Game Tunnel

Rumors - News - Remarks by Russell Carroll

The Indie Gaming Experience (April 9, 2005)

My strongest memory of the 2005 Game Developer's Conference came from Satoru Iwata's (President of Nintendo) keynote address. In that address he stated: "Making games look more photorealistic is not the only means of improving the game experience." The whole of his keynote was interesting, but that one line struck me and has stuck with me.

When I first started playing Indie games I became excited about the developers and the heart that they put into the games that they were making. Their efforts didn't result in the most polished games or anywhere near the best if you rate games by how they look. Instead what struck me about the games was that I was experiencing something different. The game itself was a unique experience.

Certainly this is not true of all indie games, there are literally thousands of indie games that have been released over the last few years, including hundreds of puzzle games and plenty of shoot'em up titles that don't really present anything new. While many of these are well made and fun to play, the games that have really appealed to me and kept me playing Indie games are the ones that provide an experience that is different from what I could play elsewhere.

In truth, unique experiences are not limited to Indie games, but they are more common with Indies. Mainstream gaming continues to churn out FPS games at something like 2 a month, while truly innovative games are becoming increasingly rare due to development costs of and the need to turn a profit on the games. This leads to entire platforms being released, like the recent PSP release by Sony, that don't even attempt to innovate, but instead just port existing games to a new venue.

While Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft may all disagree on what the gamer of the future will want, this gamer knows what he wants. For the most part I want the games I play to provide an experience that is different than what I've played before. I tire of playing variations on a theme and look forward to trying new things.

From this site's Top 10 games of 2004, I believe 8 of them (at least) provide a unique game experience. Often that is an experience that is different from all others, but being entirely unique is not a requirement of creating a game experience that is singular in nature.

Consider some of the games:

Gish - This physics based game allows players to control a ball of tar that, while somewhat difficult to get the hang of, is capable of doing things and interacting with its environment in a way that isn't available in any other game.
Global Defense Network - A rhythmic shooter that connects your actions on the screen to a beat. When it works you feel it as much as you play it.
BreakQuest - Sure it is a breakout clone, but what makes it the best one ever is the feeling that you are experiencing something new on each and every level.
Anito - RPG/Adventure games are nothing new, but this telling of a story, taking two characters through different aspects of the same story provides a level of depth of story-telling that has to be experienced to be appreciated.
Wik & the Fable of Souls - Wik is a character created entirely around a concept of game play and it delivers a playing experience that, once you get the hang of it, makes you feel like you are wired directly to the character.

Certainly I could go on with the rest of that top 10 list, as there are many Game Experiences to be had there. It is those experiences that keep me playing Indie games. At some point, innovation in indie games may (will?) give way to market forces and I for one certainly don't look forward to that day. My hope is that there are more people like me who, as they age, leave the cookie-cutter games behind and go for something truly distinctive. My great hope is that Indie games will continue to be there to provide this audience with more singular experiences, the type that keep players playing and looking to the future.

News & Rumors

Façade, one of the better games on show at the IGF in 2004 is nearing completion. Though the completion date has been pushed back more than a few times, I was told by Michael Mateas at the GDC this year that they are in beta and hope to finish in the next few months. We also briefly discussed the possibility of the game getting ported to the Nintendo DS as the microphone requirement seemed to fit well. No likely movement in that regards, but Michael said he was intrigued by the possibility.
Speaking of IGF games, the 2003 IGF winner is looking like it may be released this year. Wild Earth, a game that places you as a photo-journalist in the African Serengeti, has entered Beta test stage promising those who make it through the Beta testing a full-version copy of the game at release. While there have been some negative comments in regards to this game being like Pokémon snap, as a biologist I have been very impressed by the game and the learning aspect of it.
Retro 64 is back to work on the game that appeared abandoned last year. Hero the Dog, a pseudo Donkey Kong clone. An interesting thing I'll be watching in this game is how the ability to use the mouse to control the character will work out for players. ("I disagree, although Mortal Kombat is a good game. My favorite game is Donkey Kong." - Billy Madison).
Oasis, the 2004 open category IGF winner is nearing completion with a temporary release date of April 19th. The game will be published by PlayFirst and you should be planning to block out the day to play it, because it is that good.
After Game Thoughts shut down, just weeks after releasing World Fables, the North American/European release of this interesting game has been put into limbo (for 5 months now!) However it does appear that the game will soon see the light of day in the states and in Europe, thanks to a good-hearted publisher.
Black Knight is quickly becoming one of the most anticipated games in the near future. This leave-your-brain-at- the-door-and-just-play game from Arcade Town pits you as a brute of a knight who literally beats the kingdom's subjects into giving up their tax money. While the description may not sound like much, the humor and simplicity make it a fun romp. What is more you can check the game out now (in it's yet unfinished form...think we call that beta) online and play it in your web-browser, the final version will be available both online and in a downloadable file.