I've been saying it for about 5 years now. Creativity in the gaming industry is dying. However, there was one thing I forgot to factor in, and that one thing is enough to make me backtrack on my words. I am, of course, talking about independent developers. These small teams, and sometimes even one man efforts, are bringing creativity back into the gaming world. In this article I'll explain just why indie games are becoming the hot new thing.
Anybody with a functioning brain stem can tell you that the video game industry is a copycat industry, and that has a direct effect on the creative process of developers. One thing we, as gamers, tend to forget, is the fact that there are shareholders involved in the game making process. These shareholders are watching and taking note of what's selling, and why. Admittedly, I think they have the "why" part all wrong, but they definitely know what is selling. Because of this, they then more or less pressure third parties to copy what is selling best, and they outright reject anything that is wildly different that they believe will bomb and cost them money. That is why third parties are mostly making shooters. Call of Duty blew up, so the shareholders won't to try their luck on making their own equally as successful shooter. With most third party games playing copycat, or playing it safe, who do we have to turn to for creative, new, and unique experiences?
That is where indie developers come in. indie developers are just that, independent, and they don't have anybody pressuring them to make their game a certain way. Indies have as much creative freedom as they need, and they aren't just trying to cash in. They truly have a passion for gaming, and they want to create new and unique experiences. Knowing this, it is no surprise that indie developers are delivering the most unique and creative experiences in the gaming industry at the current time. With the gaming community becoming saturated with shooters and hack and slash games, by comparison indie developers are like a Godsend. The only downfall is that the average indie game looks at least 2 generations behind graphically.
Indie developers are the most essential thing to the growth and development of the industry at this moment in time. If just one of their games could reach the status of a Mario, Call of Duty, or Grand Theft Auto game, they could very well change the face of gaming as we know it, and that is one possibility that I would love to see become a reality. So what are your thoughts on the topic? Comment, Rate, or click that button to buy me a taco. Until next time: Be you. Be true. Be human.
