Why Independent?

The longer Game Tunnel has been running, the more that question has come back in different forms and with different answers.

Mage Bros., the second great title from JJ Soft, for both kids and adults.

Why do people make independent games? What is the future of independent games? What are independent games? Those are all good questions that the independent industry itself struggles with. As an industry, it is poorly defined. People who make independent games aren't even sure if they are making an independent games. Often mid-sized studios make a game that they expect to have mass market appeal, and then when it doesn't, it becomes an "independent" game.

In movies, the independent market is also known as avant guarde. The perception of the independent movie industry is that movies are made in the industry that would not be released into the mainstream due to the story or presentation being different than what major movie companies consider to be marketable. Independent movies have grown in popularity over the years as a larger portion of the population has learned of their existence and found that they enjoy something different from time to time. The independent movie market certainly has its share of hard-core fans, but the growth of the industry has come through casual viewers, those who occasionally watch independent films, but do not attempt to become experts of the industry.

Hollywood has responded to this demand by adding independent films to their releases. With each major independent film event, there are studios watching carefully and gauging interest, to determine if the movie might have a larger appeal that would turn a profit. When an independent film is picked up by Hollywood, the public views it as a great thing for independent films as a whole, and so does a majority of the independent crowd. The reason is that by the acceptance of an independent film into the mass market, it is a statement that the mass market appreciates the industry.

Independent movies is a good comparison with independent games. At least it should be. However, there are some subtle differences that causes the independent games industry to grumble from within. These growing pains are helping independent games to gain an identity, though independent games certainly do not yet have an identity.

The definition itself is as previously mentioned, one of the problems for independent games. What is an independent game? What makes it officially "independent." The history of independent games has caused many to call them shareware games. Earlier in the history of gaming, computer programmers created games in their garages for other computer programmers. As the market of home computers grew, these programmers started releasing games as "shareware." The games were often cutting edge and original in both concept and design. The small marketplace made most games very original due to the low number of games available.

The marketing plan was to get people to play the games and then, after they had tried them, the customer could buy them. It was and is a great marketing plan that is now being used by every major computer game programmer. Through time, larger companies started to release computer games. The first of which were not any better than the small garage game companies. However, as time marched on, and the involvement in creating a game increased, a wide gap has become ever more apparent between the games made in garages and the games that major companies make. Often this has given to the notion that games not made and released in stores are of low quality, because in comparison, many of the garage games are.

With a widening in the gap in depth of game play between a major release, and a garage or shareware game, many shareware authors found they could not compete. Many have instead left for larger programming jobs, or for other jobs. Others have focused on a different market that has been left virtually untapped by the major studios. The internet has provided the ability to
market games that are played by people on their computers who normally wouldn't buy games. This is a market that is largely female, and who is not as concerned about the graphics of a game, they are more concerned about enjoying their experience.

This has lead further to the confusion of what an independent game is. To fill the market, and their own pockets, developers have created countless puzzle and card games. These games have been fairly well received, in some cases very well received. However, the cutting edge aspect of gaming had been left entirely to the large studios. Much as is the case of the movie industry, most large studios shun any idea that has not been tested and tried in the marketplace.

The Rage, one of many high-quality independent games looking for a larger following.

The frustration of many qualified programmers in the studios, who feel stifled by their environment has lead to another segment of the independent community. These programmers are often tried and tested. They create games that have production values that rival games bought off of the shelf. Graphics are high quality. Interfaces are simple to use. Bugs are few and far in-between. Unfortunately for these developers, the marketplace has been difficult for them. As a second segment of the independent marketplace, many of them have found it hard to create a following of mainstream fans who appreciate their work. Many create games that are aimed at the mainstream marketplace only to find that independent games do not have any real mainstream pull. The independent marketplace is currently changing, bringing more of the mainstream fans into contact with it, but it is not in the same situation as the independent movie market. High quality developers, find their games often unknown. Many, feeling frustration and empty stomachs have returned to the programming companies they despised.

A third segment of developers includes those who make independent games as a hobby. Many have jobs elsewhere, like the early programmers of old. They work off of no budget, and have no timelines. Games are as likely to be canceled as completed. A game once released after years of wait may not pay back a fraction of the time and effort put in, leading the developer becoming a one an out. Though the production values are often not as high in this segment of the market, much of the originality realized comes from these creators. Their games may receive rewards from the industry for their originality in concept. However, the mainstream marketplace is typically oblivious to their work.

The fourth segment of independent developers is the "new" developers. With the emergence of so many people wanting to program games, a large number of programmers have decided that the best way to go about it is to program their own games. This group tends to produce games that are not high caliber. Often they quickly become disillusioned with game creation and look for a job elsewhere.

Certainly there are other segments of independent developers, but I believe the aforementioned segments makes up the majority of the independent developers currently developing. The group itself lends a lot of understanding as to the identity crisis of independent gaming. There are multiple facets that often contradict each other. Based entirely on the professional ness of the end product, there are those that produce high quality games, and those that produce low-quality games. The games themselves vary from simple and redundant copies of card games and puzzle-type games, to truly innovative games whose concepts are not available elsewhere.

Whereas the independent movie market is known for creating a different experience then you typically receive in the mainstream theaters, independent games as a whole do not offer any specific experience. Rather, the games often are variations on an arcade theme or puzzlers.

There is nothing inherently wrong with the situation as long as the target audience is the current audience and there is no desire to reach the mainstream. However, I believe that perhaps a jettison of the current "non-gamer" audience is needed for independent games to reach their full potential. If independent games are to continue to grow as an industry into something similar to the independent movies industry (an industry unto itself instead of a coat-riding industry), certain things must occur.

First off, independent games must become profitable. No industry can survive without money entering the industry. Being profitable requires providing the public with a product that they desire AND making the public aware of the product so that they can desire it.

Much has been written about writing a good game plan. Independent developers are different than major studios in that they are smaller and therefore do not need as many sales in order to succeed in the the market. Still, they must understand who their market is, and have a way to reach that market. Often independent games are created with the total focus on the concept being different without considering if there is any market for the game. Far more often, a good concept is released on the unsuspecting public and never appreciated do to a total lack of understanding of how to market the game.

Pontifex II showed that bridge-building is a lot more fun than you thought physics could be.

Some of these problems tie back in together. It is my belief that for Independent games to grow as an industry, the industry must itself adhere to a standard. That standard should be ingenuity. By pushing forth something that is in itself marketable, the industry will become known for putting forth products that are unique. I believe this will lead to a customer base of die-hard gamers who only play the unique, in addition to a healthy section of the mainstream that will also turn to the industry from time to time in order to have an experience that they would not have elsewhere. Examples of this abound in many games such as Basegolf, Pontifex II, and Dopefarmer. However, there are far too many games that are simply an independent developer trying to redo a game that is already available. Though many of these recreations are often better than the original, the industry will have a difficult time becoming known to the public if its major product is game rehashes. Independent games as an industry needs to provide something to the public that the don't get elsewhere. There is certainly always room for another good game in everyone's library, but it is unlikely that independent games will grow as an industry by just offering good, yet unremarkably original games.

However, as noted, unique games often do not sell. The reason for that is obviously that they do not have a market large enough to support them. Some of market creation requires that you create for a market expecting that market to arise. Some 4 years ago, there was a large discussion as a new game was released that required a broadband connection in order to play. In 1999 the number of households with a broadband connection was quite low. However the person releasing the game stated that the point was to create a game that made people want to upgrade to a broadband connection, not to wait around for people to have broadband connection and then create the game. After all, he said, what reason would people have to upgrade to a broadband connection if they didn't have things such as the cool game to upgrade for?

The situation with independent games is obviously a little different. However, if belief exists that people will in fact purchase games based on the concept & originality of the game, then it must follow that with a larger number of those games available, and the increased awareness that would more games would cause, a market for the games would be created.

Obviously this type of thing does not happen overnight. I live near Park City and Sundance, a location that could be considered one of the original hotbeds for independent films. Still, the independent theater in town was considered one of the worst financial ventures you could get in to. It had changed hands 5 times before it finally started to do well. Within the last year, doing well has meant they purchased a former Cineplex Odeon 4-plex downtown so that they could accommodate all the movie watchers.

I'm convinced with time that this industry will also grow. It is unfortunate that many of the pioneers in independent games will lose interest along the way. My hope is that the industry will grow into something that is singular and provides a product that can be found no-where else. Much of that is predicated on the ability of independent developers to get their original ideas down into a game, and to present it in a professional fashion. Until then I believe the industry will continue to flounder or grow, depending on your perspective, towards the identity that it needs to be a serious industry that does indeed provide for itself.