Indie Games. Facts, Myths, Stereotypes

I’m tired of hearing the phrase “I like Indie genre games”

Surely each of you has heard of indie games and even played them. I’m sure you’ve heard of Braid, [World of Goo: Corporation Goo!](/games?search=World of Goo: Корпорация Гуу!), [Super Meat Boy](/games?search=Super Meat Boy). And you definitely know that these are indie games. But, interestingly, gamers often don’t even suspect that the game they just launched is also indie. And conversely, they think it’s indie, but in reality, it’s not indie at all. Do you know what these indie games are? Why are they called that, and what’s behind them? In this note, I will try to clarify the situation. And I just pray that no one ever says in my presence that “they like games in the Indie genre” again.

Let’s start from this point. What is Indie? To maintain intrigue (though it’s hard to call it a secret), I will take a somewhat different approach. Let’s consider what Indie is not?

• Indie is not a genre. It never was and never will be. An indie game can be a first-person shooter, a role-playing game, a strategy, or a fighting game. It can be a simulator or a platformer. This common misconception arose not long ago, but for now, we will just pass by it; I will tell the story of this myth and tear it apart later.

• The prefix Indie is also not related to game quality. Some see a game with outdated graphics from around 5-10 years ago (often pixelated or sometimes abstract) and exclaim, “Ah! This is a pathetic indie game!”. While they might be right about the “pathetic,” they cannot be correct in calling it “indie.”

• Price is also not related. Whether a game is free or not, expensive or cheap – it does not indicate its belonging to the Indie brotherhood.

[Zeno clash](/games?search=Zeno clash), a magnificent Indie game. As you can see, the graphics are clearly not like in the first Mario.

So what is it then? I won’t keep you in suspense any longer (though you might have already guessed by the title).

Indie-games are games from independent developers.

But who are these independent developers? They are enthusiasts ready to work for the idea. They are independent because no publisher is keeping them under their wing. No one allocates them money, no one checks their design documents, and no one says, “This goblin looks wrong; customers will be unhappy; redo it immediately.” No, these people know what gamers want and what color the goblins should be.

This is the essence of Indie – independence. Developers answer to no one; they can do whatever they please. No one can limit the flight of thought of an independent developer. Therefore, it’s quite common for indie games to feature goblins that are not green, as is customary in traditional fantasy, but perhaps red. And they might have three hands and legs, and move on tracks. And believe me, players often end up thrilled with such goblins.

But if people like such goblins, why aren’t they present in “big,” “serious” games? It’s quite simple. Big money revolves around big games. And such goblins pose a considerable risk for the game. What if it doesn’t shoot? At the same time, “big” games often borrow ideas from “small” indie ones. But it’s always after indie developers demonstrate the worth of their ideas in practice.

A vivid example of such borrowing is the studio Valve. In fact, they have made only one game – Half-Life. All other games are timely recognized promising projects (you are well aware of the story of Portal and Narbacular Drop) and modifications (mostly on the Source engine). Therefore, in terms of non-obvious ideas and interesting finds, indie developers significantly outpace the “big ones.”

The very Narbacular Drop, the progenitor of Portal.

You may ask, if indie games are so rich in interesting ideas, why do we hear so little about these games and ideas, and why aren’t there “big independent developers”? Indeed, indie developers have no problems with ideas. However, there are significant issues with implementing these ideas. Indie developers are often poor students struggling to find money for living. Moreover, it’s quite difficult to gather around yourself a team of like-minded enthusiasts. Even if there’s one genius programmer, the game still needs graphics, music, and someone has to handle game design.

Again, due to the lack of money, developers cannot afford to use modern technologies and engines. And let’s not forget about the absence of marketing campaigns. Indie games are not discussed on television and radio, and posters with their logos are not printed. The only thing developers can rely on is the internet (which is not surprising, as almost all indie games are distributed through online distribution services like Steam and Desura). But even that is extremely unpredictable and unreliable.

For these reasons, indie games often turn out to be somewhat lacking from a technical standpoint and frequently pass by potential players due to the absence of any promotional campaign.

However, recently the situation is changing rapidly. Services like Steam and Desura provide what you might call a game’s “moment of fame,” which is certainly encouraging. What is also very important is that indie developers now have more creative opportunities than ever. If earlier they had to constantly invent and handcraft their own bicycles due to a simple lack of money for ready-made solutions, now there are powerful and accessible (often free) tools for game creation.

For instance, many remarkable games have been made with UDK, and XNA from Microsoft is also gaining popularity among developers. Creating games is becoming easier and easier. Right now, many indie games are often mistaken for “big” ones (just look at Garsharp!), what will happen in 5-10 years?

Machinarium, an indie game about a little robot, won over gamers at first glance.

Perhaps by now you have realized why many consider Indie to be a separate genre. In fact, most indie games are either platformers or puzzles. This is simply explained by the fact that these are the easiest genres to implement. And precisely because indie predominates in these genres, by around 2000, people began to associate all platformers and puzzles with the word Indie. By the way, indie games originated simultaneously with the birth of the gaming industry. Back when there were no major publishers and developers, most games were indie. Later, with the emergence of these publishers and developers, the indie industry quickly went into decline and only began to revive in the 2000s.

Lastly, I would like to summarize all the facts.

• Indie is not a genre.

• Indie games are not just platformers and puzzles. Anyone still in doubt, take a look at Larian studio and the series of role-playing games [Divine Divinity: The Birth of a Legend](/games?search=Divine Divinity. Рождение легенды). What, didn’t you know it was indie? Now you will know and win an argument.

• Most Indie games are certainly not free and, like all other games, cost money (often not less). Of course, there are plenty of free projects, but I only consider fully developed, so to speak, polished games.

• And the last point, clarifying the previous one. Not all free games made without publisher support are Indie. You can find many free projects online (often indeed pathetic). These are not indie games. Let’s say indie games are the next step up from such projects.

Some believe that in about 10 years, making games will become so simple that a revolution in Indie games will occur. That when tools for development are so powerful and easy that one can work solely on ideas, Indie games will dominate the gaming industry. I think that’s foolishness. There are people who professionally make games for entertainment, and there are people who make games simply because they want to make games. One should not wait for a revolution, but simply play.