Can I upload my own steam game as a 14 yr old minor?

[ThunderStruck597]

Ok, so I want want to start a career as a game developer and do that as a job, but the thing is I want to start really early like 14 or 15 and upload my own game to steam. Now I've only seen a few Reddit and Steam forums and some say "You can" and some say "You can't, wait till you're 18."
Now this is where I'm really confused because they also say "Put the details in your parents name" and stuff, but I can't because it would effect the way they get payed.

[I'm also in Australia but I don't think that would affect anything because Americas laws are very similar.]

So, am I able to put it in my own bank account and stuff because you can't sign contracts until you're 18.

*Help this is hurting my brain*

Thanks in regards for replying to this if you do!

[Zekiran]

You need to consult with local laws about this, if you're not in the USA. It's much better to be safe than sorry on something like this. You're not old enough to be legal here, so there would definitely be complications, as I'm sure you've read.

Think about this: if your game succeeds, YOU are responsible for taxes, legal paperwork, etc, and if you're not old enough to deal with it legally, that ... becomes very problematic.

[Wolf Knight]

you need to be 18 to legally sign contracts on your own. until you turn 18, your parents are going to need to be involved.

checking with a lawyer is a good idea, some may provide a free consultation to help you understand how the laws apply

[ThunderStruck597]

Originally posted by Zekiran:

You need to consult with local laws about this, if you're not in the USA. It's much better to be safe than sorry on something like this. You're not old enough to be legal here, so there would definitely be complications, as I'm sure you've read.

Think about this: if your game succeeds, YOU are responsible for taxes, legal paperwork, etc, and if you're not old enough to deal with it legally, that ... becomes very problematic.

Hmm, I doubt my parents would want to deal with legal stuff like that. I don't want to stick with dumb roblox for game development. sigh...

[ThunderStruck597]

Originally posted by Wolf Knight:

you need to be 18 to legally sign contracts on your own. until you turn 18, your parents are going to need to be involved.

checking with a lawyer is a good idea, some may provide a free consultation to help you understand how the laws apply

Well my parents are def not gonna want a lawyer :(. Sigh Again.

[nullable]

Nothing is stopping you from developing a game now. You're not required to publish it to Steam. You're not going to miss out if your first few solo efforts (or whatever) aren't on Steam.

Having the games on something like GitHub would be a good free alternative and would provide all sorts of nifty insights of your progress and growth. Game studios would probably be much more interested in that than having a bunch of amateur titles hosted on Steam. Even though the latter probably sounds cooler to you.

Let's be practical. The important thing is to learn your craft. Not necessarily meet arbitrary goals that really amount to being an adult with $100 and code that compiles.

And if you still desperately need people to see/play your game there's plenty of ways you can do that without Steam anyway. If I were you I'd put a pin in fussing over commercial publishing until you actually have something worth publishing.

[alvin]

Hello,

I am happy to see new developers on this platform! This is what you might expect during the process of publishing your game:

1. Sign the digital paperwork that'll be given by steam.

2. You'll have to pay a $100.00 USD fee.

3. Next, you will have to get in contact with your bank to complete another paperwork and tax, you will also need an ID card to identify yourself.

4. Now you are able to control your own game, you may update it whether you want etc.

Mentions:
You'll have to wait a 30-day waiting period starting once you paid your app fee.

On the official Steamworks Distribution Program, NOTHING is mentioning you have to be over 18+ to publish your game. However, you will probably need your parents or your legal guardian's permission to create your bank account or to sign the digital paperwork. In my country, for example, I needed my parents signature to create my bank account.

I believe that you will probably only need parents to sign the bank paperworks.

I don't think there is anything else than these steps after getting your game on the platform, maybe only when you decide to hire developers or start a company but that's not possible if you're under 18.

I recommend reading: Steamwork Documentation

MUST be read: The Steamworks Distribution Program

I wish you the best of luck with your game! I hope this helped.

[ุ]

Essentially, if you intend to make money off the game. Then yes, you'll need to be 18+, not just for banking stuff, but for copyright and licensing stuff as well.

For example, if you use utilities/items from other games, or use characters/ideas that aren't your own, you open yourself to all sorts of lawsuits. As far as I know, 14 year olds can't hire lawyers.

[Cathulhu]

You must be of legal age to sign contracts. What age that is depends on the country.
Usually it's 18+.

Otherwise, Valve must refuse your business, or cease business with you as soon as they take notice of that.

[Teksura]

In the meantime, focus on refining your skills while also trying to get your name out there. Look for stuff like this: https://ldjam.com


Ludum Dare is a thing where games are made from scratch over a weekend, a lot of developers like to stream their work making the game. It doesn't need to be a complex game, just a game that fits the theme. You can find similar game jams online. It's a good way to push your skills and give yourself some exposure.

Don't expect to just be able to throw a game you slapped together on Steam and make money off if it if nobody knows you or the game even exist. Game jams like this are a great way to get people aware that you exist, and give them a taste of what kind of games you can make.

[ElvisDeadly]

It's the same as if you wanted to do anything professionally (think for example of child pop stars or actors), you need an adult to handle the financial and business parts that you can't legally sign and be responsible for yet.

[ThunderStruck597]

Originally posted by Snakub Plissken:

Nothing is stopping you from developing a game now. You're not required to publish it to Steam. You're not going to miss out if your first few solo efforts (or whatever) aren't on Steam.

Having the games on something like GitHub would be a good free alternative and would provide all sorts of nifty insights of your progress and growth. Game studios would probably be much more interested in that than having a bunch of amateur titles hosted on Steam. Even though the latter probably sounds cooler to you.

Let's be practical. The important thing is to learn your craft. Not necessarily meet arbitrary goals that really amount to being an adult with $100 and code that compiles.

And if you still desperately need people to see/play your game there's plenty of ways you can do that without Steam anyway. If I were you I'd put a pin in fussing over commercial publishing until you actually have something worth publishing.

Do you need to be 18 for GiftHub?

[ThunderStruck597]

Originally posted by emma wTF LOL:

Hello,

I am happy to see new developers on this platform! This is what you might expect during the process of publishing your game:

1. Sign the digital paperwork that'll be given by steam.

2. You'll have to pay a $100.00 USD fee.

3. Next, you will have to get in contact with your bank to complete another paperwork and tax, you will also need an ID card to identify yourself.

4. Now you are able to control your own game, you may update it whether you want etc.

Mentions:
You'll have to wait a 30-day waiting period starting once you paid your app fee.

On the official Steamworks Distribution Program, NOTHING is mentioning you have to be over 18+ to publish your game. However, you will probably need your parents or your legal guardian's permission to create your bank account or to sign the digital paperwork. In my country, for example, I needed my parents signature to create my bank account.

I believe that you will probably only need parents to sign the bank paperworks.

I don't think there is anything else than these steps after getting your game on the platform, maybe only when you decide to hire developers or start a company but that's not possible if you're under 18.

I recommend reading: Steamwork Documentation

MUST be read: The Steamworks Distribution Program

I wish you the best of luck with your game! I hope this helped.

Thanks!

[nullable]

Originally posted by ThunderStruck597:

Originally posted by Snakub Plissken:

Nothing is stopping you from developing a game now. You're not required to publish it to Steam. You're not going to miss out if your first few solo efforts (or whatever) aren't on Steam.

Having the games on something like GitHub would be a good free alternative and would provide all sorts of nifty insights of your progress and growth. Game studios would probably be much more interested in that than having a bunch of amateur titles hosted on Steam. Even though the latter probably sounds cooler to you.

Let's be practical. The important thing is to learn your craft. Not necessarily meet arbitrary goals that really amount to being an adult with $100 and code that compiles.

And if you still desperately need people to see/play your game there's plenty of ways you can do that without Steam anyway. If I were you I'd put a pin in fussing over commercial publishing until you actually have something worth publishing.

Do you need to be 18 for GiftHub?

Not so far as I know. It's just a source control platform. And I'm gonna say one of the things you're gonna have to get used to as a developer is reading things.

https://docs.github.com/en/github/site-policy/github-terms-of-service

Says 13 years old.

[crunchyfrog]

I'd definitely echo what Teksura and others have said here - focus on honing your skills.

In actual fact, it's probably going to be for the best. WAY too many people put their first real gaming effort up on STeam and expect money for what is essentially garbage. And mud sticks. You REALLY don't want to stick up a game and it be awful because not only will it earn you a reputation from the off, but I can assure you it will haunt you til the end of your days.

My field is audio engineering, and this analogy applies. My old studio teacher was a legend. I remember so much of his wisdom. One day after we'd recorded out first demo track in the studio, we had a bass player come in to fill in the bass parts. This involved "punching in and out" (basically winding the tape to the correct point where you want to start recording on one track while not erasing the others).

One of the students assigned the job of hitting the record button at the right point had a couple of goes, got it reasonably OK. Then, when we did it for real, he mistimed it and cut the end of one note off. He claimed "ah, it'll do".

And that's where the words of wisdom came in - you CANNOT forget stuff like this. There cannot be an "it'll do" because if that was OK for the real world, you would hear that error and cringe for the rest of your life.

And if you think you can ignore or forget stuff, let me give you an example. Strawberry Fields Forever by the Beatles. Widely reported that it's essentially two completely differernt versions of the song in different keys and tempos, spliced together.

But WHERE is the join? Exactly on 1 minute.

NOw I've told you see if you can forget it :)


Anyway, long winded diatribe over.

While you're honing your skills and focusing on it, you'll then be able to hit the ground running when you become 18. There's always places like itch.io to test your stuff on anyway. Just NEVER make the mistake of thinking you should be charging for anything for quite a while yet. Not until you're certain you're of the calibre that people will find value in.

Best of luck.