> It sounds like a really interesting game. I didn't realize it takes so long to make these games!

gremlinn's is an extreme example. They don't normally take that long, but consider that right now the unfinished SOAT code is, IIRC, over three times larger than all the currently complete and published AGL games combined.

If you work straight through at a pretty good clip, a normal game should only take a few months to write. GOAT took much longer, but I set it aside for big chunks of time intermittently.

> It seems strange that the games are free to play. Same with the interactive fiction games, where you have to type the commands. I'm glad they are free, but that doesn't seem fair for the people who spend so much time making the games.

It depends on what the authors want out of it. Most people who write these sorts of games want an audience first and foremost. A lot of love goes into them, and they want to share that. Money would be good too, but it's not worth it to everyone to manage the transactions. If I sold games individually, I wouldn't have as much time to write new ones.

I do get paid, however. The advertising that runs on the top and bottom of the pages when you play generates revenue for me. Not a lot, but it covers the hosting fees.