Ask HN: 3 months in - where should I take this project?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2836429
by bazookaBen • 15 years ago
6 4 15 years ago

A few months ago I made a prototype HTML5 game called Private Joe. Got tons of great feedback from HN.

I just released a radically improved facebook version of the game at http://bit.ly/rhoHkH . It has everything set up, social elements, invite system, leaderboard, store , etc.

My question is, how do I get to the next level?

Some major barriers that I'm facing:

1) As an indie student developer, I find it very hard to compete with other social game developers.

2) The pros work in teams, have a marketing budget, and iterate very fast. They seem to have all the right ingredients to scale.

3) I can't afford a marketing budget. I can only put more sweat equity in game design.

4) Because I don't have a solid user base, I can't even start working on the 'business intelligence' side of social games (metrics monitoring, A/B testing, k-factors, etc). I'm missing out on that big time.

5) Mobile-wise, I'm working on porting the game to iOS+Android. Using existing frameworks like appMobi and PhoneGap decreases development time.

6) I considered starting a company solely developing multi-platform games. No luck so far (don't have VC connections, no access to talent, not based in the Valley). I also submitted my application to mobile game funds (TinyCo, YouWeb).

How do I get my skin in the game? Should I join a game startup? Can my talent be used in other startups? Should I form one myself?

Honestly, I don't think I can go far by working alone. I need to get into the major league.

PS: Am a grad student in Indiana (international citizen). Non-CS major.

Related Stories

Loading related stories...

Source preview

news.ycombinator.com