The New Age of Indies
A whole new world is opening up!
The Humble Beginnings:
Indie games began with just a dream. A dream that anyone could take their vision and breathe life into it and put it forth into the world. Fast forward to today and the technology to create these masterpieces are readily available for all. Games like Super Meat Boy, Fez, Braid and Bastion have helped to create this world and show the industry that you don’t need a big budget or a huge development team to create a masterpiece. This previously unheard of ideal took the gaming world by surprise and would go on to help shape the future of gaming. Indie games are an incredibly popular genre today and its in large part to those who fought in the beginning to get their products distributed.
The Changing Tides:
As we game today we see a noticeably large leap in gaming over the last few years. Indie games are no longer seen as strictly small time games with simple goals. The industry has seen a large shift in the general perception of the indie scene. This has allowed for the creation of games with much larger ambitions such No Man’s Sky (despite how it was received), Unravel, and the upcoming run-and-gun shooter Cuphead. While each of these titles are very different in nature and genre, they represent the current state of gaming as a whole. No Man’s Sky represents the limitless size and breadth that indie games are now capable of. Unravel represent the heart and soul of indie gaming, which is deep meaning and powerful stories with loveable characters that capture our hearts and leave an impression.
Cuphead represents the out-of-the-box ideas that indie titles are able to take and run with to the finished product. People are beginning to become fed up with the big names of the industry, for the perceived disinterest in the individuals who purchase their products. These feeling, I believe have helped to fuel the rise of the indie world as they are regular people who create their products for the gamer.
The Freeform Future:
With the drastic shift in indie gaming these past few years, we are fast approaching a new era of gaming and this serves to benefit all those who wish to pursue either a career in game development or just expand their gaming horizons. The popularizing of the indie community and the increase in demand of games made by these developers are changing the landscape of the gaming world. Indie developers are also bringing about the checks and balances for the big companies. Most indie developers live by their own timelines and will refuse to release their game until their vision has been completed and it is something they can be proud of. We are fast approaching a time when gamers will not stand for being tricked into false expectations and purchasing half finished games (looking at you No Man’s Sky and Battlefront)as we expect the product we purchase to be what was promised to us. The games that see success and popularity and high sales are the ones that provide the great experiences. The community brings the popularity not big comapnies paying for advertisements. These doesn’t mean you will like evrything everyone else likes. So get out there and try them all out.
