RandomExile,

Sorry for the late reply. I've been busy with work. I don't freelance anymore, so my pay rate from back then would probably be way off. I've been working for a gaming studio for a number of years now. Working with other professionals, I can tell you that the information found on GameCareerGuide.com is fairly accurate. At least where I work.

gamecareerguide.com/features/1108/game_developer_salary_survey_2012.php

My best advice for you would be to find an artist you like, ask them the same questions and go with your gut feeling. Is their time, energy, quality of work worth what they are asking for? I say this, because every artist is different and charge differently based on what they think they are worth.

Inexperienced artists, you might be able to talk down. Experienced artists are less likely to budge on price. I hope that helps.

EmperorIng360,

I agree. A contract should always be required. I would be weary of making contracts with people from other countries. It's less likely you can hold them accountable should they break the contract. I use to have them pay 50% upfront (to let me know they are serious) and pay in increments as work is completed there after.

It looks like propaganda. They need to knock down the competition to make their product look more desirable.

HTML5 has not failed. It's a work-in-progress. What they mean by not matured is that HTML5 is still being revised and improved upon. W3C plans to release a stable HTML5 recommendation by the end of 2014. An HTML 5.1 specification recommendation is expected by the end of 2016.

I really like the cover art. I don't think the name "pops" enough though. The first thing I see is "super", but then it skips the rest of the text and moves down to the little green guy. Maybe make the text outline thicker/bolder?

You will want the full name to be the first thing people look at because of how memory works. People tend to remember the first and last thing they see. You can't guarantee that they will see the logo last, but you can make it more likely that it will be the first thing they see and remember.

It's a lot easier to Google "Super UBI Land" than "little green guy". Although you might want to embed that into your meta tag as well.

I had no idea Unity was that bad...

That will probably never happen.

Unity to Unreal is like "Star Crash" to "Star Wars".

Star Crash? I've never seen it. Is it a new film?

You might be right. There was a game released recently a few people reviewing it were surprised it was made using Unity. They thought it was made using Unreal. There was some discussion about unity vs. unreal, but I skimmed over most it. I did catch a part where someone said that unity graphics are good and improving, not great like Ureal, but unity is easier to use and learn. I haven't used either, so I hardly know. Both seem to be very powerful though.

Sweet! I really need something like this. I like the demo and I'm going to try it out now.

$45 doesn't seem like much. There's a lot of talk about how Unity now rivals the Unreal engine. I wish I had the time to learn new software...

Sure thing. When you bid on a job on Guru.com, depending on what type of membership you have, you can see other artist's bids. You can then underbid bid them to make your offer more desirable to the employer. It's encouraged and expected to underbid one another. I've been contacted by employers to lower my bid or they will go with an artist with a lower bid. I've also been contacted by other artists to not under bid them, because they really need the work.

With sites like eBay, you offer your product, set a starting price and people who want it, bid for it. If the person interested in what you are selling want it more than the current bid, they'll bid higher. It drives the price up. I've seen an artist make $2k on a custom toy. Typically custom toys range between $10-400.

That's my take. Keep in mind, I'm an artist. Employers would have a different view entirely.

I'll buy it if they make Zelda for it.

I think art style and direction impacts the audience more than the gender of the protagonist. I mean, how many dudes like Metroid and how many ladies like The Legend of Zelda? I don't think the gender really matters.

I have some experience using Guru.com. As an artist, you can make money, but you won't make much. The business model favors employers and attracts low paying employers for the most part. I don't use the site anymore, but it seemed like I always had problems with employers when I did. A lot of them tried to get me to do free work too.

Most well paying employers don't use freelance market websites anyway. They use artist directories, find artists through various connections or artists contact them directly. They have larger budgets, so they don't need the lowest bidder. They hire who they want.

So freelance market sites can be either good or bad, depending on who you are and what you want. I'm not going to say anyone is right or wrong for using them, but you should know what you are getting into.

BTW, I don't think it's fair to compare freelance market sites to eBay. One business model drives the price up for those providing services, while the other drives the price down.

Sweet! Thanks for the tip.