but it does.
Think about it more like this: You hire a translater and agree to give them $100 an hour (just for the sake of simplicity) You soon find out, however, that the language spoken only has 40 words in it. Would you really still pay them the same amount despite the fact that you could probably do the work yourself?

Just something to think about, though I agree: Gamesalad coding should be considered equal to Xcoding as far as price goes. Unfortunately, this world is filled with humans. Which brings me back to the human torture topic.

Asymptoteell

tim13211

Does any one make games for people with the free gamesalad account?

And does anyone make games for people if they provide the graphics?
That's what I'm thinking about doing

Chaser

I can't believe anybody would consider anything less than $45 an hour unless you are a beginner. I haven't made any apps fir others but when I paint motorcycles and such I charge nothing less than $75 an hour and that's after I already included the cost of materials into the price

3d10

Riffel

USD 3.500,00 / project with gamdesign,code,art,sound and level design