Indie games, short for independent video games, are games that are created without the financial backing of a large publisher. Compared to AAA games from major studios like Electronic Arts or Ubisoft, indie games are developed on smaller budgets by independent creators and smaller development teams. But don’t let their independent status fool you ̶ indie games have become a driving force in the gaming industry, known for creative gameplay, unique concepts, and innovative design.
How Indie Games Are Developed
Most indie games are self-funded or funded through crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter or Indiegogo. Without major publishers and investors providing budgets, indie developers often start small, working on passion projects outside of their day jobs before expanding development efforts once early concepts gain traction.
Indie developers have more creative freedom than larger studios, leading to more experimentation with quirky and innovative ideas that set indie games apart. The scope of indie games is also usually smaller than major studio productions, with compact experiences that distill gameplay to its essence rather than sprawling 100-hour adventures.
Focusing development efforts on streamlined yet original concepts allows small indie studios to create incredibly popular, highly replayable games with just a few team members and limited resources.
What Makes Indie Games Unique
Besides smaller teams and budgets, indie game developers can take risks that major studios can’t, leading to truly unique gaming concepts you’d never see from a AAA publisher. Without shareholders or parent companies to please, indie developers can focus on their own creative vision rather than what might sell the most copies.
The result is a thriving indie game scene, with new experimental and addicting indie experiences across all genres and platforms pushing gaming in new directions. Simple yet difficult action games like Super Meat Boy, exploration-based adventure games like Journey, and star-builders like Stardew Valley simply wouldn’t exist without indie developers willing to try new things.
Indie developers also tend to build strong relationships with gaming communities, listening to fan feedback to iteratively develop their titles after release. Passion for their creations drives steady improvement long after launch.
Why Indie Games Are Important for the Gaming Industry
While indie games individually may not sell as many copies as the next Call of Duty or Madden NFL release, creative indie titles help energize the entire video game industry. They provide an incubator space for experimenting with offbeat concepts that sometimes end up changing gaming altogether after being proven successful by indie developers.
Concepts like physics-based puzzles from Portal, asymmetric multiplayer from Among Us, and the Dark Souls series’ minimal narrative and high difficulty originated in indie games before becoming staples of mainstream gaming. The indie scene helps inspire new genres, gameplay mechanics, and design principles for the entire industry.
For gamers, indie games provide entirely new experiences unavailable from big-budget studios. Supporting innovative indie developers on crowdfunding platforms or through purchases enables even more indie creators to leave their day jobs and develop the next hit indie experience.
Conclusion
So while indie games may not have the realism of the latest Battlefield or lifelike graphics of Horizon Forbidden West, their original concepts, focused gameplay, and experimental nature make them essential for pushing video games as an artistic medium into the future. The spirit of indie gaming continues to shape the industry at large for the better.