"Compared to normal games, shareware genarally seems dated and simple. Still, some people are totally addicted to some shareware. (I don't consider Doom to be shareware.) Can a good programmer make a living doing just shareware?"

Submitted by: Dale

Answered by: Jeff Vogel (founder/designer, Spiderweb Software)

"This is a great example of what I call the 'Shareware Inferiority Complex'. "First, what is a 'Normal' game? Second, chess, go, and poker are dated and simple. Should people not play them? And finally, why, in the name of all that is holy, would you not consider Doom to be shareware? Doom (which is to say, the first Doom, not Doom II or Quake) was shareware by pretty much any reasonable definition. Registration methods. Distribution methods. Self-description. Doom was shareware, period.

"No, I think that you don't consider Doom to be shareware because, well, it was good. And successful. And 'real' shareware always sucks. And it is never successful. So Doom can't be shareware. QED.

"Classic 'Shareware Inferiority Complex'.

"So to answer your question, yes. A good programmer, who is also a good designer and who also works hard at the business end of things, can be extremely successful. I have a group of shareware acquaintances in their 20's who are six figures successful. It's difficult, but, as far as I know, starting any sort of business is difficult."

Read more questions and answers!