Spring Break
The rise of indie games
Fernando Dutra
Issue date: 2/24/09 Section: Focus
With the video game industry looming large over the once impenetrable Hollywood, parallels are beginning to develop between the two. Though both have their blockbusters, a "God of War" or "Halo" for every "Dark Knight" or "Iron Man," the video game industry had rare equivalents to what can be considered an art-house film. The likes of "Okami" were few and far between, but this was mainly due to the massive budget required of games regardless of their target audience. As production costs continue to rise, the likelihood of this budding enterprise would fall to the wayside, but technology has enabled developers on string budgets to try their hand on console games.
Now, it may not get the publicity surrounding larger games or receive as a release as massive as first-party games get, but independent and experimental games are on the rise on consoles. This is thanks to the advent of more sophisticated digital distribution devices. All three major consoles and handhelds, if one counts the upcoming Nintendo DSi, will have downloadable options. While this may lead to a major abuse of power in the form of micromanagement - Ubisoft, shame on you for not shipping "Prince of Persia" in its entirety - this isn't normally the case for independent games.
Though one may point to the Wii to show the shifting landscape in the video game industry, one can also look at software like "LittleBigPlanet," which was developed by a lesser-known game development company named MediaMolecule. They have been lauded for their title, though the founders dabbled in creating an independent game called "Rag Doll Kung Fu" while they worked at Lionhead Studios. This past year has seen a greater interest in new franchises, with "de Blob, "Dead Space," and "LittleBigPlanet" faring well amidst established industry stalwarts "Gears of War 2."
It is clear that journalists in the industry look to independent developers more than ever now, giving added exposure to games that do not receive it. Xbox 360-exclusive "Braid," created by independent software developer Jonathan Blow, stood amongst other games in year-end "Best of" awards. The Behemoth Company, creators of "Castle Crashers" and "Alien Hominid," are independent developers currently making games exclusively for the 360. Pixeljunk has been making titles exclusively for the Playstation Network. Their most recent, "Pixeljunk Eden," is, simply put, about collecting pollen and seeds to unlock other levels. Its free-form is unlike most video games.
Now, it may not get the publicity surrounding larger games or receive as a release as massive as first-party games get, but independent and experimental games are on the rise on consoles. This is thanks to the advent of more sophisticated digital distribution devices. All three major consoles and handhelds, if one counts the upcoming Nintendo DSi, will have downloadable options. While this may lead to a major abuse of power in the form of micromanagement - Ubisoft, shame on you for not shipping "Prince of Persia" in its entirety - this isn't normally the case for independent games.
Though one may point to the Wii to show the shifting landscape in the video game industry, one can also look at software like "LittleBigPlanet," which was developed by a lesser-known game development company named MediaMolecule. They have been lauded for their title, though the founders dabbled in creating an independent game called "Rag Doll Kung Fu" while they worked at Lionhead Studios. This past year has seen a greater interest in new franchises, with "de Blob, "Dead Space," and "LittleBigPlanet" faring well amidst established industry stalwarts "Gears of War 2."
It is clear that journalists in the industry look to independent developers more than ever now, giving added exposure to games that do not receive it. Xbox 360-exclusive "Braid," created by independent software developer Jonathan Blow, stood amongst other games in year-end "Best of" awards. The Behemoth Company, creators of "Castle Crashers" and "Alien Hominid," are independent developers currently making games exclusively for the 360. Pixeljunk has been making titles exclusively for the Playstation Network. Their most recent, "Pixeljunk Eden," is, simply put, about collecting pollen and seeds to unlock other levels. Its free-form is unlike most video games.
Be the first to comment on this story