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Re: Money in Open Source

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Edward Principe wrote:
> I'm creating a large video game on SourcForge. I was going to make it a
> shareware company; but I don't have that much money; plus I like Open
> Source. The ethics and the community. I e-mailed GNU how much money was
> into it a few years back; but I didn't get a reply. I'm thinking there
> may be money in Open Source. Money is a secondary concern; but is there
> any money in doing an Open Source game. And how would I make money off
> of Open Source. Especially a video game. I would like to stick in Open
> Source if all possible; but I would like to form a corperation around my
> video game eventually. I have a few people involved; so I must know if
> there is any money involved in Open Source; and how any suggestions on
> how I would make money from it?
> 
> - Edward Principe

I see a few possibilities to monetize a FOSS game.

- - Direct sales. Yes, you can sell a FOSS game.

- - Donations. Some people that like the game will feel appreciative enough to 
make a donation.

- - Go the HumbleBundle.com route. If your game has good quality, talk to the 
humblebundle people. They may be interested. In the past HumbleBundle has 
sold FOSS games. If you have a good game, HumbleBundle can solve you money 
problems in 2 weeks or less. :)

- - Services related to the game. This is particularly fitting for a web based 
game where you can easily sell in game things.

- - Merchandising. Does you game have memorable characters, catch phrases, etc 
? Custom t-shirts or similar stuff may be a way to go.

- - Make a game as a show case of your abilities and put it in your curriculum 
vitae. You will be surprised how effective it is to show the game in a job 
interview and say "I have written this 250k LOC game" instead of just "I 
have a degree and I have N years experience in this and that". If you are 
planning to be a freelance contractor, then it is also a good addition to 
your work profile to get new clients.

Regards.
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Money in Open Source Edward Principe <edwardprincipe2011@gmail.com> - 2012-02-28 11:48 -0500
  Re: Money in Open Source Lusotec <nomail@nomail.not> - 2012-02-29 13:39 +0000
    Re: Money in Open Source Edward Principe <edwardprincipe2011@gmail.com> - 2012-03-05 17:58 -0500
    Re: Money in Open Source Edward Principe <edwardprincipe2011@gmail.com> - 2012-03-03 05:25 -0500
    Re: Money in Open Source Edward Principe <edwardprincipe2011@gmail.com> - 2012-03-03 05:02 -0500

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