Now vs Later
Uggg. I want it to be 2009 already. Within the video game industry, my salary is lower than normal for my position. I'm willing to accept that because of two things: insurance and royalties. I don't pay a red cent for my haelth insurance, and that makes me happy. The only tihng I do pay for is a $10 payment for extra eye insurance. I did this mainly because I just got new glasses under my mom's plan before I got booted off of it. So now I can get a set of perscription sunglasses for driving and cycling under my new plan. That will save me a few hundred bucks. So health insurance = good. Royalties on the other hand are a fickle mistress. If we sell a game on the big platforms (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii) we'll make a lot of money. If we sell a gae on a hanheld, we'll make a tiny amount of money. Tiny money is okay, but big money is the ballgame. The theory behind paying us less than industry average is that it motivates us to work hard and ship games faster so we can make more royalties. Also, since we have 3 big development teams, we should be rotating games into the market at regular intervals. That's the problem. All of our games are stacked up. My team aims to release for Christmas. It probably won't happen, so March 2008 seems like a better time. The other two teams are aiming for Christmas 2008-Spring 2009. Either way, it will be 3 big games in 18 months. Mid 2009 will probably be the royalty check to end all royalty checks. It will the the tail end of one gamea nd possibly the first payment on two games at once. That's where half the company goes out and buys houses. Emphasis on buy. Mortgages are for suckers.
But for now, it's all about living within my means. I toured an apartment today (the one that I really really want) and just for kicks I asked to see what I could get in the $1000-1100 range. I saw the most perfect apartment ever, and I really really want it. I just can't afford it right now. It's got this huge open air kitchen / dining room that you could put a table for 20 down in. That flows into the entertainment room, which flows into a covered patio the size of most apartment's dining rooms. The master bedroom had an integrated walk through closet that connected to the master bath, complete with jacuzzi. There was even a side "sitting room" connected to the dining room, which would have been a perfect place for a loveseat, some chairs, a small TV, and a table (I would make it a hookah room on principle). God that place was amazing. Technically, I could afford it, but I couldn't do anything fun or save money. Boo to being an adult. So the smaller apartment will be my first choice. I need to run the numbers, check on utilities, and then look at another one of their model units (they couldn't find the key). Fingers crossed, I'll be moving on Feb 1.
On the bright side, I found out I had more money in my bank account than I thought. So right now I've got $2500 ready to go, plus my paycheck on Feb 1 at my new pay rate. Sadly, my basic furniture bill (bed, matress, dresser, entertainment unit, couch) is going to run me like $1500. Plus deposits, plus kitchen stuff, plus all those little things that cost $15 a pop you need to fully move in, that money is going to go away quickly. After rent, bills, food, and entertainment, I can spare $600 a month for furniture and decorations. I'll need a new flat panel TV ($1400), stereo ($300), chair + ottoman ($500), dining room set ($250), and of course accent lights, frames, rugs, art, etc, etc. But hey, by the time I get all of that, it will be 2009 and I can afford to move. Of course that's 2 years from now, and I could very well have a wife and kid by then (bahahahahahha... wait... stop laugh at yourself... damnit).
But for now, it's all about living within my means. I toured an apartment today (the one that I really really want) and just for kicks I asked to see what I could get in the $1000-1100 range. I saw the most perfect apartment ever, and I really really want it. I just can't afford it right now. It's got this huge open air kitchen / dining room that you could put a table for 20 down in. That flows into the entertainment room, which flows into a covered patio the size of most apartment's dining rooms. The master bedroom had an integrated walk through closet that connected to the master bath, complete with jacuzzi. There was even a side "sitting room" connected to the dining room, which would have been a perfect place for a loveseat, some chairs, a small TV, and a table (I would make it a hookah room on principle). God that place was amazing. Technically, I could afford it, but I couldn't do anything fun or save money. Boo to being an adult. So the smaller apartment will be my first choice. I need to run the numbers, check on utilities, and then look at another one of their model units (they couldn't find the key). Fingers crossed, I'll be moving on Feb 1.
On the bright side, I found out I had more money in my bank account than I thought. So right now I've got $2500 ready to go, plus my paycheck on Feb 1 at my new pay rate. Sadly, my basic furniture bill (bed, matress, dresser, entertainment unit, couch) is going to run me like $1500. Plus deposits, plus kitchen stuff, plus all those little things that cost $15 a pop you need to fully move in, that money is going to go away quickly. After rent, bills, food, and entertainment, I can spare $600 a month for furniture and decorations. I'll need a new flat panel TV ($1400), stereo ($300), chair + ottoman ($500), dining room set ($250), and of course accent lights, frames, rugs, art, etc, etc. But hey, by the time I get all of that, it will be 2009 and I can afford to move. Of course that's 2 years from now, and I could very well have a wife and kid by then (bahahahahahha... wait... stop laugh at yourself... damnit).