Indie game
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Independent video games (commonly referred to as indie games) are video games created by individuals or small teams without video game publisher financial support. Indie games often focus on innovation and rely on digital distribution. Indie gaming has seen a rise in the last few years, primarily due to new online distribution methods and development tools.
Some indie games have become very successful financially, such as Braid,[1] World of Goo,[2] and Minecraft.[3]
Overview
There is no exact widely-accepted definition of what constitutes an "indie game".[4] However, generally indie games share certain commonalities. Indie games are developed by individuals, small teams, or small independent companies.[5] And, typically, indie games are smaller than mainstream titles.[6] Indie game developers are not financially backed by publishers and usually have little to no budget available,[7] thereby generally relying on Internet digital distribution schemes.[8] Being independent, indie developers do not have controlling interests[9] or creative limitations[10] and do not require publisher approval[11] as mainstream game developers usually do.[12] Design decisions are thus also not limited by the allocated budget.[13] Furthermore, smaller team sizes increase individual involvement.[14] Therefore indie games are known for innovation, creativity, and artistic experimentation.[15] Developers may also be limited in ability to create graphics, so they have to rely on gameplay innovation.[16] Both classic game genres and new gameplay innovation has been seen.[17] However, being "indie" does not imply that the game focuses on innovation.[6]
However, indie game development should not be confused with hobbyist game development, as indie developers are generally more product-oriented than hobbyist game writers.[9] Many hobbyist developers create mods of existing games,[8] or work with specific technologies or game parts.[9] Such hobbyists usually produce non-commercial products and may range from novices to industry veterans.[9]
Industry
The indie gaming started on PCs,[18] and remains prominent.[19] Indie games saw a rise via shareware distribution in the early 1990s.[19] However, as technology advanced, requirements and high user expectations made indie gaming less prominent.[20] Modern video games exceeded the ability of a single developer to produce.[21]
Indie gaming industry has a constantly growing interest and popularity.[22] Indie industry saw a steep rise in the latter half of the 2000s.[16] The expansion of Internet allowed games to be distributed online moving beyond retail sales.[23] This allowed for both developers to publish[24] and players to download such games from platforms like Xbox Live Arcade,[25] Steam,[8] or OnLive.[26] Similarly, developers have access to tools like Adobe Flash[16] or Microsoft XNA and software packages, such as Game Maker.
Like mainstream video game industry is comparable to mainstream film industry,[27] so is indie gaming industry comparable to independent film industry.[28] However game distribution is shifting towards online marketing.[29] For developers, online marketing is much more profitable[16] and more readily available than retail marketing. Although, distribution portals have been criticized for collecting a large portion the game revenue,[30] in 2008 a developer could earn around 17% of game's retail price and around 85% if sold digitally.[16] This also leads to appearance of more "risky" creative projects.[16] Furthermore, expansion of social web-sites have introduced gaming to casual gamers.[31] Nevertheless, there are few examples of games that have made large profits, and for many indie game-making serves as a career stepping stone, rather than a commercial opportunity.[23]
It is argued as to how prominent indie gaming currently is in video game industry.[30] Most games are not widely known or successful and mainstream media attention remains with mainstream titles.[32][33] This can be attributed to lack of marketing for indie games.[32] Indie games can be targeted at niche market.[34]
Community
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Indie game developers are involved with various indie game trade shows, such as, Independent Games Festival or Indiecade.[11]
Indie Game Jam (IGJ) is an annual event that allows indie game developers to experiment and present ideas without publisher restrictions.[35] IGJ was founded by Chris Hecker and Sean Barrett[36] and first held in March 2002.[37] Each year, IGJ poses different questions about innovation of new settings, genres, and controls.[38] The IGJ was considered an inspiration for later game jams including the Nordic Game Jam and the Global Game Jam (GGJ). GGJ was first held in 2009 with 1650 participants in 53 locations.[39]
See also
References
- ^ Chaplin 2008.
- ^ Mysore 2009.
- ^ Plunkett 2011.
- ^ Gnade 2010; Gril 2008, p. 1; MacDonald 2005
- ^ Gril 2008, p. 1; McGuire & Jenkins 2009, p. 27; Moore & Novak 2010, p. 272; Bates 2004, p. 252; Carroll 2004
- ^ a b Carroll 2004.
- ^ Gnade 2010; Gril 2008, p. 1; McGuire & Jenkins 2009, p. 27; Moore & Novak 2010, p. 272; Bates 2004, p. 252; Iuppa & Borst 2009, p. 10
- ^ a b c McGuire & Jenkins 2009, p. 27.
- ^ a b c d MacDonald 2005.
- ^ Gril 2008, p. 1; Kelly 2009
- ^ a b Gnade 2010.
- ^ Bethke 2003, p. 102.
- ^ Kelly 2009.
- ^ Crossley 2009.
- ^ Gnade 2010; McGuire & Jenkins 2009, p. 27; Carroll 2004; Crossley 2009; Diamante 2007; Cobbett 2010; Gamasutra staff 2007
- ^ a b c d e f Irwin 2008.
- ^ Gamasutra staff 2007.
- ^ Gril 2008, p. 2.
- ^ a b Cobbett 2010.
- ^ Cobbett 2010; Chandler 2009, p. xxi
- ^ Moore & Novak 2010, p. 5.
- ^ Gnade 2010; Irwin 2008
- ^ a b Iuppa & Borst 2009, p. 10.
- ^ Irwin 2008; Gril 2008, p. 3; Cobbett 2010; Gamasutra staff 2007
- ^ McGuire & Jenkins 2009, p. 27; Gril 2008, pp. 4–5
- ^ OnLive staff 2010; Graft 2010
- ^ McGuire & Jenkins 2009, p. 25.
- ^ Kelly 2009; Carless 2007; Iuppa & Borst 2009, p. 10
- ^ Carless 2007.
- ^ a b Diamante 2007.
- ^ Gril 2008, p. 3.
- ^ a b Taylor 2009.
- ^ Gril 2008, p. 6.
- ^ Carroll 2004; Cobbett 2010
- ^ Thompson, Berbank-Green & Cusworth 2007, p. 83.
- ^ Adams 2002, p. 1; Fullerton, Swain & Hoffman 2008, p. 403
- ^ Adams 2002, p. 1.
- ^ Fullerton, Swain & Hoffman 2008, p. 406.
- ^ Jacobs 2009, p. 1.
Sources
- Adams, Ernest W. (May 31, 2002). "Technology Inspires Creativity: Indie Game Jam Inverts Dogma 2001!". Gamasutra. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
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(help) - Carless, Simon (October 12, 2007). "What Indie Games Can Learn From Indie Film Distribution". GameSetWatch. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
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(help) - Carroll, Russell (June 14, 2004). "Indie Innovation?". GameTunnel. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
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(help) - Chaplin, Heather (August 27, 2008). "Xbox's 'Braid' A Surprise Hit, For Surprising Reasons". NPR. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
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(help) - Cobbett, Richard (September 19, 2010). "Is indie gaming the future?". TechRadar. p. 1. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
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(help) - Crossley, Rob (May 19, 2009). "Indie game studios 'will always be more creative'". Market for Home Computing and Video Games. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
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(help) - Diamante, Vince (March 7, 2007). "GDC: The Future of Indie Games". Gamasutra. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - Gamasutra staff (October 4, 2007). "Q&A: Independent Game Creators On Importance Of Indie Movement". Gamasutra. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - Gnade, Mike (July 15, 2010). "What Exactly is an Indie Game?". The Indie Game Magazine. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - Graft, Kris (September 17, 2010). "OnLive Opens SDK, Tools To Indie Devs". Gamasutra. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - Gril, Juan (April 30, 2008). "The State of Indie Gaming". Gamasutra. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
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(help) - Irwin, Mary Jane (November 20, 2008). "Indie Game Developers Rise Up". Forbes. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
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(help) - Jacobs, Stephen (February 25, 2009). "Global Game Jam 2009: A Worldwide Report". Gamasutra. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
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(help) - Kelly, Kevin (March 17, 2009). "SXSW 2009: Being Indie and Successful in the Video Game Industry". Joystiq. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
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(help) - MacDonald, Dan (May 3, 2005). "Understanding "Independent"". Game Tunnel. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
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(help) - Mysore, Sahana (January 2, 2009). "How the World of Goo became one of the indie video game hits of 2008". Venturebeat. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - OnLive staff (September 15, 2010). "OnLive Offers Indie Game Developers a "Direct-To-Consumer" Channel on TV, PC and Mac". OnLive. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
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(help) - Plunkett, Luke (January 4, 2011). "Why Minecraft Is So Damn Popular". Kotaku. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
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(help) - Taylor, Paul (August 26, 2009). "Building Buzz for Indie Games". Gamasutra. p. 1. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
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(help)
- Bates, Bob (2004). Game Design (2nd ed.). Thomson Course Technology. ISBN 1-59200-493-8.
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(help) - Bethke, Erik (2003). Game development and production. Texas: Wordware Publishing. ISBN 1-55622-951-8.
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(help) - Chandler, Heather Maxwell (2009). The Game Production Handbook (2nd ed.). Hingham, Massachusetts: Infinity Science Press. ISBN 978-1-934015-40-7.
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(help) - Fullerton, Tracy; Swain, Christopher; Hoffman, Steven (2008). "Indie Game Jam: An outlet for Innovation and Experimental Game Design". Game design workshop: a playcentric approach to creating innovative games. Article by Justin Hall (2nd ed.). Morgan Kaufmann. ISBN 978-0240809748.
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(help) - Iuppa, Nick; Borst, Terry (2009). End-to-End Game Development: Creating Independent Serious Games and Simulations from Start to Finish. Focal Press. ASIN 0240811798. ISBN 978-0-240-81179-6.
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(help) - McGuire, Morgan; Jenkins, Odest Chadwicke (2009). Creating Games: Mechanics, Content, and Technology. Wellesley, Massachusetts: A K Peters. ISBN 978-1-56881-305-9.
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(help) - Moore, Michael E.; Novak, Jeannie (2010). Game Industry Career Guide. Delmar: Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-1-42837-647-2.
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(help) - Thompson, Jim; Berbank-Green, Barnaby; Cusworth, Nic (2007). Game Design: Principles, Practice, and Techniques - The Ultimate Guide for the Aspiring Game Designer. Wiley. ISBN 978-0471968948.
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