Welcome to www.onegameamonth.com - May 2014 edition. This is the seventeenth monthly keynote. Wow.

If you're anything like me, maybe you recently took stock of your last year's earnings when you filed your taxes, or maybe you just graduated from some sort of school, and exams are over. Maybe you're just starting exams, but whatever your life situation it's likely that the end of crunchtime is near.

Finally the summer holidays beckon and the results of last year's hard work are in, whether it's a report card or earnings statement.

Was this year your high score? Think you can beat it next year? Wanna try?

I mean maybe you're a little like me and you think, "Alright... I did... okay. I've made games. Some people even played them. But I would love to start making more MONEY from my games."

Have you been thinking the same thing? That's what this month's theme word is all about. This month, let's be unashamed to try to earn a living from making games.

This month's #1GAM optional theme word is MONEY.

In this hit-driven industry, even with hard work and tons of talent, just like in the music biz, you're not guaranteed of making a HIT. For every hit game that makes the developer rich and famous, there are the rest of us, who on average make a few thousand dollars from each game they bring to the market. If we're lucky.

Like starving artists, wannabe rockstars, or someone working on their first bestseller novel, the rest of us probably have income coming in from other sources, like client work, a day job, or family. I respect that.

This month, add ethical in-app-payments to your game, or start charging premium dollars for a premium title. Put video ads after each epic boss battle. Share code or art you made on an asset store for use by other gamedevs. Print t-shirts for the fans of your free game. Make a premium subscription for your game-as-a-service. Busk for crowdfunding dollars, or find patrons who want to support your efforts on their merit alone.

Your challenge this month is to just figure out a way that you feel comfortable with for people who love your game to send you money.

Do it in a cool way, if you don't feel comfortable with the hard sell.

It is possible to design a game such that the players, your fans, will WANT to give you their money. Make them enjoy the smooth frictionless process. Make the rewards in-game just feel right. Be generous - make it worth their while. Think about what you're offering as if you were a player. Would you want it?

This month, make some money doing gamedev, in whatever way you find an opportunity.

Be proud to be pro. Good luck!

@McFunkypants - twitter.com/McFunkypants