Dave 'Fargo' Kosak: Being a part of a big web service IS very rewarding, but the reality of it all (as the recent online market crash has shown) is that working on the web is just like working for any other business. So, if you seriously want to create something valuable, you're going to need to think about money at some point.
One thing I really like about GameSpy is that the company is really practical about how it's run. We're conscious enough about the money thing to stay in business, but on the whole the company is focused on creating great websites and software and technology and services for people. Everyone here is in it for the long haul and not trying to "get rich quick." If you look in the news you'll see a lot of the get-rich-quick people getting very poor very quickly right now.
That's not us.
Frans P. de Vries: Since the dotbomb crash, doing it "for the money" is going to get you disappointed very quickly. But even before that, I always did it for the experience and the fun, and I think that's the only way to stick to it, as other means of motivation are going to run out sooner or later unless you're actually enjoying what you do.
Adam 'Barak' Perfect: Well, considering Haloplayers has cost me money rather than made it I'd have to say I haven't done it just for the money. Money would be nice, but if you're running a site like Haloplayers for the money, you're not gonna make a good site. Enthusiasm is what makes a site genuine and makes people keep coming back.
Anthony 'Rayn' Maio: If it were 'just for the money' we would've quit long ago. We really don't make much money at all, most of the time we have no income. Nearly all the money that came into the site though we have reinvested into things like new servers or contest prizes like the GeForce3 contest a few months ago. Folks who are interested in web work for money are going to find that the market is not very generous right now, believe me.
Brian Clair: It's personally rewarding in many ways - finances not being one of them really. Anyone who gets into this business "just for the money" is doing so for entirely the wrong reasons - there's no pot at the end of the rainbow in this industry.
John 'Rizzuh' Jensen: I guess I should say I don't make money from CS-Nation. I did for a short stint at Stomped, I felt I deserved it, but I do CS-Nation because it just plain rocks having your own site.
Louis Wu: Heh - depends on whether you're talking about my day job, or about bungie.org
. bungie.org is completely non-profit - no banner ads, no solicitations - so it's DEFINITELY not for the money. (The paying work is far less interesting... but it pays the bills. )
Rob 'Keltic' Shea: There is no money, so I hope it’s not just for the money! It’s a common misconception that we are making money or even rolling in the money just because there is advertising on the site. Proving Grounds costs more to run than it brings in from advertising, which means that we pay money out of our pockets to run it.
If it weren’t a rewarding experience, I wouldn’t be doing it.
Tyler 'TySoft' Lott: It’s rewarding. You get to meet all sorts of new people, you can also work partly from your home (or all from the home if it’s your primary job.)
Joscha 'fraGGle' Dzielak: Hm .. if I calculate I spent more money than I ever got for doing the site
. I do the site in my free time so it's just for the experience and for the fun.
Matt 'Acrappa' Martinez: I have never been payed for my involvement on websites, but I wish I was.
I think gaming websites that are strictly business just can't do well at this time. There are some strong ones that probably won't go anywhere (GameSpot), but take a look at how shitty IGN has become. Business websites aren't even very good anyway, they just regurgitate what fansites have reported first.
Fansites are the way to go if you want quicker and more involved news.
Ben 'Hypn0tik' Tamler: Actually, Tribes-Universe brings in NO money at all as of now. The site is paid for by me and me only. The website "business" is more of a hobby for me at this time.
Manveer 'Eidolon' Heir: Everything is changing now, it's hard to say in terms of it being a rewarding experience. This isn't the end of the road for me, I'm only 18 and I'm still in college with two majors (Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science). Eventually, like many of you, my goal is to eventually program and design games. I'm hoping to be able to work on some MODs in a year or so, then lead into a full time job when I graduate.
Final Thoughts:
n/a
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