If you're a regular reader you'll hopefully know that when we moan or bitch about someone or something then it's usually 'cause we think it's justified. We don't just turn on anyone and everyone for the hell of it, or for the joy of stirring things up. Life's too short.
The target of my venom ? The latest article posted on mochi, "The work scheme of an independent Flash developer".
The author Badim has made a point of being open and honest with his figures in the past, which we've even linked to before. His constant openness has made him somewhat of a poster boy for the indie scene, he's living the dream for a lot of people, and he's not afraid to share his knowledge.
That's got to be applauded.
But his article, sorry, but there's just not one word I can agree with, and I'm amazed it's been passed fit for publication by mochi.
The low light for me is this quote:
"If you’re not naturally talented at art, the next issue to be resolved
is where to get good graphics. The easiest, cheapest, fastest way is to
use sprite sets. The most popular of them are the hits from consoles
(Megaman, Zelda, Sonic). it’ll be convenient for you to find the right
set for your future games. If you can’t find the sprite set you want or
have something specific in mind, move to the next option."
( The next option being to pay an artist ).
If I've even got to explain the wrongness with that then this really isn't the blog for you, move along please.
These "Let's make money with Flash, it's piss easy and there's loads to be made" posts seem to be getting progressively worse. I've just re-read the article again to make sure, and I can't find any mention of the joy of creating a game. The creative process. The love that makes a game shine. The shit that should matter basically.
A very disappointing article which sums up what is so wrong with the indie Flash scene right now. It's great that we can all make cash now. It's even better than very talented people can make lots of cash now. It's not great when money becomes the central focus of game creation. I don't live in a bohemian bubble, I have the same bills to pay that you have. My full time job is making games, that's it, without them I starve. But I still put the game first, and that's the advice I'd give to anyone, not to use a Mario sprite in your game.
Squize.