Plan for Simon Sancartier

Was thinking the other day about ways to start my own studio while keeping the costs down or getting some money in, because you know... I gotta have a day job right now because developing a game when you don't have funding can be a pain in the ass as it doesn't rake in money before about 2 years.

So I thought of a concept which is NOT flawless of course but could be alright.

I was thinking of renting a commercial space to open up my own specialized rental store, I could probably find a way to open up shop in front of an High School where I see all these kids coming home from school when I go to work. This is a big school that could be a good source of clients, plus it's just off a major boulevard. Video game rental store have always been (to my eyes) a way to exploit kids for people who don't know squat about video games. I remember the times I've been so mad at a god damned clerk because he didn't know what game I was talking about, and it was the most anticipated game of the year.

So here's what I thought up on my way to work today. A video rental store on the front, working on my stuff while the kids are at school and that I have minimal clients. Then as the kids come in, I would rent games and make a bit of money. I could probably have a mini-lan of about 4 computers that I could have set on a pay-per-play (hourly) basis. Access to the internet and I could sell and buy games too. As the team goes up in size, I would have the backstore turned into a mini studio to work in to develop the game, and to draw people into the store, they would have exclusivity on the game's development (while not giving too much away). It's kind of a new concept and I haven't looked at the costs involved so it's not flawless, but it's still a nice idea. If anyone is really reading this with interest, I'd like to have your opinion.