So I saw that movie, "Indie Game: The Movie" last night, and I really couldn't get that emotional over it. I mean, I am not as in to games as these people were in this movie. And I am wondering if it takes that type of desperation to want to keep a job in this industry.

Dude said if he does not release this game, he will kill himself. Uh....

I mean, there are so many developers who are not as successful, do they actually end up killing themselves?

Other guy, after they had succeeded greatly said, "I am starting to think it was worth it."

If anything it makes me be more considerate of how I respond to another person's work, because I don't know all the labor that was put into it. But there is no way I can play all of the indie games out there enough to get sentimental about each and every one.

Everyone has a story to tell, and each person is unique, but there are millions of peoples with stories to tell, and I am sure each one is unique. What makes one stand out over another?

This is an important topic, for beginners and experienced devs alike.

Anyone have/had similar experiences in the indie game development world?

Yes I watched it and it did come across that indie developers are either prima donnas or arseholes. This obviously isn't true as I know plenty of indie devs (some successful and some not successful) and most of them are ordinary down to earth people.

Its just that the particular devs in this documentory all seem to have some kind of emotional defect (autism? aspergers?). I'm not sure if they were chosen specifically for this reason to make the documentory a little more entertaining or not.

Yes I watched it and it did come across that indie developers are either prima donnas or arseholes. This obviously isn't true as I know plenty of indie devs (some successful and some not successful) and most of them are ordinary down to earth people.

Its just that the particular devs in this documentory all seem to have some kind of emotional defect (autism? aspergers?). I'm not sure if they were chosen specifically for this reason to make the documentory a little more entertaining or not.

+1 on this

Haha. Okay, because it scared me. I mean, their childhood bedrooms did it for me. I am not that obsessive over games myself. They all fit the stereotype I expected of "programmers" so it really scared me because I take stereotypes with a grain of salt.

It actually made me really happy to see theyr despair. If successful indie devs go trough all that pain, means its pure hard work. If that movie showed a bunch of wannabees that dont give a shit, Id be really depressed that ppl like that are getting farther than me so easily.

Id be really depressed that ppl like that are getting farther than me so easily.

Haha. Honestly, I don't really give that much care about games in that way. From what I gathered games are another form of expression, and they chose to use games to express themselves. There are bunches of ways people can express themselves:

Music

Dance

Theatre

Art

Writing

Invention

Spoken Word

Now, when the guy says that games are the ultimate medium for expression, I do totally agree. Video games can encompass just about all other forms of expression (and that is what I like about game development).

I think everyone cares about expressing themselves, but I know that there are other outlets to do that with, and that games are one of them. I tend to do a bit of everything myself, and I would love to use a game to encompass it all.

One recent game that really intrigued me was that game Contrast though. Another expression, and an effective way to tell a story not only about some arbitrary character, but about their own childhood.

I do however think that hard work should be honored, but a lot of people put hard work into a lot of things. I figure why do the hard work just for the glory of hard work when I can do the easy work and get the same result (if i can).

But when hard work is necessary, and the mission important enough, then I will work hard to achieve it. I just don't have a game worth the hard work yet.

The greatest impact it made on me was the realisation that only one out of those four devs were truly happy, namely the guy with that (sparta?) cat and a wife. The movie gave me the impression that full time indie development breaks people, until nothing but a weeping wreck is left. Even though their games were successful, they were left with nothing but emptiness and a story. A story that cannot be told because it is incomprehensible to most. It conveys the message that indie development is not worth doing. I suppose that's somewhat true if you look at the number-of-devs to successful-devs ratio.

But then again, there are some valid points concerning their personality. Perhaps they don't know how to handle success.

Hmm, your post reminds me of my first few main topics I posted here, trying to get to the root of "games" in general. As in the reason people used to play games way back, and even as to why people make games.

I think that any sort of desperation will break a person. And that triumph for anyone who has worked in desperation would naturally make someone happy.

It's the human condition.

But the guy with the cat and the wife, he almost got me some tears because the guy just wants to be understood, as we all do. And his grandmother (and people like her) are the type of people we all need in our lives. A person who does not judge us or belittle us and call us "weird" because we are different. Someone who will motivate us despite our failures etc.

I saw how he was happier not as much about the money, but about the fact that people understood him. And the money helped too. haha.

The greatest impact it made on me was the realisation that only one out of those four devs were truly happy, namely the guy with that (sparta?) cat and a wife. The movie gave me the impression that full time indie development breaks people, until nothing but a weeping wreck is left. Even though their games were successful, they were left with nothing but emptiness and a story. A story that cannot be told because it is incomprehensible to most. It conveys the message that indie development is not worth doing. I suppose that's somewhat true if you look at the number-of-devs to successful-devs ratio.

But then again, there are some valid points concerning their personality. Perhaps they don't know how to handle success.

My wife and I watched the movie a couple of times. She has never played video games and I wanted to show her a glimpse into the life of what I do. We both agreed the Guy with the wife and cat was clearly the happiest and most level person. He also was able to identify his emotions, express himself clearly and honestly had the best grasp on game development as a whole if you ask me.

But it is a documentary for entertainment. Remeber the editing, interview questions, and cinematography can help tell a story that is barely there.

But it is a documentary for entertainment. Remeber the editing, interview questions, and cinematography can help tell a story that is barely there.

True!

And on that note, the cinematography was glorious. Perfect camera angles and lighting with crisp focus.