Newgrounds, Flash, Business, Life.

I saw my old pals @Luis and @TomFulp making New Years posts, so I felt compelled to join in!

It made me a little sad to look back on 2015 and realize it's my first year on NG without a single flash contribution. Creation, credit, or otherwise. Interestingly enough, I should end up with at least TWO flash submissions for 2016: Soda Dungeon and Escape the Car HD. That being said, I'm still not particularly proud of that. A demo and a re-release: two projects that have released on other platforms first.

Newgrounds is why I was able to commit to making games for a living back in 2006. A full decade ago! But when I chose that path I also subjected myself to the whims of industry, business, and trends. Back then you could pull thousands from a simple flash mini-game. That kind of thing is still possible, but flash and the web platform just aren't what they used to be. You don't need me to harp about the incredible uprise of the mobile gaming market.

So in 2015 I made a full jump to mobile- and luckily, it's been working out so far. Soda Dungeon was a hit, at least for our small team. And I'm very thankful, but the whole situation has me nervous. I became too complacent in the flash world. Even the success of Soda Dungeon is nominal in the grand scheme. Will I get lucky with my next project? When is the next paradigm shift? And to what?

As a result my NG presence has also suffered: my front page posts are usually just promoting something on another device, platform, or site. And I'm not 100% committed to mobile either though, I see it as more of a stepping stone to something greater. But that sounds like something we all say, doesn't it?

I mean, I'll always make games. Whether it's as a living or not. In the very least I think I've gained a new appreciation for even the smallest success. Sometimes I think I might be better off relegating games to a hobby. Hell, I'm 30 now. I'm getting married this year and I'll be rasing a family after that. I'm not exactly a kid anymore. Career instability and stress do start to take their toll. But I'm happy with where I am and I'll be seeing this to the end, however far I can take it. HERE'S TO 2016 FELLAS.

PS I'm trying out this streaming nonsense from time to time as well, follow me at http://twitch.tv/anproductions if you're into that kind of thing.

Comments

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Luis 2016-01-04 15:17:49

I feel like 2015 was a tough year for most people, alot of soul searching of sorts, i think that's sometimes necessary though to regain focus at times. Glad Soda Dungeon did well, the mobile business is so unpredictable, maybe more so than the flash scene, so definitely takes guts to take a stab at it.
Here's to 2016 thooo.
*Thnx for the shout out.

Afro-Ninja 2016-01-04 15:17:49

Can't appreciate the good without experiencing the bad. Someone said that once, I think.

BuddhaBilski 2016-01-04 16:16:12

Please add me back

TomFulp 2016-01-04 17:11:42

Times are super scary... This is why I fantasize all day about the darn Supporter Upgrade taking off. I feel like it could change everything... The web gaming and animation scenes NEED to be revived because it was a really great thing and nothing else produces as much happiness.

Afro-Ninja 2016-01-04 17:11:42

I feel like there's going to be a convergence in the future. It's like how everyone needed a business app at first, but then realized a responsive website was a better solution. Part of it is the "style" stigma that flash carries with it. A lot of flash games still look and feel like... er, flash games. A game can still be great but I think it's just the notion that right now flash games "feel" old. Flixel did a lot to shake this up but I think it's going to take time for web as a game platform to fully come back around. Html5 and/or webGL will mature and people will once again be interested in free web content. Well, maybe. The App stores would also do their best to block this so they maintain curative control. WE'LL SEE.

ShyGuyWolf 2016-01-05 00:55:35

just glad your still around, I am a big fan of yours long before I had this account.

Afro-Ninja 2016-01-05 00:55:35

Thanks!

FGIJonC 2016-01-05 21:22:59

Glad to see you're keeping up the good fight!

And with what Luis said, 2015 was a weird year. Soul searching and whatnot,. I know I did for sure. Congrats on the marriage and stuff and the other successes!

Wegra 2016-01-06 00:22:52

How about a New Newgrounds SIM

Afro-Ninja 2016-01-06 00:22:52

WELLLLLL

SardonicSamurai 2016-01-06 01:22:58

I knew Soda Dungeon would take off! It's a lot harder to imagine when you're the creator, as you'll always question yourself. That game had my friends addicted for weeks! I think you'll do great with whatever new content you throw out; whether it be on here or mobile!

I've seen you stream a couple times! Haven't seen you on in a bit though :(

Also, my ZSS still sucks.

Afro-Ninja 2016-01-06 01:22:58

Lols. Finally doing another soda dungeon stream tomorrow, then I have plans for a different kind of stream content. Not sure if it will pan out yet or not. Glad to hear about your friends :D

SimplyRobot 2016-01-06 15:37:14

Most struggle means more reward. That's just part of getting older.

k6ka 2016-01-11 19:33:30

I feel like I haven't been spending an awful lot of time on Newgrounds than I used to, so I thought I'd poke my head in here. I feel it too, the mobile games market is incredibly strong. There's nothing quite like being able to have a game in your pocket and be able to play it whilst waiting in line, or at a doctor's office, or whenever you feel like vomiting your guts out because it's boring as fuck where you are. Flash games just don't captivate me as much as they used to.

That's not to say I don't play them. I don't want to look too much like a nerd, but Flash games still entertain me (just not as much as they used to, but they still do). They're quick and easy to access, and since you can play them on a laptop, it's easy to make it look like to your prof or teacher that you're obediently taking notes, rather than on a phone, where most instructors nowadays use the "Your crotch isn't that funny, is it?" question to shine the spotlight on those playing a mobile game. So yeah, those games aren't exactly going away. They might in the future, but I hope not.

As for Newgrounds? Still drop in from time to time, proudly with AdBlock disabled. It's the least I can do, really, without having a steady income. The wisest decision Newgrounds can do is to expand and go with the times. There are companies that tried to fight change... and lost. Sites like Google can survive because they update and go with the times. They flow with the current rather than swim against it. I sound like a philosopher right now, but really, if you think about it, it's a pretty damn good thought.