Comments on: In the Absence of Game Industry I was actually impressed by seeing my country's flag in gamasutra (and I stopped here to say what I said there) Absence of game developers is incorrect, there's actually 3 or 4 of us doing cool (indie) stuff here, as for AAA, I really don't see why there's no studios here... We have world class knowledge at I.T. and we have (relative to any other northern country in good ol Europa) small wages. Me and a couple of business partners are funding our way into a indie studio trying to reach the big games, but its nearly impossible to pay startup taxes while you dont even have any profit (but you are still obligated to pay taxes of possible future profits), also our justice is in shambles and any decent foreign company will run from our country as soon as they find that employer-employee court cases can be stretched for years until something is actually done (this is one of the major hurdles we have in our country). Unfortunately, as a Portuguese myself, I have to say we are (VERY VERY) small minded people that have yet to leave the old (not so good) ways (the 3rd coming of the IMF in 30 years is a sign of this as well),and I have yet to know someone who actually wants to create a game company and actually DOES something to do it (except for me and my bussiness partners of course). THIS IS OUR ONLY PROBLEM!!! If we really wanted to make games we would, we just don't want to, we want other people to come to our country and start doing it for us... and it just doesn't work that way. Its our (Portuguese) mindset not our social problems that stop us from doing game dev. I was actually impressed by seeing my country’s flag in gamasutra (and I stopped here to say what I said there)

Absence of game developers is incorrect, there’s actually 3 or 4 of us doing cool (indie) stuff here, as for AAA, I really don’t see why there’s no studios here… We have world class knowledge at I.T. and we have (relative to any other northern country in good ol Europa) small wages.

Me and a couple of business partners are funding our way into a indie studio trying to reach the big games, but its nearly impossible to pay startup taxes while you dont even have any profit (but you are still obligated to pay taxes of possible future profits), also our justice is in shambles and any decent foreign company will run from our country as soon as they find that employer-employee court cases can be stretched for years until something is actually done (this is one of the major hurdles we have in our country).

Unfortunately, as a Portuguese myself, I have to say we are (VERY VERY) small minded people that have yet to leave the old (not so good) ways (the 3rd coming of the IMF in 30 years is a sign of this as well),and I have yet to know someone who actually wants to create a game company and actually DOES something to do it (except for me and my bussiness partners of course). THIS IS OUR ONLY PROBLEM!!! If we really wanted to make games we would, we just don’t want to, we want other people to come to our country and start doing it for us… and it just doesn’t work that way.
Its our (Portuguese) mindset not our social problems that stop us from doing game dev.

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By: Eurico Moita/2011/04/09/in-the-absence-of-game-industry/#comment-2580 Eurico Moita Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:29:55 +0000 I agree with Diogo. While I was in Portugal doing the same degree as you, I worked in a game for a small company called Ignite Games, something I thought very difficult to find in our country. Turns out it wasn't. So I think we have quite a few companies and they're doing a fairly good job, just not on AAA titles, the reason why I moved to the UK. I agree with Diogo. While I was in Portugal doing the same degree as you, I worked in a game for a small company called Ignite Games, something I thought very difficult to find in our country. Turns out it wasn’t. So I think we have quite a few companies and they’re doing a fairly good job, just not on AAA titles, the reason why I moved to the UK.

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By: Ionescu Adrian/2011/04/09/in-the-absence-of-game-industry/#comment-2533 Ionescu Adrian Sat, 09 Apr 2011 21:13:12 +0000 Why is the situation the way you describe? If there are lots of people interested in making games, what is actually stopping them? You say that "talking about the subject in public is met with derision and disdain" - is that <em>really</em> what's stopping people? <em>Really?</em> Game schools didn't exist 10 years ago, yet the games industry was most definitely present in other countries. There <i>is</i> more specialist knowledge required to develop games that compete with today's triple-A titles, but a lot of it is available on the internet; if the people you've got are sufficiently driven, then they won't need schools to teach them these things. So, I don't think that a lack of game schools can be the reason - if it's even true, as Diogo comments. Sure, self-publishing makes it easy for developers to put stuff out, yes, and any self-publishing developer who is sufficiently successful can grow and grow until they become a game house. But self-publishing has been an option for over 10 years; it's not experiencing an "advent" at the moment. So it can't be that an inability to self-publish has been what's limited developers in the past. You ask, "Why are potential game designers, programmers, sound technicians, musicians and artists forced to either leave the country or submit to other job offers outside the #gamedev field?" <strong>Ask them yourself already!</strong> If you're asking the question, then presumably you <em>know</em> who some of these people are, have seen that they exist and so on. Get in touch and ask them why they couldn't take jobs in the industry in Portugal. Ask them why they didn't start their own projects and self-publish. You ask, "Why haven’t we been able to build a profitable product, since so many of us are gamers, technically proficient and would love to work in that area?" but you say that "the only games that sell here are big blockbusters." Ask the consumers why they didn't buy the "Portuguese game to sell on Portuguese shores," instead only buying "big blockbusters." My prediction: the game wasn't as fun as the big blockbusters, and the consumers don't give a <em>damn</em> where it was made. Why is the situation the way you describe? If there are lots of people interested in making games, what is actually stopping them? You say that “talking about the subject in public is met with derision and disdain” – is that really what’s stopping people? Really?

Game schools didn’t exist 10 years ago, yet the games industry was most definitely present in other countries. There is more specialist knowledge required to develop games that compete with today’s triple-A titles, but a lot of it is available on the internet; if the people you’ve got are sufficiently driven, then they won’t need schools to teach them these things. So, I don’t think that a lack of game schools can be the reason – if it’s even true, as Diogo comments.

Sure, self-publishing makes it easy for developers to put stuff out, yes, and any self-publishing developer who is sufficiently successful can grow and grow until they become a game house. But self-publishing has been an option for over 10 years; it’s not experiencing an “advent” at the moment. So it can’t be that an inability to self-publish has been what’s limited developers in the past.

You ask, “Why are potential game designers, programmers, sound technicians, musicians and artists forced to either leave the country or submit to other job offers outside the #gamedev field?”

Ask them yourself already! If you’re asking the question, then presumably you know who some of these people are, have seen that they exist and so on. Get in touch and ask them why they couldn’t take jobs in the industry in Portugal. Ask them why they didn’t start their own projects and self-publish.

You ask, “Why haven’t we been able to build a profitable product, since so many of us are gamers, technically proficient and would love to work in that area?” but you say that “the only games that sell here are big blockbusters.”

Ask the consumers why they didn’t buy the “Portuguese game to sell on Portuguese shores,” instead only buying “big blockbusters.”

My prediction: the game wasn’t as fun as the big blockbusters, and the consumers don’t give a damn where it was made.

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By: Diogo Teixeira/2011/04/09/in-the-absence-of-game-industry/#comment-2531 Diogo Teixeira Sat, 09 Apr 2011 15:58:49 +0000

We’ve also contributed with dozens of good professionals spread out throughout Europe and the US. I was at XNA Pizza Night last March and nearly a hundred very promising individuals (split into several teams) participated with decent games on that event alone.

The definition of success is a bit hazy. I’d argue that Fling was pretty successful. What we don’t have yet is a blockbuster AAA hit and that probably won’t happen anytime soon.

Now it doesn’t seem that bad does it?

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By: José Matos/2011/04/09/in-the-absence-of-game-industry/#comment-2530 José Matos Sat, 09 Apr 2011 15:25:35 +0000 Hey. Nice to see there are more people in this country at least thinking about improving our country's industry. I am at the moment studying Computer Science and plan on working on games too, when I graduate. Do you have any more info on your future plans? Working on any games? :D By the way, my friend is working on a 3D Indie iPhone, you might like to check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rltPN1bX6LA Good luck :) Hey. Nice to see there are more people in this country at least thinking about improving our country’s industry. I am at the moment studying Computer Science and plan on working on games too, when I graduate.

Do you have any more info on your future plans? Working on any games? :D

By the way, my friend is working on a 3D Indie iPhone, you might like to check it out: Interesting post. It is not much better in most of mainland Europe, many game developers are driven to UK, Canada or USA (myself included). Interesting post. It is not much better in most of mainland Europe, many game developers are driven to UK, Canada or USA (myself included).

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By: Vitor Pereira/2011/04/09/in-the-absence-of-game-industry/#comment-2522 Vitor Pereira Sat, 09 Apr 2011 13:09:00 +0000 Great post, good luck! Great post, good luck!

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