Welcome to the first episode of the Gametrepreneur Ten! This is a companion piece to the Chicago Gametrepreneur Show – we’re going to try make this semi-regular feature where we dig deeper into into a topic we discussed on a recent podcast.

On our last pod, we talked with Rob Zubek about why Chicago is a great place to bootstrap your game studio. Here’s our inaugural list of ‘Reasons Chicago is a great place to build games‘:

10. Low cost of housing – means you can live in a real apartment for a reasonable price, or a tiny apartment for almost nothing.

9. Great sources of inspiration – Chicago has fantastic architecture, great museums and a thriving music & theater scene. Whatever your preference is, it’s easy to find something to inspire your creative endeavors.

8. Extensive public transportation – means you can get around without a car, saving you on car payments, insurance, gas and car repairs.

7. Lots of talented people – access to graduates from local schools (Northwestern, University of Chicago, DePaul, Illinois, Purdue, etc.)

6. An extremely friendly and open community! Get connected through IGDA Chicago & Indie City Games

5. Affordable and fun shared working spaces – programs include the Indie Co-op, 1871 and SpaceLab1.

4. Easier and cheaper access to local conventions – BitBash, Chicago Ideas Week & C2E2

3. A good freelance economy – means you can make ends meet while you work on your Indie Masterpiece

2. Community that supports building studios organically and sustainably – most members of the community want to build companies so they can make games for rest of their lives.

1. Free to do your own thing – with fewer huge studios, there is more incentive and support for talented individuals to strike out on their own and make their unique impact on the gaming world.