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Alright, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to give out my new definitions and have an explanation for each one. Here we go.
GI Generation: born circa 1901 to 1924
The generation obviously starts in 1901 because this is the first cohort to not legally be able to fight in WWI since they had come of age right after the war had ended in 1918. They would be the typical Roaring Twenties young adults. 1898-1900 borns kind of cusp with this generation, since their war efforts weren't that recognized, barely having much time in the war.
Interbellum Wave: born circa 1901 to 1913
This wave would end in 1913, not only because of the "Interbellum Generation" cohort officiall yending in 1913, but also because of the fact that 1913 borns were likely the last to have a memory of WWI at all. Memory happened later than usual because of the lack of technology and whatnot.
Greatest Generation: born circa 1914 to 1924
This wave is the cohort that does not remember WWI but has memory of the immediate postWWI aftermath that was the Roaring Twenties, right before the Crash of 1929. Plus, 1924ers were some of the last truly recognized for their WWII efforts, and were higher in the ranks than their 1925-1927 born peers.
Silent Generation: born circa 1925 to 1942
This generation should start in 1925 since they were the first to be sort of blue chippers in the WWII ranks, and not recognized as much for their war efforts. Plus, they have no memory of the 1929 Stock Market Crash, let alone any memory prior to it. 1925-1927 would sort of cusp with the GIs because they did fight in the war though.
Traditional Generation: born circa 1925 to 1933
This was the wave that truly experienced the hardship of the Great Depression as children, while also having to grow up in WWII. They thankfully had come of age in the Renaissance period of America during the 1950s and had very traditional values. They sort of were the "Leave it Beaver" generation, if you will. This ends with 1933 borns because they were the born during the hardest period of the Great Depression, and most likely would've been the last to fight in the Korean War, give or take.
Conformist Generation: born circa 1934 to 1942
This was the cohort that were children during WWII and had experienced some of their formative years already during the post-WWII Expansion period, before coming of age in the peak of it. They immediately conformed to the beliefs and norms of those days, and had since been a part of the societal norms. However, they would be too young to truly partake in the youthful acts of the "Sixties Generation". It ends with 1942 since they were likely the last to remember WWII. And like S&H mentioned in his Generations book, were in the Class of 1964, and were not a part of the protests.
Boom Generation: born circa 1943 to 1960
This generation starts in 1943 due to the lack of any memory for WWII and were the first youthful activists during the 60s. They were born before the post-war boom, so there might be a bit of a cusp around 1943-1945 borns.
Sixties Generation: born circa 1943 to 1952
They were the generation that were children in the 50s and were directly fed the 50s beliefs onto them. They were the generation that were given everything and promised the world. They came of age in the 60s and were the stereotypical "Flower Children", and continued their activism well into the 70s. This wave changed an entire era of early 20th century traditionalism and birthed the modern era of today. This ends with 1952 since they were noticeably the last that really got to fight in the Vietnam War. The draft ended in 1971, so the cohort right after them (1953) might have likely not been drafted.
Generation Jones: born circa 1953 to 1960
This generation were children during the 60s, and were given the same promises as the Sixties Generation, however experienced a lot of hardship compared to them. They are the last cohort to remember JFK, they were still very young when society had started becoming more adult-centered and focused less on the children, experienced many assassinations, White House scandals (Watergate), the US dollar separating away from the Gold standard, the Oil Crisis of 1973, Stagflation and the 70s economic malaise, Kent State, and much more. It made them more jaded and grounded in reality. They at least had disco and punk to enjoy. And were at the forefront of "Yuppiedom".
Generation Xers: born circa 1961 to 1976
This starts in 1961 since they have no memory of the JFK assassination, and were immediately overlooked from the beginning. Many of them had likely not been even born because of the introduction of the birth pill in 1960. But there is sort of a cusp with 61-64 babies for being during the baby boom period.
Baby Busters: born circa 1961 to 1967
This group is considered to be the most self-destructive youth cohort in the 20th century, according to S&H's studies in his book "Generations". They had a less-than-stellar childhood. They had come of age during the 80s so they were likely the most Conservative young adult cohort in a long time. Were the original "Generation Xers" talked about by fellow Buster Douglas Coupland (1961 born). This cohort more than likely defined Generation X culture more than any other cohort, only rivaled by the Jonesers.
MTV Generation: born circa 1968 to 1976
This group didn't have it as bad as the Jonesers and the Busters. Sure, they grew up in the 70s but they were still young enough to experience the 80s in their formative years when things were getting better. And many of them had come of age in the 1990s, the most prosperous decade in recent history. This is the most stereotypical Xer cohort, but based off of the traits given to them that they thought they had to follow. It wasn't as genuine as the Busters, who actually grew up pretty hard. This ends with 1976 since they were some of the last to inhibit some of the hardships growing up. Especially since there was a huge baby bust from 1971 to 1976, where many of them would have gotten aborted, unfortunately.
Generation Y: born circa 1977 to 1992
This group starts in 1977 because they were the first group to come of age alongside Windows 95, which started the commercializing of the Internet. They were basically the guinea pigs of it. They likely have little to no memory of the 70s and weren't fully conscious until things already had gotten good by around 1983-1984. Late 70s borns are NOT Xers. They're Yers. Look at the celebrities born in 1977.
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Tom Brady was born in 1977. His prime was in the 2000s and 2010s. He's Gen Y. NOT an Xer.
Definitely not Xers, I will tell you that. They were in their early 20s at the turn of the millennium, so they were definitely the start of something new. This is also at the point where relation to the 60s Xers is just not there. There is too much of a gap. There is sort of a cusp around 1974-1976 tho, since even the mid 70s babies barely inhibit that many X traits tbh.
Xennials: born circa 1977 to 1983
You could also call this group "Anadigitals" since they grew up with analog technology and no internet but were still youthful and coming of age alongside the internet boom. The stereotypical 90s cohort that were into grunge and alternative, but the members of this generation were at the forefront of the late 90s teen pop era. The last to experience an adult life pre-9/11.
Millennials: born circa 1984 to 1992
This is the group that legit came of age in the new millennium and are completely of a different mold to the Xers, compared to the Xennials. The "90s kid" generation that you see online. This is also sort of the "Peter Pan Generation" that doesn't seem to truly want to grow up, having come into maturity after the events of Columbine, Y2K, 9/11, War on Terror, Hurricane Katrina, and the Great Recession. This group had it the hardest during 2008 and were the most Democratic young adult group in a long time. They would've experienced many of their adolescence on the internet in chatrooms or social media (AOL, Friendster, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, Google Video, etc.). They influenced the 2010s pop culture more than anyone else.
Generation Z: born circa 1993 to 2008
This group starts in 1993 because there's sort of a huge gap that can't be ignored between 1992 and 1993 babies. 1993 borns were the first born after the power dynamics changed in politics from the GIs to the Booms, with a Boom president. They likely have no memory of many of the critical events of the 90s like OKC, OJ Simpson, Princess Diana's death, Monica Lewinsky, or even Columbine. They entered grade school after the event anyway, so it wouldn't have had much impact to them. They are also the first that likely did understand the impact of 9/11 at the time. They were still acting like it was "the 90s" until like 2004 when their pop culture had changed. 1991-1992 borns are sort of on a cusp here because they were a bit too young to act on the 2008 election votes and had been merely high school students and not come of age until after the GFC crash, so they would have been a little better off compared to the 80s babies.
Zillennials: born circa 1993 to 2000
This is the wave that is still pop culturally connected to the Millennial wave of Gen Y, with a lot of leftover kids shows from the 90s still running during their childhoods, but were a bit socially different. Their voices weren't heard politically until like around the 2016 or 2020 elections, which were more divided compared to 2008 (2012 doesn't really count here tho). They are the Clinton babies. They were still around during the 20th century, pre-9/11, but were merely children who still saw the 2000s as a magical period, when older people saw it as a very pessimistic and dark decade to be alive.
Zoomers: born circa 2001 to 2008
This group is totally removed from anything involving the 20th century and mainly grew up in the 2010s decade, post-GFC. They likely have no memory of a world prior to Katrina and the technological explosion during the 2000s. They didn't form a real political opinion until Trump was in office (2016 at the earliest for them). They were most effected by Parkland/MFOL, the death of mumble rappers, COVID-19, and the rise of Andrew Tate, than anything going on during the 2000s. They did not inherently grow up with smart technology but they were easily integrated into it as they were cognizant. This ends with 2008 since they were the last Bush babies, the last to be born right before the worst of the recession hit, and were the last to likely remember a world prior to the smartphone domination.
Generation Alpha: born circa 2009 to present
A lot of people say that this definitely starts in 2010, like many late 00s born gatekeepers love to say on GenZ, but I hate to break it to you 09ers, but y'all are the same as 10ers. Sorry not sorry. 2009 babies were the first born during the Obama administration and after the change that was 2008. They have no memory of a world prior to the smartphone takeover of the early 2010s. Most of their childhood happened during the political turmoil and polarization of the post-2014 era. Their entire life has been turbulent, filled with crazy disasters after crazy disasters (although the Zoomers can also relate to this as well). They had inherently adopted smartphones and iPads very, very, VERY young.
iGeneration: born circa 2009 to 2016
Basically just the Obama babies. First that inherently grew up with Apple technology and whatnot. The stereotypical "Victory Royale" generation, doing the Orange Justice and Fortnite dances. Their influencers would've been mainly along the lines of MrBeast, iShowSpeed, KSI, Paul brothers, Ricegum, and many many more. Lil Tay would be in their cohort. They are some of the last to remember a pre-COVID world, so they are the last to be somewhat grounded in reality and that can relate to "SNOW DAYS".
Post-COVID Generation: born circa 2017 to present
Basically the Trump/Biden babies that have no memory of a world prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and will be growing up in the aftermath of COVID. Their main influence so far is Cocomelon and surprisingly Tiktok, just like the Zoomers and the iGen. They will never know what it's like to live in a normal world, frankly. Zoom and online school is all they know.

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“In the realm of indie games, so vibrant and free,Creativity blossoms, ideas flowing like the sea.Creators, so daring, with ambition burning bright,Forge worlds where imagination takes flight.
Each pixel dances, forming landscapes, faces too,Crafting works of art that touch the hearts of those they debut.Through freedom and passion, away from the studios’ gaze,Indie creators discover their visions, a creative blaze.“
Game development is like poetry, an art that unleashes infinite creativity, and each of us is driven by the desire for others to discover, enjoy, and fully engage with the feeling we put into our games – whether the game is distributed commercially or as a free work.
How nice it would be if the end of my statement was here, if the creative side was the only one we had to consider in our development. But reality, as so often, is more complex. Game development is a craft with many facets, and that includes marketing and distribution.
Writing the poetry is the first step, but sharing that poetry with the world is another. Just as indie creators use their creative skills to create memorable game experiences, it’s equally important to focus on marketing and distribution to ensure the rewards of their work. It’s about getting the work of art, the game, into the hands of those who can appreciate and enjoy it.

Think different about indie game development

Game development may be a creative and passionate activity, but it’s important to treat it like a business. Yes, I mean it – treat game development like a business, even if you don’t want to do it commercially, but only as a hobby. As with the development of any other product or service, developing and distributing games requires strong business sense and strategic thinking to achieve the goal of having many people hold your game in their hands and enjoy it.
It’s a common misconception that marketing and distribution in the indie game market manages itself. The assumption that uploading your game to platforms like Steam, Epic Games Store, Itch.io or similar big sites is enough to benefit from thousands of downloads is a delusion. While it may be true that traffic on Steam, Epic Games Store, and other platforms is gigantic, indie games are competing with AAA titles and other blockbusters to attract the most attention and movement on the platforms. Their money simply shapes the flow of user traffic.
Another misstep indie creators make is to focus only on the development of the game at first and only think about marketing and distribution afterwards. Understandable, because we intend to think it’s primarily all about the game itself and the whole creative process around it. This can prove to be more expensive and less effective than a well thought out strategy from the beginning.
No, no, no – as I mentioned at the beginning, you should treat game development like a business. Every startup company has clearly defined processes, such as ideation, analysis, planning, funding, development, and finally marketing and sales. Game development is no different. It’s not only the creative process you have strongly to consider.

Business considerations in the development, marketing and distribution of indie games.

You want your efforts and commitment to your game to be noticed, right? And if you’ve even decided to go for the commercial strategy, then you expect sales success, don’t you? So hear me out and consider three important areas:

You will benefit from market analysis

New startups and established companies develop their products and services to solve a specific problem or serve a need. Spotify, for example, has addressed the problem of music lovers wanting easy access to a huge selection of songs and artists without having to buy countless albums.
Netflix has solved the problem of viewers wanting a convenient way to watch movies and series without having to rely on linear television programming or physical media.
In the gaming industry, engines such as RPG Maker or Unity solve the problem of game developers looking for user-friendly and powerful tools to turn their creative ideas into games. These engines facilitate the development process and allow less experienced developers to realize complex projects.
Unlike the products and services mentioned above, games do not solve a specific problem, but serve to satisfy the demand for entertainment. Therefore, they may be subject to certain trends and demands. Big game studios and publishers are always scanning the market and keeping an eye on rising trends. When a game like The Witcher, with its open world and RPG elements, is well received, other developers jump on the bandwagon and create similar games (looking to you Assassin’s Creed). The same goes for pirate adventures with sea battles or genres like post-apocalypse and cyberpunk.
With this in mind, it is important for you to focus not only on the creative side of your projects, but also to pay attention to what trends and needs exist in the market in order to maximize the success of your games.
This may relate to the game world or a particular game mechanic. As a indie game creator, you can use the artistic freedom to combine these trends with your own fresh ideas to stand out from the current trends.

Plan your marketing budget early

The fine art of game development is in skillful use of the available budget. The end comes fast when the entire budget for game development is used up and there are no more funds available for marketing and distribution.
Marketing can be very expensive. Sooner or later you will realize that only a lot of money can increase your chances of visibility. Social media platforms charge a lot of money to keep your post visible for a long time. Without the financial boost, reachability is very poor – on purpose, of course, to make advertisers pay more. Influencers also charge for their efforts and successes. Even for a nano-influencer (1000 – 10,000 followers) the price is between $10 – $100 per post. Up to mega-influencers (1,000,000+ followers) the price becomes 6 figures.
When it comes to these costs, the question arises about what percentage of the budget should be reserved for this? This is difficult to answer in a definitive way. Presumably, the more funds allocated to marketing, the better.
However, the correct answer, regardless of the exact budget allocation, is to balance product development with marketing. A great game that no one knows about will not succeed, nor will a poorly developed game that is heavily promoted. To find the best balance for a particular project, you should carefully analyze your goals, resources, market competition, and trends, and adjust your strategy accordingly. Only in this way, you can ensure that your game has the best possible chance of success.

Be non-stop visible

Visibility is a crucial factor for the success of an indie game. As mentioned before, a lot of money can help, but if you strive for visibility very early on, you can reduce the investment.

Social networks:

Start with social media early. Even during the development phase of the game, it can be a great advantage to be present on social media platforms and introduce the project. There are several reasons for this:
First, you can build your follower-following relationship, or let’s call it networking, slowly. So there is no need to promote the interaction with money.
Second, it allows you to build a dedicated community early on that will remain loyal to the project and serve as a loyal player base when the game is released. These loyal fans can not only provide valuable feedback during the development phase, but also help spread the word about the game through word of mouth.
Third, by sharing content such as screenshots, developer logs, or backstories early on, you can capture players’ interest and create an emotional connection to the game. This creates a desire to play the finished game as soon as it is available.

Online stores:

So, away from the social channels, you should also make sure that you are present in many online stores.
Many think that being on the leading platform is enough. Remember when I said that you should treat game development like a business? So think like a businessman/businesswoman and place your game on multiple shelves of many stores. A few sales here, a few sales there – the bottom line is that the total of your sales is relevant. Of course, being in many stores and maintaining and updating your product is time-consuming, but no one said that the gaming industry is easy – unless you have a publisher and are willing to pay for it.
These are some of the online stores that you should give a go:
Steam: The largest and most well-known platform for PC games, offering both big AAA titles and indie games.
Itch.io: A platform focused on indie games and experimental projects, offering creators a high degree of flexibility in pricing.
Epic Games Store: A relatively new platform run by the creators of Fortnite that offers both big and small games, often with exclusive deals.
Humble Bundle: Known for its game bundles, Humble Bundle also offers a store where indie creators can sell their games.
Game Jolt: A community-based platform that helps indie game creators publish and market their games.
Aaaaaaaaand on a personal note:
GamePodio: A new marketplace focused exclusively on indie games. So there is no competition with AAA titles to get better visibility and save the marketing budget. In addition, GamePodio has a manual review process to separate good games from bad, ensuring a positive user experience for indie creators and buyers/players. For more info about selling on GamePodio: Become a Creator

Conclusion

In summary, game development is joyful because it allows you to be creative in many directions, such as storytelling, character development, developing game mechanics, art, and music. But you should by no means reduce game development to the creative process. It is a project and needs to be aligned with marketing and sales at an early stage. Game development is more of a business than just art. That is the core message of our statement.
There are quite a few other aspects to shape our mindset regarding game development. However, we could only mention a few in this post and would be happy to consolidate and explain more aspects in further posts. So stay tuned..
Original Post: https://gamepodio.com/community-stories/2023/03/28/tackling-hobby-as-business-indie-games-mindset/