What indie videogames lack in technical polish, they make up for with imagination.
Part of me is overjoyed that my favourite entertainment medium is now so hugely popular.
I cut my gaming teeth on an Amstrad CPC (thank you Lord Sugar).
It had a keyboard, a disk drive, and a green screen.
Just lines and numbers on a green screen generating more numbers and lines.
I shudder to even think about it now.
Why am I telling you about a decades-old game compilation?
Because these were all, in essence, indie games.
Moreover, why should we support them over and above mainstream titles?
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Here are 10 reasons why indie gaming is so unbelievably important.
Forgive me a moment, as I put my pretentious hat on.
Making games is an art.
Searching for games like these can be real adventure, because you dont know what to expect.
It is easy to forget just how important art is to a society such as ours.
Look, for example, at how gloriousTrine 2is:
Stunning.
Let me clear something up.
Im not talking about these companies.
They have sacrificed their own health and wellbeing to get this out of their system.
Take Phil Fish, who spent a staggering five years perfecting and honing his platforming masterpiece,Fez.
Telltale Games is a relatively small developer formed by former employees of LucasArts.
So doesAngry Birdsfor that matter.
So far, weve put approximately 300 hours intoKerbal Space Programme.This is a game which costs less than 10.
Indie games allow a greater amount of people experience gaming, and that can only be a good thing.
Well, it’s possible for you to also do the same thing in the gaming world.
Gaming is now the largest entertainment industry on the planet.
Many of us are talking daily to each other about games.
Unfortunately, its come a bit late for me.
Saying, I was playingCommander Keenbefore youd even heard ofDoom, Carmack is my god!
usually results in half disgusted looks of concern from most people.
This tends to lead to a situation whereby were all sat in one massive, boring feedback loop.
Or: Multiplayer is a really hot property at the moment, so put multiplayer in the game too.
No one asked forSuper Meat BoyorFez,but the gaming world is richer because of them.
I certainly enjoyed both immensely, and part of that enjoyment come from the sense of discovery they provided.
This is very important to the gaming world.
I mentioned it earlier, but now I have to talk about this game again before I burst.
The
fact of the matter is I boughtKerbal Space Programmeon a whim whilst blearily browsing Steam.
So I went back and had another dabble.
Basically, its a space simulator.
Its difficult, frustrating, wonderful and charming all in one.
Theres no intro, no story and no goals to speak of.
These, of course, arent shortcomings they are major strengths.
This is wondrous in itself variety is the spice of life, not conformity.
Okay, youve got the blooms and the high res texture mapping and particle effects and all the trimmings.
This doesnt mean youve got a good game.
What youve got isL.A.
Noire,and that had quite a good story and script.
It was also famously not a pure videogame, but more of an interactive movie.
Many, many developers have fallen foul of this mistake.
Chess hasnt survived for so many centuries because its up to date.
Its because it has simple rules, and absorbing gameplay.
And this is what I feel separates indie games from those of giant publishers.
Mainstream developers are clever, it cannot be denied.
It is really nice.
Like Mario is nice.
Like Morecambe and Wise were nice.
But with indie games, we get a much richer, more joyful tapestry.
But I also think the nice side of things is much more important and much less exploited.
It is a tense and emotional watch, and it highlights just how much passion goes into making games.
You need so many elements to come together.
Actionscript, Java, C#?
Very abstract languages to master, and you create half the language as you go.
So there you have it.
Put downAssassins Creed,and load upLimbo.
You owe it to the world.
