Hello!

First of all, it´s haaard ...

no, i am working with and for a game company about 2 years now allready.

we started as gang of newbs trying to build a TrainSimulator. As we were VERY lucky, we were the first bringing out a Microsoft TrainSimulator Addon ind germany. the quality was poor, but people bought it, and it was a succes ... the addons number 2 and 3 and 4 (what i am currently working on) became quite good, as well in qualitiy as in succes

now, my experiances:
- don´t think it is easy
- you need a lot of luck and find the right people

now on your questions:
distributors: normally they buy the whole package and sell it, they will do everything like producing the physical things like CDs and so on. They will organice, that your product will once be in a shop.
But they will take quite a bit of the money they make with the game, you will get (same as authors of a book) get paid e.g. 5 € per sold game.

now, from that money you have to pay your freelance artists, your licences.
freelance artist i would hire either by telling them: you will get paid 10 Cent per sold game (you might need a few freelancers...)
or you pay them directly per object they build, common prices for low-poly-low-over-all-quality objects is about 10-15 €.

2. engines - sorry, don´t know anything about that ... but i would suggest to start with addons ... allways a secure way ... and a lot of game-engines are good enough.

well, i hope i can help you ...

ah another thing: i do this just for fun, cause i still am a student ... so no risk ... but i wouldn´t do it as the only job ... better way is to get into a game-company, learn, and leave as you did all your beginners-mistakes and take away enough experiance ... any other way would be to risky for me ...


BUT: if you start a business, tell me ... maybe, we do something together ?