Financing Hatchling Games Studio You might be wondering, where Hatchlings Games Studios is getting their initial capital for doing business from. The straightforward answer is that we are applying for a student entrepreneurial grant. Not many Malaysian students realized that they are many government efforts that are promoting entrepreneurship among university students and fresh graduates. I have heard similar cases in other countries too. You just have to look – ask your lecturers, student union, do a Google search for student entrepreneurship in your country, etc.

As you probably know, I am attending Multimedia University (MMU), Cyberjaya, Malaysia. MMU’s mission is to be what Stanford University is to Silicon Valley for Cyberjaya. The university is new and has its own non-trivial problems. However, I think the government has taken a big step to provide for us an environment quite different from others in Malaysia. Some other colleges in Malaysia can boast about having more internationally recognized degrees or better location (e.g. Sunway University College is nearer to Sunway Pyramid), but I think MMU has the best environment and support for entrepreneurship (among other merits).

Within MMU, there is a commercialization unit known as CCTD. CCTD is short for the Center for Commercialization and Technopreneur Development. Technopreneur is a fancy word we use here in South East Asia that as you can guess, stands for Technology based Entrepreneurship. Since computer/video games qualify as a technology venture, Hatchlings Games Studio qualifies as a technopreneurial effort. (Note: Microsoft Word’s spellchecking database doesn’t have recognized the word Technopreneur yet.)

My first encounter with CCTD happens nearly three months ago. I was visiting my friend Exiang’s company, MiniMAX Studios which is situated at the MMU MSC Incubator located on campus. Among the services that MMU’s CCTD provide is a RM20, 000 startup grant. Besides that they also provide an office space that you share with other startups. In addition, CCTD provide legal, financial management and business development support.

I have met the Deputy Director of CCTD, Dr. Stephen Tam who is a technopreneur himself. He is very experienced and can spot a good company when he sees one. His advices have been very helpful so far – especially when he reminds me to think far and bootstrap. His staff, Simon who was an ex-banker is also extremely helpful. He helped me with doing some International business model patent checks.

There are many government grants for startups (and later business stages) all over the world. Being a tax-payer (either yourself or your parents), you should make full use of it. Use it to do what you want, to create value for your fellow citizens and mankind, and contribute back to your country.   ¶ 12:23 PM 0 comments

  Entreprenurship: Is it for you? I was wondering what to write. Finally I decided on entrepreneurship. That is, the process of organizing, operating and assuming the risks for a business venture. Is entrepreneurship right for you? If you are not sure, stick with this blog and we will find out together. This blog is where wish I share with you my journey to create a games business; namely, Hatchlings Games Studios.

The Soul Search

I realized when I was 15 that I want to create an intellectual property like Star Wars or Lord of The Rings. Those years were traumatic and life-changing times in my short life. I was having feeling extremely down and rather lived in a dream. The dream was creating a universe with on-going story by animating soft toys that my siblings like. Eventually I was spending five hours every night telling story to my brother. I was doing that for three years until I decided to make my dream real.

I have never wanted much money until then. However, I started to really realize that I can’t live off my parents forever. This is especially true for me since I have never liked the idea of spending a whole chunk of my time for the rest of my life to make money. I wanted to do something that I like and still manage to make money from it. After much thought and experiment, I knew what I wanted to do have to be informative and creative in nature. Since I loved playing video games, computer programming and creating worlds, making games is for me.

One way to do while soul searching (and at any time of your life) is to read. Read on anything. You should start by reading online. Two of my favorite game development websites are GameDev.net and Gamasutra.com. GameDev.net review new books quite often. Go to your favorite bookshop (mine is Borders at Berjaya Times Square) to look at it.

The first book that I read on games development was Game Architecture and Design by Andrew Rollings and Dave Morris. It is the book we use here at MMU (My University) too. It covers most of commercial games development. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in games development.

To be in games development you MUST read a lot. Besides that you must code a lot, design a lot, do whatever your skill is A LOT. If you want to make it into a business, you must also do HUMAN NETWORK a lot, that is to meet others in the industry. No one can really teach you how to be in the games industry if you don’t try it yourself. You have to have the mindset to do whatever it takes even if you are not sure. Keep at it, never give up and you will eventually be successful.

The Risk of Business

In my opinion, being a business owner is a lot safer than having a job. It is safer if you believe it is. You have to have the courage to be an entrepreneur. If you want to be an entrepreneur but you don’t think you have the courage, you have to do whatever it takes to build it (courage). It is not going to be easy – especially in the beginning. It has a very high up-cost (material, effort and time). You must have the courage and motivation to pull you through the initial stages.

I am a university undergraduate without a degree. Many people that I care about advised me to finish my tertiary education before starting a business. I prayed, calculated the risk, talked to different people, mustered my courage and really decided on this path only last week. This blog is my first step to maintain my courage and motivation.

Long Term Thinking

You have to think long term. No matter what others tell you, you should think long term. It doesn’t mean that you don’t have to think short-term. You should too, but you must aim as high as possible. It doesn’t matter whether you will achieve your goals – but you must know what your goals are. You must have a vision – for yourself, partners and future employees.

For me, I want to create a game with an inspiring and entertaining story and epic science fiction universe within six years. Everything I do now is directly or indirectly related to achieving that. Like I said above, it doesn’t matter whether I am really successful. What matters is you are motivated, you believe you can do it and you think ahead and have a goal. Put financial figures into your long term planning to help put things into context – but I do not recommend making the financial goal the primary motivating goal. You usually won’t be really happy doing that.

Remember, you are supposed to enjoy what you do and as a business owner you are supposed to provide value. If you only work for money you are more a self-employed (you pay yourself money) rather than a business owner (a provider of service and product).  ¶ 3:05 PM 0 comments

  Believing: Hatchlings Games Studios I am going to believe in my dream.

I am going to BELIEVE that I can be a successful game developer. I can be a successful game developer. I can be a successful game developer. I will do anything (legal and ethical) to create a successful game business. Join me in this exciting journey – please give your comments too. Share with me your experience.

My first attempt is going to be with my company - Hatchlings Games Studios. Over the past few months, my friend, Paul suggested to me start a team to create some games. His purpose was to create a game for Games Application II class which we were going to take in the third trimester in this academic year.

Paul thought that I had the ability to bring people together. I have been losing confidence in it – probably due to high stress (see my previous post which explains briefly my current condition). Well, I have failed but like I said I will rise up again. Hatchlings are all in this together! I know they will forgive me.

Hatchlings Games Studio is comprised of two fantastic managers (and friends) Paul and Key, an ultra-passionate game designer (and friend), Chun Chieh, my good friend Aznan Falzi who is helping with programming (He is helping as he doesn’t want to be part of the company), super effective, creative artist and friend, Tan Zie Aun, talented self-thought musician and writer, Foo Fang Kai, programmers Miica, Kuan and Alvin, and Seifer the artist.

I have failed them last week (read my last post) and I am going to apologize to every one of them. I wasn’t unserious about making this successful. I was overwhelmed with problems from every angle possible. Like I said before, everything is going change now.

The first step is to get us back together again – it should start with writing our company mission statement and plan. Although I would like to share everything in my dream, I cannot disclose anything that is going to be in a contract here. I will write as much as possible.

This is a journey together, you and me and all the others Hatchlings together! It doesn’t matter if you don’t care about this project. I am inviting any sort of comments.

Next, on our intended business models and plan.  ¶ 12:12 AM 0 comments

  Re-Entry into BlogSpot As I was sitting down alone in the hall here, I was thinking to myself – what am I going to do now? I have been thinking about it for quite long, since a few months back – since the happening of some major events. In fact, my lack of awareness and consciousness has been making me very anxious. I was frustrated with many things in my life. My procrastination, lack of self-discipline, lack of control and lack of accountability got me into a fairly depressing state. If truth be told, I was almost depressed – unable to function without feeling extremely nervous and frustrated.

I do not like being like this and I have been through life being more productive. My lack of clarity is linked to not being able to identify what went wrong. I broke down, and inadvertently spent a week to rest and rethink about my life.  I have decided to use one full day to get things right, set new direction and regain clarity.

As I look through my old written goals from August 2005 till December 2005, I found that I have accomplished a quarter, failed another quarter and have yet to accomplish the other half of them. I see that some goals changed completely without me realizing it. I don’t think I have spent my time correctly in the past month. I missed out a lot, lost a lot and am beginning to feel and act very negatively.

All that is going to CHANGE NOW. I will not procrastinate and wait any further. The first thing is to communicate better (in speech and text) – and it starts with this blog. My father told me that if I spend a week to improve my grammar, it will improve my life dramatically. I believe him and it will start with writing online.

This blogging project also coincides with my other desire which is to share my findings with the world, especially wannabe game developers out there. I am especially interested in writing for people in developing countries who want to enter this or any competitive industry that is not self-sustaining yet.

To those that don’t know who I am and wish to know. I am born John Tan Ching Tsan in Assunta Hospital, Malaysia on the 27th of December 1984. I am a software engineering and game design student of Multimedia University, Malaysia. I am a Roman Catholic, and a firm believer of the true Church that was founded by Jesus Christ. If you are not a believer – don’t worry this blog is not about Religion. Like I mentioned above, my immediate goal in life is to be a successful game developer – artistically and creatively. I believe in creating value by doing something you are passionate about. I am passionate about game making, business, personal development, film-making, and science (in no particular order).

I am going to verbalize my goal – online. It might not sound wise but I want to, and it is not wrong. I want to share everything I find of value for my readers. It is time to put my thoughts into actions – into manageable and conscious actions. It is time to live my life more courageously, make my dreams come true for the love of God. Let me not regret a single second of my life.  ¶ 11:44 PM 0 comments