Hello, dear colleagues!
Recently I had a long evening of reflections on the topic, what makes a video game an indie game? Of course, indie projects are the whole niche in this days, but it seems sometimes that when some people are talking about “indie games”, they just don’t know what they are talking about. For some reason many people think that being indie means to be a low-qualified person who is obligated to produce tons of clones of classic games which were hits decades ago. And when they come to game making, they even don’t consider an opportunity to create something more original and interesting. They deliberately produce all these clones. Moreover, with deliberately downgraded graphics, sound and mechanics, which makes sense when it comes to retro scene, but… retro scene is a separate scene and all the indie games don’t have to fit its standards. And then they complain: why nobody is buying this? I think that the answer is obvious: modern gamers prefer modern graphics. So why shoot your own leg, filling your game with pixels, which aren’t even “an art”?
I’m even silent about the gameplay clones. I think that there should be fewer of them, because indie development is just that thing that gives you freedom to be more original and implement bolder decisions. The world is playing Tetris for 200 years already (correct me if I’m wrong) - and nobody wants to play Tetris with crocodiles instead of bricks.
It’s sometimes even getting funny: recently I’ve joined a new team (as a junior writer), making a 3D action/adventure game Between Realms with Unreal engine. This is an indie team and indie game, but the goal is to produce a major hit. The game incorporates modern 3D graphics, cutscenes and professional voice overs. And when we posted some stuff from it on the Internet, some people just didn’t believe that we are actually an indie team! I think it’s because modern indie projects almost always belong to the pixel scene or notably simplified from the visual side. So, when we show our materials, some people don’t believe that we belong to indie niche.
Does it mean that one has to produce simple games with poor 2D pixel graphics to be considered an indie developer?
From my (and my colleagues’) point of view, indie development must be not a compromise between production speed, expense and quality, but a freedom to create a conceptual product which is not limited by obligatory to sell millions of copies. Those who are tied by this obligatory, are forced to produce standardized, so to say, “tentpole” projects. But with modern technologies the developer is able to create nice, commercially promising, but still an independent project. As developers, we want to raise the bar of indie standard and wish all the rest to reach the same with the games which would be not only original in terms of gameplay but also attractive visually.
What are you thoughts on this matter? Can a project with budget over $100 be called an indie project? What are the main features of typical indie game? What really makes a game an “indie” game?
