A man quits his day job after earning a small fortune from inventing a popular puzzle game.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Trism spells success for iPhone developer

Puzzle game lands quarter-million jackpot

Turning your passion into your profession is the dream of every hobbyist, but one amateur game developer turned that dream into reality with a smash hit iPhone puzzle game, CNN reports this week.

Steve Demeter wrote "Trism", a sliding-block, color-matching puzzle game, in his spare time, and put it on Apple's App Store for $4.99. Just two months later, the game had earned Demeter over $250,000, and prompted him to quit his day job at a bank and start a development studio.

Demeter's studio, Demiforce, is working on five new games, including the sequel to Trism.

Want to get in on the action yourself? Go right ahead: companies like Apple and Microsoft (with the Xbox 360's new Community Games channel) have begun to provide bedroom developers easy, low-cost ways to develop on hardware that was once closed off to all but the biggest games makers. But with low barriers to entry comes lots of competition. Over 1,500 games are currently available on the iPhone's App Store, according to CNN, compared to about 900 two months ago.

http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/-trism...veloper/1268382

[DeadPoolX 9]

I'd say that's a bad idea. While his new game may make money (even lots of money), it's never a good idea to burn bridges. Many people have suddenly earned a "fortune" only to spend it irresponsibly. If they kept their "day job," they'd still be able to earn money. Investing in the stock market doesn't count since you could lose it all due to bad choices.

[Niels Bohr 72]

It's a good idea to make money on the spare time, but, it's by no means to quit a day job to start a game development studio.

There are hundreds of game developers. Some games are free and some aren't. Most likely if this becomes the trend, it will certainly repeat history from the dotcom era.

[Teacher Mark 53]

Good for him! Some have managed to become incredibly rich by taking chances. At least if he fails he won't wonder what might have been.

P.S. Steven, men with children don't take this sort of chance!

[sara..... 371]

i have a brother that is 14 he writes games for him and his friends we have tried to get him to sell them but he said its only for fun if it ever became a job he would not want to do it anymore.........

[Teacher Mark 53]

i have a brother that is 14 he writes games for him and his friends we have tried to get him to sell them but he said its only for fun if it ever became a job he would not want to do it anymore.........

COMMIE!

[maliciant 7]

250,000 in 2 months is more than enough to justify leaving his job. Believe it or not, but people who program games as a hobby on the side ARE working a second job by doing so, he's established himself, if you think the game is done selling after 2 months of sales, you are wrong... of course he could still blow it buy hiring 6 programs and art people and then when sales of the game do dry up ane he can't pay the bills and hasn't had any more success... or just regular old fashioned irresponsible spending sprees...