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Rating: 
Summary: An Outstanding Book!
Review: I am roughly at the half-way point in this book but I must say that I am very pleased with it. The content is thorough and very well presented. David Michael does a great job at explaining the Indie scene as a contrast and comparison of the mainstream Game publishers. The context is placed in the Indie spere of development and related business practices. Short (~10 pages), but complete, chapters offer byte size knowledge to help you move from the 'great idea' stage to a finished product. It will not help you physically create the game but rather be a mentor to guide you during the development life cycle. Bottom line: get this book!
Rating:
Summary: An Outstanding Book!
Review: I am roughly at the half-way point in this book but I must say that I am very pleased with it. The content is thorough and very well presented. David Michael does a great job at explaining the Indie scene as a contrast and comparison of the mainstream Game publishers. The context is placed in the Indie spere of development and related business practices. Short (~10 pages), but complete, chapters offer byte size knowledge to help you move from the 'great idea' stage to a finished product. It will not help you physically create the game but rather be a mentor to guide you during the development life cycle. Bottom line: get this book!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent starting point
Review: I recommend The Indie Game Development Survival Guide to anyone that is thinking about trying to create and sell a game. There is a lot of information that is needed in order to actually sell a game and this book gives you a general over site of everything you need to think about. It's a great reference tool to refer to when you need ideas. No matter what stage of the game development you are in, this book gives you answers to questions that might arise. With game development there isn't one certain road to follow. With this book you receive in depth information on roads that you might not have thought of.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely required reading for new game designers
Review: I was really surprised at the quality of instruction in this book. It teaches the reader, step-by-step, how to develop an indie game. From concept to design, from team building to implementation, and from publishing & marketing to support, this book covers it all. My only wish is that I had found it a few years ago, before I learned some of the things by trial-and-error! This book has helped me be a better developer, both in games and in general. It truly is that good.
The language used in the book is clear and concise. My favorite thing about this book (something most people may not notice) is that every important paragraph ends with a single sentence of instruction that clearly summarizes all of the points covered within that paragraph. This makes it very easy to understand and very easy to read. I would wager that if someone simply read only the last sentence in every paragraph in this book, they would still learn 80% or more of what this book teaches.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
Rating: 
Summary: 100 pages of info in 400 pages
Review: It's not that the things in this book are wrong, it's that they are merely common sense, and there is a -lot- of repetition. Hey, if you're hiring people, you might want a contract. If you're starting a business, you might want an accounant. If you're making a game, you need a plan first. The polls have about sixty respondents each, and only two or three projects are examined 'in-depth'. On the plus side, it is helpful to see some industry jargon in context, and to know what some publishers will expect to hear within 90 seconds if they're going to take interest in a product. Bottom line, this book should not be 400 pages long and cost $40. You can find a lot of this stuff on message boards, or by just asking a programmer how his day was.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: This book provides an excellent starting point for aspiring game developers who want to go out and create their own games. Rather than focusing on what is needed to actually create games and covering their many technical aspects in depth, this book provides a general outlay of the game development process and the business behind it itself which I found to be extremely helpful. This book does a great job of providing all the basic information that indies need in one place on how to get their projects going as well as many tips along the way. This book is perfect for those seeking guidance on how to take that great idea to a completed game but are unsure of where to start or of what needs to be considered. Overall I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the business if indie game development.
Rating:
Summary: Anyone getting into indie development should read this.
Review: This is a very well-written book that covers all the major areas of indie game development, publishing and marketing. I really wish I could have had the information contained in this book 5 years ago, I'd probably be alot further along with my business. For new developers just starting out in the indie scene there are some major pitfalls that can consume years in wasted work. This book helps you avoid those pitfalls. There is also a great deal of established knowledge within the indie game development communnity that most new developer's are un-aware of. And they spend years discovering things that many people before them have already discovered. This book does a good job of putting all that knowledge in one place. Even for the experienced indie game developer there is quite alot of useful information in this book. I highly recommend reading this book for anyone that is in the indie games business or planning to get into it.
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