Make Money by Modding Existing Games

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Today’s Insights

• Indiana Jones gets a new whip-cracking lease on life

• You too can make money modding existing games

• How to become a lightsaber-wielding music composer

• Finding out what turbo sloths and a scifi horror survival game have in common

HOT JOBS
5 Open Jobs on Our Job Board

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✅ Nintendo: Develop, maintain, and design platform software for the one and only Nintendo.

✅ Bungie: Join Bungie’s Central Technology organization, supporting projects like Destiny and Marathon, and become part of an innovative environment where your expertise can thrive.

✅ Bode Software: Develop and implement core gameplay systems, including combat mechanics, AI behavior, and environmental interactions.

✅ FromSoftware: Follow the core game concept to create 2D images for environments, objects, and characters and create various designs for in-game imagery.

✅ Nintendo: Creates visual assets for game development products that meet required direction and quality specifications, while also creating illustrations, models, textures, environments, objects, and animations for 3D and 2D visual assets.

THIS WEEK IN GAMING

This game will definitely belong in a museum, but you need to play it before then.

Whip cracks from the safety of your controller. From the humble Atari, to pinball games, and even a few Lego renditions, Indiana Jones games are nothing new, but the latest rendition from MachineGames is a masterpiece. In Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, you become the legendary, whip-slinging, fedora-wearing, archeologist. 

Prime time Indiana Jones. Set in 1937, one year after the events of the cinematic marvel Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indie is on a quest to foil the plans of the Nazis once again. Led by sinister forces, they are scouring the world for clues to ancient technology to power the Great Circle. Located around the world, magical portals are linked together to form a perfect circle that once allowed Noah to herd two of every animal on Earth. You can see why the Nazis would be very interested in such technology. 

What makes this game so great is, well… EVERYTHING! For fans of the movie franchise, especially the original trilogy, this will feel like you’re walking through Indie’s prime. The cinematography is gorgeous. There are plenty of eye-popping cutscenes that will ramp up your heartbeat and make you feel you’re watching a movie. But it doesn’t take away from the spectacular gameplay. In addition to the beauty of the game, Indie’s voice is spot on. While Harrison Ford wasn’t on the roster, Troy Baker stepped in and did not disappoint in recreating Jones’ signature gravelly snarkiness.

The Great Circle isn’t a ‘shoot-em-up clone.’ True to Indiana Jones, you won’t be privy to an unending arsenal of high-powered guns and boatloads of ammo. Instead, players are treated to a slower-paced, stealth, and exploration game where you’ll rarely have the opportunity to use a firearm. Fighting is typically bare-fisted action, with occasional help from the trusty bullwhip. KA-CRACK! 

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is now available on Xbox Series X|S and PC and will be on PS5 in 2025. 

DEVELOPER INSIGHTS
The Booming and possibly lucrative trend of User Generated Content

Crafting User Generated Content (USG) can be a lucrative and fun endeavor. There’s nothing new about taking existing games, such as Minecraft pictured above, and modding it, or creating new USG. Nearly 20 years ago, gamers were adding new content to games such as Quake. Today modding communities and gamers bring new life to games that have reached their prime and beyond. Games such as Five Nights at Freddy’s, Skyrim, GTA, Fallout, and more have long since been played out, but constant new USG brings new life to them. 

Some companies are incentivizing USG. Game companies are starting to take notice of how USG can increase game interaction and the lifespan beyond typical updates and add-ons. While it’s difficult for developers to predict which mods and content will be a marketable hit, some are starting to pay individuals who craft excellent USG to their games. Some companies believe that if an individual brings quality USG to their content that gamers can’t get enough of, they should be compensated for their time and hard work. 

Potential modders should take notice of Overwolf. Founded in 2010 by a small group of dedicated gamers and creators, Overwolf is one of the top-paying UGC infrastructures around. The company helps creatives make a living building new gaming experiences by offering professional support and tools to make excellent content for existing games. According to Uri Marchand, CEO, they paid out over $200 million to creators last year alone. 

Overwolf’s contributions to major titles. Games Overwolf creators have contributed to include World of Warcraft, Minecraft, Sims4, and Stardew Valley. If you aren’t the creative type and only want to dive in and play something new on a beloved classic, check out the games at Overwolf. 

TECH SPOTLIGHT
Swing your lightsabers like conductor’s batons and make beautiful music

Have you ever wondered how it would feel to train like a Jedi warrior to the sounds of Britney Spears? No? Well, what have you been doing with your life? Introducing Beat Saber. The VR, music beat game that does just that! Don your VR headset, grip your lightsabers, and slice your way through popular songs while racking up high scores.

How do lightsabers make music? In Beat Saber, two colors of note blocks (which are customizable) come flying at you, and it’s your job to slice them to pieces with either the right or left saber. Depending on the difficulty and speed, you may also have directional blocks, chain blocks, and obstacles to avoid. Step aside or dance around walls, dodge mines and bombs, and continuously slice the blocks to keep the music pumping and the party going.  

Execute flawless dance moves for higher scores. In similar games, it’s more about precision and timing, whereas in Beat Saber, you get a better score for your overall flair. Finesse the notes with style, and get into the rhythm, because music is all about the feeling. You have a “life bar” that starts at 50% when the game begins. Do well, hit the notes correctly, and increase it, but miss enough and it’s game over. Additional finesse increases your bar faster and increases your score. 

Plenty of music to choose from as well as multiplayer options. Just like earlier music games, there’s a wide array of music genres to choose from and hundreds of songs. Choose from rock, pop, punk, metal, hip-hop, BTS, and more. And there’s still more! Up to four others can join in the fun in co-op or rival modes. Play together or team up to see who's the best. 

Beat Saber is supported by Meta Quest and Playstation VR and VR2.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
A new gaming company is making waves with its current offerings

Turbo-charged monster trucks or escaping an alien hotel during a torrential hurricane. RainStyle games hasn’t been in the trenches for long, but they already have two up and coming games that promise pulse-pounding fun. 

Turbo Soths combines shambling creatures with metal carnage. When RainStyle games saw the rainforest sloth, they immediately envisioned giant, customizable, turbo-crazed truckers. Not my first thought either, but they created an immersive, fun, high-speed race across the planet of Turia and beyond.

The beefier the better! Take charge of your truck, build it bigger, heavier, and faster than anyone else, and win the hearts of fans everywhere. Not only will you have to beef up your turbo truck, but you’ll need to maintain it to keep ahead of your competition. Do you have what it takes to be the fastest sloth in the galaxy? Grip the wheel and shift into turbo mode to win at all costs.  

Now for something completely different. Imagine finding yourself stuck in an alien hotel in the midst of one of the most powerful hurricanes in US history. In the game, On Air, Ray Smith finds himself in just such a situation. In this survival horror game, you’ll have to rely on your wits, stealth, and strange new technology to not only survive but escape the nightmarish hotel. 

Customize fighting methods for different enemies. You won’t be facing off against typical mindless mobs and a single spray-and-pray method of fighting. Some enemies instantly aggro to the slightest sounds, while others are more intelligent and will use your stealth abilities against you. You’ll also find dormant enemies that only come to life after certain puzzles are solved. To survive you’ll have to adapt different fighting methods and find useful, alien-like devices to help you. Do you have what it takes to survive?

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