Kongregate and Newgrounds was the now-nearly-vanished "Minor League" of game development, a middle step between "indie nobody" and "massive success".
You could make a mediocre game and expect a mediocre return, which is where future careers can blossom from.
You could make a mediocre game and expect a mediocre return, which is where future careers can blossom from.
This is certainly where I got my start. If it wasn't for Kong (and Newgrounds) I know for a fact I wouldn't have sold many copies of DQ1, and then I wouldn't have gotten on Steam in 2012, and I'd have picked a different career.
Some people might say, "Oh you'd have made it somehow Lars I have faith in you!" And I REALLY appreciate, but seriously, no I wouldn't. I had this tiny window to hit some level of success in gamedev before I had 3 kids after which there was no looking back.
I really, really, really, would like to be part of building a new sustainable "minor league" of game development. This is absolutely necessary for the long term health of our ecosystem.
I don't think Steam's there yet for this, though it's moving in the right direction.
I don't think Steam's there yet for this, though it's moving in the right direction.
Other platforms could do it too, but as of right now there's absolutely nothing quite like what Kongregate + Newgrounds were back in their heyday.
That's largely due to the evaporation of easy ad money and mobile and facebook taking over. We're in different times now.
That's largely due to the evaporation of easy ad money and mobile and facebook taking over. We're in different times now.
Kongregate was Steam Direct before Steam Direct. Back in the day you could:
- Make a game without asking anyone's permission.
- Publish it and get played by MILLIONS of people instantly
- Actually get a decent amount of cash from Kong, NG, and the also-ran portals
- Make a game without asking anyone's permission.
- Publish it and get played by MILLIONS of people instantly
- Actually get a decent amount of cash from Kong, NG, and the also-ran portals
I was a no name grad student farting around in educational games. Random high schooler was in our dept:
"What do you do?"
"I make games and post them online sometimes."
"Cool, like what?"
"My last was Super Energy Apocalypse, but you never heard of..."
"I LOVE THAT GAME!"
"What do you do?"
"I make games and post them online sometimes."
"Cool, like what?"
"My last was Super Energy Apocalypse, but you never heard of..."
"I LOVE THAT GAME!"
This was an EXTREMELY and SHOCKINGLY common occurence.
It felt like every high school and middle school kid who ever farted around in study hall was familiar with most games that had hit the front page of Kongregate.
There's nothing like that anymore.
It felt like every high school and middle school kid who ever farted around in study hall was familiar with most games that had hit the front page of Kongregate.
There's nothing like that anymore.
Here was my first big Kongregate game, Super Energy Apocalypse:
kongregate.com/games/larsiusp…
Press the Konami code on the title screen to hear a special song.
Perhaps appropriately, it's a mournful dirge written by a close friend who tragically died shortly after.
kongregate.com/games/larsiusp…
Press the Konami code on the title screen to hear a special song.
Perhaps appropriately, it's a mournful dirge written by a close friend who tragically died shortly after.
