作者：Zachary Strebeck

误区1—-毫无计划地进入一项业务

对于任何企业，也包含所有类型的游戏开发，业务计划是一种非常有价值的工具。通常情况下，不清楚开发项目到底会花费多少成本的开发者们会从Kickstarter等集资网站出发。如果你拥有适当的计划和业务建议，你便可能避免成本超支，工作延迟等等糟糕的问题。

business plan(from ehow)

一份精心制作的业务计划应该包含一些拟议业务的特定内容。计划文件应该先总结今后要做的事，让所有阅读这份文件的人在第一页便能清楚大概内容。接下来应该是业务描述以及该业务所处产业的描述。文件中应该描述你计划如何努力获得盈利。这可以是任何有意义的业务模式，只要它能够包含足够的细节去说服目标对象它是可行的就好。

接下来，业务计划中应该介绍产品的目标市场以及你计划如何吸引这个市场的注意。然后你要谈及定价与分销，以及如何在市场中推广你的产品。业务计划中可能还会出现其它更多内容，但你需要从如何成功执行业务这一基础开始。

一旦制定了业务计划，你便可以使用它去创造进一步的业务策略和合伙协议，并在寻找投资者的时候呈现给对方。这一计划阶段能够帮助你在任何项目或业务中避免各种后患。

误区2—-未达成任何协议便组建合作关系

一群带着想要创造游戏的想法的好友总是很容易聚集在一起。通常情况下他们在一开始都不会制定任何书面协议，即假设他们将在之后解决任何细节或者细节其实一点都不重要。但其实这些细节有可能造就一个项目和友谊，也有可能彻底摧毁它们。例如：

当他们一起创造的游戏开始赚钱时会发生什么事？

如果群组中的每个成员所承担的工作量不一致会怎样？

如果一个重要的游戏设计决策面临困境会怎样？谁将出来控制局面？

决定利益分配以及谁来控制各种情况是合作关系的重要选择，你们必须在完成任何工作前便明确角色的分配。从法律上来看，如果缺少协议，合作关系中的利益与损失将平等分配到每个参与者身上。投票权也是如此，每个参与者将获得同等的投票权利。如果一名参与者执行了90%的工作，那么他自然就会希望自己能够赚到更多钱。但如果事先未签订书面协议，情况可能就不是这样了。

误区3—-未建立一个独立的业务实体便进行融资

不管你是使用Kickstarter等集资网站还是通过交换股票或其它证券集资，如果一开始未创造一个独立业务实体的话你便可能在之后遇到各种麻烦。我们经常会听到一个众筹项目破产或投资者一分钱未赚到而准备提出诉讼等情况。在这种情况下，如果项目是独自经营的话，项目创造者将单方面对投资者的损失负责。

而独立实体在这种情况下便非常有帮助。不管是法人还是有限责任公司，实体将为所有者或参与者创造有限责任，通常等价于他们在业务中的投入。如果不存在独立实体，那么运行业务的人将需要用自有资金去支付任何损失。这一结果可能对个人造成惨重的损失。

结论

对于创造性人员，这并非游戏设计初期经常出现的问题。然而如果能够事先做出一些计划的话便能够帮助你避免各种后患，特别是那些在开发过程中出现的问题。你可以在还未走远前先咨询当地的游戏法律顾问。

（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转功，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

The three mistakes every game developer should avoid when starting out

Zachary Strebeck

Mistake #1 – Going into business without a plan

A business plan is a valuable tool for any business venture, including all types of game development. Too often, developers start a project on crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter without a clear idea of what the development of the project will actually cost. Cost overruns, delays, and other catastrophes can potentially be avoided with proper planning and business advice.

A properly drafted business plan should have several sections that cover certain aspects of the proposed business. The plan document should start with a summary of what is to come, letting anyone who reads it see the big picture on page one. Next should be a description of the business and the industry that the business will be a part of. The document should then describe how you plan to profit with the endeavor. This can be any business model that makes sense, as long as it is described in enough detail to convince someone who reads it that it can work.

The market for the product and how you plan to appeal to that market should be addressed next. Pricing and distribution should also be touched on, along with how the product will be advertised and promoted in the marketplace. There can be much more to the business plan, but the bare bones of how the business will function and succeed as laid out above are the minimum to get started.

Once completed, the business plan can be used to craft the business strategy going forward, help in drafting partnership agreements, and to show investors when seeking funding. This planning phase is invaluable in avoiding future trouble for any project or business.

Mistake #2 – Going into a partnership without an agreement

It is not uncommon for a group of friends to get together with the idea that they will make a game. Often they get started without creating any kind of written agreement, either assuming that they will sort out the details later or that the details aren’t important at all. These details, however, can make or break a project or a friendship. For instance:

What happens when the game that they created together becomes profitable?

What if the amount of work done by each member of the group was not equal?

What if there is an impasse over an important game design decision? Who is in control?

Deciding how the money should get split up and who controls what is imperative for all partnerships. The roles must be defined before any work is completed. Legally, absent an agreement, profits and losses in a partnership are split equally among the partners. The same goes for voting, with each partner getting an equal vote. If one partner is doing 90% of the work, then they would naturally expect to get most of the money. Without a prior written agreement, this would not be the case.

Mistake #3 – Raising money without a separate business entity

Whether you are using crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter, or raising money in exchange for equity or other securities, attempting to raise capital without first creating a separate business entity could lead to a lot of trouble if something goes wrong. It is not unheard of for a crowdfunded project to go belly-up, leaving backers or investors empty handed and ready to litigate. In that case, the project creator may be personally liable for the losses to the backers if the project was run as a sole proprietorship.

The benefits of a separate entity are very helpful in such a situation. The entity, whether a corporation or an LLC, creates a limited liability for the owners or members, usually up to the amount that they have put into the business. If there is no separate entity, then the people running the business can have their own funds liable for the damages. The results could be disastrous for an individual.

For more information about the benefits of having a separate business entity, check out my blog post on the subject.

Wrapping Up

For creative people, these are not usually the issues that come up in the initial excitement of game design. However, a little work up front can save a ton of headache later, especially if something goes wrong during development. Consult your local game attorney for consultation and advice before things get too far along.(from gamecareerguide)