[Ubuntu-PH] can anybody help us?

[hard wyrd]

On Dec 28, 2007 6:04 PM, GOvvin <govvin at gmail.com> wrote:

>
> I just don't see any business sense (ie profit) from the Linux market
> niche.  If, like any prudent businessman should, your business plan has any
> intention of actually earning a cent in the foreseeable future, you'd want
> to target the still growing market of console games, handhelds, and,
> unfortunately, Windows-based PC gaming.
>

Do note that the Linux gaming arena is still in a "fetal" stage. Linux in
itself is an "adolescent" compared to well known counterparts. Despite its
adolescent age, its an adolescent that somehow has mutant hormones allowing
it to grow fast (think Chinese athletes).

Regarding the business side, someone has yet to find a suitable business
model that will cater to Linux gaming. The business model that applies now
to Windows games and Windows-based online gaming does not suitably apply to
Linux gaming in general. Looking at how businesses are done in Linux, it is
largely different to how Windows is marketed. Linux-based companies focuses
more on support-oriented services and complementary addons to an erstwhile
free, community-developed product. Novell, Oracle, Centeris, MySQL, Red Hat,
Canonical and others are leveraging heavily on support and service-oriented
offerings. Bottomline on business, nobody really has found that right
formula yet for full-blown gaming services on Linux.

But wait, there's still a silver lining to this. Your confederation of
> internet "cafes" may want to underwrite a project to port or develop a true
> middle-ware the whatever games they'd like (is it beginning to sound like
> WineX?).  Or, better yet, support existing projects (ie Wine) which intends
> to develop the achieve the same goals.  Let these groups invest something
> wherein they stand to profit anyway.
>

No, I dont think cafes are in the position to nor is it in the right
business sense for them to conduct such an effort. This will still be the
exclusive domain of enthusiasts, researchers, and full-time devs with
venture capitalist backing. The iCafe business right now mostly are a
mom-and-pop operation with a very few exceptions like Netopia, etc.

Mind you, I'm talking about the business of developing games. If you have
> the time, skill and  some resources, I'm sure you could develop your own
> game (try Phospor beta?) but it's not likely to be something comparable to
> what's commercially available in the market right now.
>

There are a lot of game engines available on Linux like Glest's and Cube's
engines offer near-mature quality and almost ripe. However, its not totally
about the engines and tools now. The people skilled enough to deal with this
type of project are quite few.


>
> PS
> Don't remind me about "games" already found in Linux, except for a
> handful, it's never at the same level of platform maturity as consoles or
> PCs.
>

It is because the business model for Windows-based games were already
established decades ago. We have yet to see a working business model for
Linux gaming. Once that is established, nothing will stop anybody from
pursuing it.

Just another reminder for those who would want to pursue game development on
Linux. Carmack and Romero did not do it for the money initially. Your
venerable Counter-Strike (now a known substrate in the Half-Life genre) was
just a humble mod made for the sake of fun. Passion and sweat first, money
later.
.
If nobody will build, nobody will come.

-- 
"A dog that has no bite, barks loudest."
Registered Linux User #400165
http://baudizm.blogsome.com
Full-Disclosure,LARTC,Open-ITLUG, PRUG, KLUG, linuxusersgroup,
sybase.public.ase.linux
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