The 30-Minute Game Revolution: Developer Earns 250k in Just Half an Hour

When you think of video game production, you may have the image of teams of engineers and developers sweating away long hours in a studio trying to come up with the next big success. Yet, part-time gaming producer TJ Gardner had other ideas. In a single half-an-hour last summer, he created one of the most […]

When you think of video game production, you may have the image of teams of engineers and developers sweating away long hours in a studio trying to come up with the next big success.

Yet, part-time gaming producer TJ Gardner had other ideas. In a single half-an-hour last summer, he created one of the most popular games on the internet from the comfort of his bedroom. And he earned over a quarter of a million British pounds for it.

But how did he do this, and does it mean the start of a new game development trend?

Let’s take a closer look.

How the games work

TJ Gardner is the creator of the now-famous “Stroke” video games, available to download from the PS Store for just £3.29.

Each one features a different animal – cats, dogs and hamsters, along with less cuddly creatures such as snakes and fish – all follow the same blueprint.

The game differs from other online games in that it doesn’t have advanced graphics or even a definable game structure. It also doesn’t come with prizes that other gaming entities might offer to entice players, such as no deposit casino bonuses for betting games or loot boxes for certain adventure titles.

Instead, all you have to do is stroke an animal that appears on the screen, and even this doesn’t require any effort. You just press the X button to perform the stroke, the animal flashes briefly, then the number of strokes goes up in the corner. That’s it.

The addictive element comes in the form of trophies. For every 25 strokes, you get a bronze trophy; go all the way to 2,000 and you receive a special platinum one.

Why it’s popular

 

Now, you might be wondering, why on earth would anyone pay for this? After all, aren’t there tonnes of similar dumb games online that we can play for free? Or, if we really want to pet an animal, can’t we just do it in real life?

Well, it turns out there’s a whole subculture of online gamers who are obsessed with collecting trophies and achievements. A recent ScienceDirect study found that we respond to the prospect of a ‘carrot’ at the end of our efforts, even if the carrot’s something as trivial as a non-tangible trophy and the efforts are stroking an imaginary animal.

We respond to each to such an extent that our performance levels go through the roof as we seek that next hit of dopamine, which is what we get when we ‘achieve’ something.

People will do anything for that sweet, sweet digital validation – even if it means spending money on a game about stroking a beaver.

But don’t let the simplicity fool you. TJ’s Stroke games might not be your traditional blockbuster titles, but they’re still making real waves online, to the point that they’ve even given rise to their own special collection of critics.

“Shovelware”

 

Of course, not everyone is a fan. Some gaming experts think TJ’s games are little more than shovelware – that is, low-effort titles churned out to make a quick buck. They may be right, of course, but how does that explain all the money (let’s quote that figure again: £275,000) that they’ve earned? Surely, they’re tapping into something real, something that players respond to.

Besides, the creator TJ Gardner sees it differently. He saw an opportunity to make some cash for his family, and he took it.

In an interview with UK newspaper The Guardian, he said that this was his primary motivation and that also “you know exactly what you’re buying. There’s nothing in there to take advantage of you, or to suggest you have to buy the other ones. If you don’t want to buy it, you don’t need to buy it”.

Fair comments indeed, and it appears thousands of his online fans would agree with him.

Now, with his debts paid off and a tidy sum in the bank, TJ’s ready to move on to bigger and better things. But hey, if you ever feel like stroking a cute virtual hamster, you know where to find him.