The game doesn't involve anything online.
Well as long as there is a multiplayer the game does involve things online.
Let's say it's a huge hit and sells 1,000,000 copies at $1.99 in its first year. That's $2m gross, nets a good chunk less, probably leaving around $1.7m. Since the 10% is taken from gross earnings and not net, that means $200k for our programmer.
Let's say it's NOT a huge hit and sells only 200,000 copies. That's $400k gross, giving the programmer $40k. None of that is bad for a job that took a few weeks tops and some maintenance duty. Add on top of that the potential for some funds derived from a IndieGoGo campaign, and this is not a sad offer.
There is a lot of "if" considering only 5% of the games can make it through that kind of sells. I've been in more than 5 teams with wonderful ideas and none of them made it through. I am not telling you will not succeed I am just telling that without previous experience and no real garantees we can't really hope for a happy offer, especially when it is more than 1 month of work.
Even Publishers take more % and they make less work.
Just trying to put the expectations in the reality. It's like people saying hey your song costs 1 dollar but if you sell 5 million of it... while in reality you will sell less than 100
As for your post script, ideas are everything. Execution is everything only to those who can execute. Ideas, however, are the world if the person who has one can bring people together to make it happen. Besides, you must have an idea in order to bring it to life. Execution is nothing without a seed of inspiration.
I was in that team once where the leader couldn't do anything but write scenarios. He had the "idea" and was so afraid about it to be stolen that he even made me sign a confidentiality clause. And sure he promised profit share. Needless to say he never had a complete team and people were quiting.
Everyone has ideas. But not everyone is able to turn them real. We are all dreamers. But the sad truth is that people won't work for you for free or for promises. They might actually work for some weeks but after they will probably stop then abandon. (saw this so many times).
And don't confuse inspiration with ideas and with game design. These are completely different things. A game design can be copyrighted an idea can not because the gamedesign is execution at some point and that is what is valuable. Angry birds was a copy of an old idea but their execution shined that's why they got millions.
And again if you don't pay people to execute your idea they will do it badly or they will quit after some time.
Just sayin'. Wish you luck anyway.
And no offense, I was reacting cause I just see many people who think that they will become millionairs because they are awesome and their idea is great and most of all that they'll be able to do it for free.