Semi-anonymity when creating a game?

[IronSword]

My apologies if this is the wrong sub forum

I am currently self employed in another sector, but I want to make a game as a hobby. Altough I am not expecting big bucks from it, some compensation for occuring costs would be nice.
However since I am already self employed, having another 100-500 bucks coming from patreon could raise some eyebrows and I really really dont want my name linked to that.

Im fine losing some money/not maximising income with the game should it grant some anonymity, so any advice would be appreciated.

 

[fyl3toys]

I guess it depends on whose eyes you're trying to keep it from......

 

[IronSword]

I guess it depends on whose eyes you're trying to keep it from......

well everyone really since that could ruin my social status/endanger my business

 

[fyl3toys]

That's what's confusing. Who in your life is reading through transactions in your bank account?

 

[JoGio]

Here are some ways I know of which can lead to being de-anonymized:

Money Trail: If you're earning money on the game then you'll have to expose your identity to deposit that money into your account. In this case, you're exposed to your banking institution employees, the government, and anyone you share that account with.

Digital Accounts: If you use an email/social media that can be linked to your identity in any of your accounts and they end up being hacked on your end (meaning your singular account was hacked) or on the website's end (meaning their server was compromised) then any identifying information could be leaked online which would make it easier to de-anonymize you.

Controversy: If you do something that pisses people off for political, religious, or any other reason then enough people will be curious/vindictive enough to try and dox you.

Streisand Effect: It's very common on the internet for some people to do the opposite of what you want them to. Mentioning anywhere that you're concerned about your privacy (like making this thread...) might prompt some people to try and dox you, and possible even expose you to people you know just because you expressed wanting privacy.

Human Error: You might take certain precautions to keep your identity private, but you will make mistakes now and then because you're tired, or you just woke up, or you're distracted by something. If you use any mind altering substances like drugs or alcohol then you might do something while under their influence that makes it easier to unmask you. You might also leave your devices unlocked/unsecured, or reuse passwords that people around you know, which could lead to them curiously looking through your stuff and learning something you don't want them to.

Artwork Pattern Recognition: If you're using 2D art, or even 3D art, and the style is distinct enough then people familiar with your art might recognize it. Whether you want to or not, any imperfections or repetitions in your art could be recognized between works made under different identities. This could lead to people suspecting a shared identity between two different pseudonyms and digging deeper.

To sum up:
If you're trying to hide from your government because the content you're posting could land you in legal trouble then you're taking a risk which multiplies the more successful/popular your property is. Doubly so if you're making money off of it.

If you're trying to hide from your local community/family then the risk is probably not that high as long as you avoid controversy. You can further minimize the risk by not being too forthcoming with details. If people don't know too much then they're less likely to notice inconsistencies which would make them curious and start digging around.

 

[IronSword]

Here are some ways I know of which can lead to being de-anonymized:

Money Trail: If you're earning money on the game then you'll have to expose your identity to deposit that money into your account. In this case, you're exposed to your banking institution employees, the government, and anyone you share that account with.

Digital Accounts: If you use an email/social media that can be linked to your identity in any of your accounts and they end up being hacked on your end (meaning your singular account was hacked) or on the website's end (meaning their server was compromised) then any identifying information could be leaked online which would make it easier to de-anonymize you.

Controversy: If you do something that pisses people off for political, religious, or any other reason then enough people will be curious/vindictive enough to try and dox you.

Streisand Effect: It's very common on the internet for some people to do the opposite of what you want them to. Mentioning anywhere that you're concerned about your privacy (like making this thread...) might prompt some people to try and dox you, and possible even expose you to people you know just because you expressed wanting privacy.

Human Error: You might take certain precautions to keep your identity private, but you will make mistakes now and then because you're tired, or you just woke up, or you're distracted by something. If you use any mind altering substances like drugs or alcohol then you might do something while under their influence that makes it easier to unmask you. You might also leave your devices unlocked/unsecured, or reuse passwords that people around you know, which could lead to them curiously looking through your stuff and learning something you don't want them to.

Artwork Pattern Recognition: If you're using 2D art, or even 3D art, and the style is distinct enough then people familiar with your art might recognize it. Whether you want to or not, any imperfections or repetitions in your art could be recognized between works made under different identities. This could lead to people suspecting a shared identity between two different pseudonyms and digging deeper.

To sum up:
If you're trying to hide from your government because the content you're posting could land you in legal trouble then you're taking a risk which multiplies the more successful/popular your property is. Doubly so if you're making money off of it.

If you're trying to hide from your local community/family then the risk is probably not that high as long as you avoid controversy. You can further minimize the risk by not being too forthcoming with details. If people don't know too much then they're less likely to notice inconsistencies which would make them curious and start digging around.

Thanks for the insightful post. If for example I were to be a teacher(thats somehow self employed, or someone working with charity or whatever) and on the side made a game like claires quest, it wouldnt be the best if a goverment/tax gux would look a bit deeper in it. It would probably be fine to say that patreon money is freelancing, doing art or whatever and no one would bother with it, however if Im audited and have to explain in detail that 50 people sending me a small amount of money is not money laundering but because of the project it wouldnt be ideal. I wouldnt get into legal trouble but I'd prefer to keep it not really known.

 

[osanaiko]

There is a big, tall, thick wall of difficulty that lies between preserving anonymity and earning money on the interwebs.

While dirty adult games are not the target, they are caught up in the same net of increasingly tight restrictions on all money transfers that try to discover/prevent money laundering and funding of actual bad stuff like CP or religious extremist violence.

The two most anonymous ways to transfer value are "privacy focused virtual currency" like monero, and cash. A distant second is gift cards, particularly if you re-sell them for cash.

"Real" money laundering uses an explainable Front Business that then has the Illegal profits merged in, so that it looks like real business. Ideally one that takes in cash, as then there is no clear record on the client side. Another way to do it is pretend you are offering service "x" (like relaxation massage") for money, but actually supply "y" (prostitute service) to the customer behind the closed door. In the adult game world, this would be i.e. rendering non-pron images and getting patrons to pay you for these monthly image deliveries, but actually you have a tacit understanding that they are really paying to get copies of your porn game.

In my opinion, there is no reasonable way to go about making an adult game without either committing to process and giving up your anonymity via a credit card/bank account transfer (which reveals you to at least some parties which includes the government), or finding and using a "trusted" middleman to receive the money and then pass some percentage of that on to you by i.e. cash.

But there is one thing to consider before all of the discussion here: why do you think you'll be able to make money with you game? the vast majority of games here make far less than 100$ a month. There are a few outliers making big bucks, but also a long tail of sad developers.

If you would only consider making a game because of the prospect of (99% chance) a few $100 a month, then you do not have the right motivation to continue when it becomes boring.

I'd suggest that it's better to just make something and release it and get feedback. If you find you enjoy the process, and get a good response, then maybe it's worth exploring how to do it for more than just a minor hobby.

 

[anne O'nymous]

But there is one thing to consider before all of the discussion here: why do you think you'll be able to make money with you game? the vast majority of games here make far less than 100$ a month. There are a few outliers making big bucks, but also a long tail of sad developers.

There's another thing to consider, that come even before that one, and that is way more significant.


OP fear that if someone study his earning too deeply, he'll be uncovered as making an adult game. While I find this disproportionate, I can understand it. But at no time he considered what would happen if he use parallel circuits to get his income.

On one hand, there's the basic dev. He have a Patreon page, and Patreon send the money directly to his bank account:
"Hmm, those sums you got monthly, what are they ?"
"Oh, that, it's said, it come from Patreon. I have a small hobby, and apparently there's few guys who like what I do and decided to help me."
"Oh, Patreon, yeah, I know. It's a big company, they follow the law. They even enforce their prostitution bans and have strict rules regarding their content. Well, I guess that covered everything, you're good to go."

On the other hand, there's OP. He have an account somewhere and, while passing through a lot of intermediaries, in the end the money reach his bank account:
"Hmm, those sums you got monthly, from that really suspicious source, what are they ?"
"Oh, that, er... It's nothing at all, just some guys who like what I do and decided to help me."
"And they can't do it otherwise than through that weird circuit ? Never heard about crowfunding or patronage platform like Patreon ?"
"Er..."
"So, please, tell me more about that money... What are you effectively doing to get it ?"

Even if he achieve to found a way for the money to never go on in bank account, the money will still end in his hand, and he will spend it. Someone who would starts to study his earning too deeply will not limits to looking at the income, he will also look at the expenses. And he will not limits to numbers, he will also look around him.
"Hmm, so I see that you've an average salary. Not too low, but also clearly not the kind that permit you to life in such neighbourhood. A bit above your earning, isn't it ? So, tell me, how do you afford to pay the rent ?"


Using an indirect way to get your money will never fully protect you, and will always raise suspicion the instant someone will starts to look at your incomes.
Someone who would looks and see that the money come from Patreon would at most look what Patreon is, and once seeing that it's a big and well known company, that serve more than 200,000 persons, there's 95% chance that it drop the subject. But someone who would looks and see that the money come from a suspicious source will want to know more 100% of the time, and will not drop the subject until he get a satisfactory answer.

 

[fyl3toys]

 

[IronSword]

There is a big, tall, thick wall of difficulty that lies between preserving anonymity and earning money on the interwebs.

While dirty adult games are not the target, they are caught up in the same net of increasingly tight restrictions on all money transfers that try to discover/prevent money laundering and funding of actual bad stuff like CP or religious extremist violence.

The two most anonymous ways to transfer value are "privacy focused virtual currency" like monero, and cash. A distant second is gift cards, particularly if you re-sell them for cash.

"Real" money laundering uses an explainable Front Business that then has the Illegal profits merged in, so that it looks like real business. Ideally one that takes in cash, as then there is no clear record on the client side. Another way to do it is pretend you are offering service "x" (like relaxation massage") for money, but actually supply "y" (prostitute service) to the customer behind the closed door. In the adult game world, this would be i.e. rendering non-pron images and getting patrons to pay you for these monthly image deliveries, but actually you have a tacit understanding that they are really paying to get copies of your porn game.

In my opinion, there is no reasonable way to go about making an adult game without either committing to process and giving up your anonymity via a credit card/bank account transfer (which reveals you to at least some parties which includes the government), or finding and using a "trusted" middleman to receive the money and then pass some percentage of that on to you by i.e. cash.

But there is one thing to consider before all of the discussion here: why do you think you'll be able to make money with you game? the vast majority of games here make far less than 100$ a month. There are a few outliers making big bucks, but also a long tail of sad developers.

If you would only consider making a game because of the prospect of (99% chance) a few $100 a month, then you do not have the right motivation to continue when it becomes boring.

I'd suggest that it's better to just make something and release it and get feedback. If you find you enjoy the process, and get a good response, then maybe it's worth exploring how to do it for more than just a minor hobby.

There is a big, tall, thick wall of difficulty that lies between preserving anonymity and earning money on the interwebs.

While dirty adult games are not the target, they are caught up in the same net of increasingly tight restrictions on all money transfers that try to discover/prevent money laundering and funding of actual bad stuff like CP or religious extremist violence.

The two most anonymous ways to transfer value are "privacy focused virtual currency" like monero, and cash. A distant second is gift cards, particularly if you re-sell them for cash.

"Real" money laundering uses an explainable Front Business that then has the Illegal profits merged in, so that it looks like real business. Ideally one that takes in cash, as then there is no clear record on the client side. Another way to do it is pretend you are offering service "x" (like relaxation massage") for money, but actually supply "y" (prostitute service) to the customer behind the closed door. In the adult game world, this would be i.e. rendering non-pron images and getting patrons to pay you for these monthly image deliveries, but actually you have a tacit understanding that they are really paying to get copies of your porn game.

In my opinion, there is no reasonable way to go about making an adult game without either committing to process and giving up your anonymity via a credit card/bank account transfer (which reveals you to at least some parties which includes the government), or finding and using a "trusted" middleman to receive the money and then pass some percentage of that on to you by i.e. cash.

But there is one thing to consider before all of the discussion here: why do you think you'll be able to make money with you game? the vast majority of games here make far less than 100$ a month. There are a few outliers making big bucks, but also a long tail of sad developers.

If you would only consider making a game because of the prospect of (99% chance) a few $100 a month, then you do not have the right motivation to continue when it becomes boring.

I'd suggest that it's better to just make something and release it and get feedback. If you find you enjoy the process, and get a good response, then maybe it's worth exploring how to do it for more than just a minor hobby.

Yeah maybe I'm just overthinking it too much, in regards to payment I just want it to cover the expenses of commisioning art and the likes, I'd do it more like a creative outlet

There's another thing to consider, that come even before that one, and that is way more significant.


OP fear that if someone study his earning too deeply, he'll be uncovered as making an adult game. While I find this disproportionate, I can understand it. But at no time he considered what would happen if he use parallel circuits to get his income.

On one hand, there's the basic dev. He have a Patreon page, and Patreon send the money directly to his bank account:
"Hmm, those sums you got monthly, what are they ?"
"Oh, that, it's said, it come from Patreon. I have a small hobby, and apparently there's few guys who like what I do and decided to help me."
"Oh, Patreon, yeah, I know. It's a big company, they follow the law. They even enforce their prostitution bans and have strict rules regarding their content. Well, I guess that covered everything, you're good to go."

On the other hand, there's OP. He have an account somewhere and, while passing through a lot of intermediaries, in the end the money reach his bank account:
"Hmm, those sums you got monthly, from that really suspicious source, what are they ?"
"Oh, that, er... It's nothing at all, just some guys who like what I do and decided to help me."
"And they can't do it otherwise than through that weird circuit ? Never heard about crowfunding or patronage platform like Patreon ?"
"Er..."
"So, please, tell me more about that money... What are you effectively doing to get it ?"

Even if he achieve to found a way for the money to never go on in bank account, the money will still end in his hand, and he will spend it. Someone who would starts to study his earning too deeply will not limits to looking at the income, he will also look at the expenses. And he will not limits to numbers, he will also look around him.
"Hmm, so I see that you've an average salary. Not too low, but also clearly not the kind that permit you to life in such neighbourhood. A bit above your earning, isn't it ? So, tell me, how do you afford to pay the rent ?"


Using an indirect way to get your money will never fully protect you, and will always raise suspicion the instant someone will starts to look at your incomes.
Someone who would looks and see that the money come from Patreon would at most look what Patreon is, and once seeing that it's a big and well known company, that serve more than 200,000 persons, there's 95% chance that it drop the subject. But someone who would looks and see that the money come from a suspicious source will want to know more 100% of the time, and will not drop the subject until he get a satisfactory answer.

I was thinking because I already have a company registered that it would create more trouble than its worth, but I could just say that its a hobby that earns me like 80 bucks a month. Im sure no one would look into it too much.


Thanks for all the kind replies from you, I kind of feel guilty responding to those essays with a "yeah I agree" though

 

[anne O'nymous]

I kind of feel guilty responding to those essays with a "yeah I agree" though

There's really no need to feel guilty for that.