a great post with great comments

chubs congratulation for such ideas
i think money should not be the most important target rather it should help us to achieve our goals

but again if you use a web based technology like unity http://www.unity3d.com or flash or shockwave (director)
you can make these casual games published on the web.
or at list migrate to a better technology for 2D games like torque game builder or 3dgamestudio for 3D desktop games
but unity is the hero now i think, because they support windows, mac, iphone and web based player and also the great Wii (Wii? don’t think about it the price is too high)

i did not make any money from programming yet just like you but i made some money from networking and web site design and creation
you can do so!!!
being a teacher is very good!!!!

have a nice life

I can say with confidence that you’re going somewhere great with your games, and that when I get older I’ll be proud to say “I knew him when he was just starting out.” and people’ll be impressed.

Follow your heart and do what makes you happy.

Also, I want to copy-paste what Nick said.

“Finally, I wouldn’t worry whether you win or lose the YoYo Games competition in terms of skill level. The fact is that the idea of judging games with more plays and a higher rating higher then an other, potentially better game whose been the target of down raters is just ridiculous. ”

SRSLY

One of the many things I admire about you is your pereseverence. Even if you don’t win, keep in mind that you have a dedicated community that has your back, along with a great talent for game-creation.

…And, lastly, if I ever become rich and famous somehow, I am so plugging Vertigo Games every chance I get and giving you loads of moneys.

“Not only that, but benchmark testing in the VG Labs showed that the game would only be able to run in 30fps instead of the usual 60fps that I shoot for, which as it turns out, worked just fine for the game.”

Meh, my monitor could have achieved that bubble CRT effect itself