The Rise of Indie games. What changed?
There’s no denying the fact that we all love the massive triple-A titles from game giants but we also can’t deny the fact that some of these games are just getting dragged along to make more money. This has led many of our favorite games to become nothing more than means for developers to milk out money.
However, the recent years have been nothing short of a blessing for the indie games genre, as they’ve grown massively in popularity. It could even be argued that people have started to prefer indie games over big blockbuster titles. Makes you wonder, what changed? What made this genre so popular all of a sudden? Let’s find out
Steam and Digital Distribution
The popularity of Steam has played an important role in the rise of indie games, due to its gigantic library of games from independent developers, which offer unique narratives and gameplay mechanics that set them apart from mainstream video game titles.
Digital distribution allowed everyone to access games at their convenience, thus causing a major downfall in the physical supply chain over the past few years. Steam and other digital distributors paved the way for indie game developers to publish their games on a large scale without any hassle.
Better Value
The fact that these games don’t put a hole in your pocket, is the selling point. Instead of creating sequels or remaking the already well-established game to make money off of, most indie developers focus on the quality of the game and prioritize the needs and wants of the gamers and it really shows.
Indie games cost you way less, compared to when you buy RDR 2 account or other Triple-A games, which can cost around the 100$ mark if you factor in the DLCs and microtransactions. This is one of the biggest factors that make Indie games so accessible and consequently more popular than some of the best triple-A games in the market.
Kickstarter
The most important factor in the rise of indie games is crowd-funding. As an indie game developer, you pitch your ideas and concepts directly to the community instead of big publishing companies to get them published. The community is the shareholder and gives immense support to the developers in the process.
In the process of independent development, gamers also have some sort of influence on how the game takes shape, as the developers introduce new elements that the players are excited about.
Streaming and Social Media
Social media has significantly increased the popularity of indie games, and, due to the way everything is communicated these days, they spread like wildfire. Indie studios take advantage of this and market their games on social media in a manner that is more welcoming.
Additionally, Twitch and Youtube streamers with large viewerships have also helped these games gain almost as much recognition as the AAA titles, if not more. Although sometimes this recognition is short-lived, it definitely gives the game a boost in popularity and player base.
Passionate developers
As already mentioned, indie games are made purely out of the passion for gaming, and they pour their heart into the game. And in case players encounter a bug or glitch, which is an inevitable part of a game, you can expect the developers to fix it quickly.
The developers also take into account the feedback of the players, the aspect of communication you’ll see neglected in giant video game companies, the lack of which frustrates the gamers into madness.
Fresh Ideas
What makes indie games stand out from AAA titles, is the emphasis on creative originality and uniqueness. The refined experience often is the key to a successful indie game. And with the implementation of next-gen game engines to unique art styles, indie games offer a level of visuals that are up to the mark.
Another element that draws fans to indie games is nostalgia. Which in itself is a completely chill vibe of the simpler times of retro graphics, arcadey music of the 80s, and challenging gameplay.
Conclusion
These are some of the most common factors that I think play a crucial role in making indie games so popular in the world. And with the rise of gaming technology, indie game developers now have access to powerful tools that help them tap into the real potential of video games for a fairly low investment. That’s why we are seeing some amazing new indie games coming out every year and taking the whole world by storm.
