Moving to the Philippines and supporting oneself on indie development; how dumb is this idea?

[Aegrus]

Long story short, I have a fiance who lives in the Philippines, Ive visited there and I like it, (see profile pic), and I have a crazy idea.

 

If I planned on remaining in the US, I would never consider it; no way could I expect to make a living as an indie dev in the United States, the prices are too high. However, Im thinking that, given the massive currency differences between the US and the Philippines, if I were to sell games over Steam in developed countries, I could support myself in the Philippines.

 

The reason is simple: every dollar of profit in the US and European markets translates into waaaay more buying power in the Philippines. In some places, rent for a decent place there is 75 usd a month. Nuts.

 

Of course it probably wouldnt work. Im not placing any bets on it nor getting my hopes up. How stupid and crazy is this idea, guys? (Obviously I wouldnt make the attempt until I had a product to sell and a good deal of backup money saved, anyway. So this question is firmly hypothetical atm.)

Edited January 25, 2015 by Aegrus

[Vagrant0]

This is probably not a viable idea unless you have already released sellable product on Steam or any other publishing platform and gotten profit from it. Just the act of trying to relocate to another country is a major undertaking that is usually expensive to start and annoying to wait until the country in question grants you a visa. During this period you may have problems with banks, living conditions, or just communication that can severely hinder any attempts at working on something like making a game. This also becomes a problem in the case where what you do finally produce gets rejected, does not sell well, or just never gets finished like countless other titles.

 

In short, really look at all the logistics involved with moving, and ask yourself where you will continue getting money from at every step.

[Morrovvind]

I don't know a lot about indie development, but I have often thought about the expatriate lifestyle.

 

If you're ever looking for a bit of change and live in the U.S., ironically the thing to do is perhaps look inside your own country first. There's a lot of diverse climates, cultures, and economics going on in different parts of the U.S., and you don't have to go through any complicated hoops to experience those things.

 

I don't know anything about the Philippines, though. Sometimes ideas seem really enticing from our point of view, but if you were stuck in their shoes over there, you might find yourself missing home (or the conveniences we have here). Every country has its upsides and downsides. The cool thing about the U.S. is, if you are unsatisfied with where you are, there are many more options to try out before crossing an entire ocean. That is only my point of view though.