The Independent View by Dan MacDonald

IGC 2005 Impressions (November 12, 2005)

It’s early October again and that means one thing, the annual pilgrimage to the Indie Games Convention (IGC). This years show is sponsored by the usual lineup: “Playfirst”, “Oberon”, and “Microsoft Casual Games.” It’s interesting to see how hard the distribution channels and publishers work to be involved in the indie community. It reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend some time back. He had run into a former employee of Real Arcade, she made the statement that she really didn’t see any chance for independent developers working alone to be successful anymore. She explained that with the increasing production values and the need to be in the top 10 lists for the various distribution channels to make any money, she just didn’t see how an individual independent developer could be successful in today’s market.

My friend’s perspective is a common one that is pervasive in today’s market, but it is not one that I subscribe to. I think that, for the most part, distribution channels have a higher opinion of their own importance and added value then is really warranted. In talking to representatives from the distribution channels, I get the impression that they think the only games making any money online are casual games and, since the casual audience is largely captured by the game portal sites / distribution channels, that they are the most important part of publishing downloadable games. They do have a place of course; my six year old son downloads and plays trial versions of untold casual games almost every day thanks to the marketing efforts of the distribution channels who have links scattered all over in just the right places. But I don’t believe that you have to go through a distributor to be successful in the indie world.

Interestingly enough, the online distribution channels have put efforts into expanding their audience and portfolio beyond casual games but haven’t had as much luck. Perhaps the most ironic thing about the publishers / distribution channels sponsoring IGC this year was that the vast majority of the games being showcased at the IGC were 3D games of one type or another and not something that one would consider a top 10 game on a casual portal. From overhead robot shooters, to a multiplayer sword fighting game [Determinance] with the clever use of Inverse Kinematics (IK) to provide intuitive muse interfaced movements, it is evident that Indie innovation and passionate development are alive and well and that indie developers are not dependent on casual game distributors for their success.

The point I’m trying to make is that no matter how big the casual portals get or how amazing a game you need to produce to reach their Top 10 and make boat loads of money. There will always be developers just making games that they dream of making. For every casual games company getting venture capitol to start up, another team of college students is meeting on a campus somewhere planning their next big game. For every dollar spent adding cutesiness to incrementally advance an existing puzzle game, there will be someone else out there volunteering their time on a game that’s really interesting for the sheer enjoyment of it.

No matter how many gate keepers or how many marketing dollars, there is one thing the market can’t account for: Indie developers who do what they do because they love it. They are the developers with day jobs, and the college students who just want to make cool games and are willing to spend their free time to do it. Distribution channels might talk about the volume of sales or royalty percentages, but you can’t discount someone who makes their game for free and sells it at 100% profit. They include games like Sigma Team's Alien Shooter, and Soldat that were word of mouth hits before they ever hit a distribution channel. So to those of you out there who don’t buy into the idea that you have to make a casual game to make money, my hat’s off to you, keep doing what you love.