Independent video games, which also known as “indie” games, are becoming more and more important in the video game business every year. “AAA” games usually made by huge teams with huge budgets. Indie games different because they usually made by small teams or even just one creator, and they don’t have a lot of money or time. The popularity of these games shows a growing trend where imagination is valued more than making money. More and more creators can share their ideas with the world thanks to development tools and digital distribution platforms like Steam and Itch.io. This shows that a unique idea can compete with the big hits in the industry, which don’t always live up to the hype.
As digital technologies and development tools got easier to get in the 2000s, the word “independent video game” slowly started to used. But independence in video games has been around since the beginning, when the first games were made by single writers in their garages or dorm rooms, often without any money to help them out. Platforms like Steam and Xbox Live Arcade made it possible for creators to share their games without going through a traditional publisher. This is how the word “independent” used today.
How an Indie Game Developer Created: Where the term came from
Independent video games, which also known as “indie” games, are becoming more and more important in the video game business every year. “AAA” games usually made by huge teams with huge budgets. Indie games different because they usually made by small teams or even just one creator, and they don’t have a lot of money or other resources.
The popularity of these games shows a growing trend where imagination is valued more than making money. More and more creators can share their ideas with the world thanks to development tools and digital distribution platforms like Steam and Itch.io. This shows that a unique idea can compete with the big hits in the industry, which don’t always live up to the hype. We will learn about independent games in this article, focusing on what they are, how they came to be, and how they have changed the video game business.
How an Indie Game Developer Created: What makes an independent game unique
The main thing that makes a video game independent is that the people who made it can do what they want. These creators don’t have to answer to a big publisher, so they have (almost) complete control over their project. Everything is up to the people who make the games, from the way they look and work to the ideas they explore. Because of this, these games can often try out new ideas or formats that aren’t typical in the AAA game business. Toby Fox’s Undertale is a great example.
The story and gameplay of this game almost entirely created by a single person, which has totally shattered the expectations of the audience. In terms of budget, independent games usually don’t have nearly as much money as AAA games. The money usually comes from the developers’ own savings, crowdfunding efforts, or, very rarely, grants from the government. This leads to small teams, like Eric Barone’s Stardew Valley team, which sometimes made up of just one worker.
The part that distribution plays
Digital sharing is a big part of why independent games do so well. The Epic Games Store, Steam, and Itch.io make it possible for creators to sell their games directly to players, without having to deal with the problems and costs of physical distribution. This model has made it possible for a huge number of solo games to come out. Because of this, games like Celeste and Hades have become important examples in the world of games.
There is more to the word “independent” than meets the eye, though. Some games are so good that they could be made by a big company, even though they were made by small teams without the money of a standard publisher. This makes it hard to tell the difference between indie and big production games. In the case of Ninja Theory’s Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, the company paid for and released the game itself. Ninja Theory made a game with graphics and production quality on par with those of big studios, even though they didn’t have a lot of money or time to work with. They also had complete creative freedom. In this hybrid model, we see how a game can be at the meeting point of the independent and AAA game worlds.
Conclusion
As was already said, solo games have been around for a long time. As early as the 1980s and 1990s, independent developers or small groups were making games outside of the usual channels, with few means but a strong desire to do so. Back then, it was hard to make software, and it was only available on simple diskettes or CD-ROMs sent through the mail, or software shared on Bulletin Board Systems (BBS). An early big hit for independent games was Daisuke “Pixel” Amaya’s Cave Story. He spent five years making an interesting and nostalgic world. With its retro look and perfectly honed game features, this 2004 release helped lay the groundwork for modern independent development.
But it wasn’t until the 2000s that independent games really took off. When digital distribution sites came along, they changed the rules. For example, Steam has made it possible for developers to send their games directly to players, instead of going through a retailer. Xbox Live Arcade and itch.io, among others, have also been very important in this change by making it possible for a wider range of games and for creators from all over the world to share their work. The gap between small productions and AAA games has shrunk thanks to digital marketing.
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