Monetization is and will continue to be a touchy subject.

I've spent two years on two separate mobile projects that made jack shit in terms of money. The first one did what you said: it made a couple of hundred dollars over the course of its entire time on the Apple app store.

The second project was a contract gig: my team developed this relatively complex mobile app for a client who paid us after each milestone was approved, so that's how we made our money. The app was released, but the client made the decision in the end not to spend anymore money in marketing. In that example, we the developers weren't the one who lost money, but it still sucks that a project you work on for a year gets buried like so many of the other apps out there on iTunes or Google Play. (But I digress...)

Ultimately, I agree. Monetization is not the only important aspect of a game you focus on. I'm a firm believer in the concept: "develop something you think is fun & worthwhile, and others will think it's fun & worthwhile, too."

I'm also a firm believer in: "If you're good at something, don't do it for free."

So those new, aspiring game developers who are still figuring out what they're doing? Sure, avoid the subject of monetization completely if you want. Focus on making a game you think is cool; learn the development process through practice; get your first couple of games out there and get feedback; through it all, improve your skills.

Unfortunately, there is a harsh reality that I wish more developers would realize, like you did: making money off indie game development is improbable at best. Even if you miraculously discover what the hell "the right way to develop" a game means, making any money on it is still a long-shot.

It's an ugly industry that we work in. This is an industry where Rovio is reported year-over-year loses because there is no brand loyalty among most mobile game players.

This is an industry where the developer of Flappy Bird made a big hit through dumb luck, but was then forced to ditch his project because it was causing him an unhealthy amount of stress.

This is an industry where for every Super Meatboy or Braid, there are thousands upon thousands of indie games that just get buried in the sea of apps available on Xbox Live Arcade, iTunes, Google Play, or Steam.

And this is an industry where no matter how ugly the stories get, no matter how much developers get underpaid compared to other fields, and no matter how unhealthy the typical developer lifestyle is, the number of aspiring devs with an expensive, game-related degree continues to rise at an alarming rate.

Yeah, we all have a lot to say on the subject. Last thing I'll say is this: the more I rant about the video game industry, the more I read about it, and the more I talk about it with friends and colleagues, the harder I look for work in a different field.