What Independent Gaming is defined as is a discussion that will likely go on for years. The basic pieces of the recipe include the innovation in different areas than mainstream gaming, and the presentation of non-mainstream ideas (such as Teenage Lawn-Mower and Dope Farmer). However, beyond that the true definition of Independent Gaming is an unknown. In the past there have been a very few developers who have made the "professional" Indie games. Those games were typically puzzle games or action games that were aimed at the casual gamer. Today, however, with the games industry continuing to expand, more and more developers are taking the plunge into "doing things on their own." With their movement into Indie games, the quality of Indie games is certainly increasing. At the same time, much of indie gaming is moving away from games that are marketed at the casual gamer, and moving more towards trying to capture some of the mainstream audience.

Anito, one of the recent Independent efforts aimed at the mainstream marketplace.

Recent "Indie" efforts include Savage, a multi-million dollar effort, and Anito, a fantastically deep Role-Playing game that is not a game that the casual gamer would consider playing. Garage Games is also deeply involved in trying to make Independent products mainstream, though they have several titles that appeal to both casual and mainstream gamers. In many of the instances where indie developers are pushing their products toward the mainstream, the main purpose isn't to make mainstream gamers aware of Indie efforts, but instead the idea is to help Indie developers gain more control and money off of the projects that they have created. As these efforts continue, a great dichotomy is being created in the Indie Gaming world. On the one hand, there are several companies that are sticking with the known audience, creating tried and true games for the 1-hour gamer, and often distributing their games through sites such as Real Arcade. On the other side is the mainstream movement, creating games for the hardcore gamer, and attempting to either distribute them through normal retail channels, or through the internet.

As more games such as Dark Horizons: Lore are worked on from the Indie ranks, I've come to contemplate more the probability of success of these titles. In many cases I believe that the movement towards the mainstream market is one that will not be successful.

There are several reasons that I see folly in these decisions. The first, and perhaps most obvious, of these reasons is the fact that competing with mainstream means with completing with mainstream production values. Games delivered to stores by game companies are typically better quality games as far presentation go than any independent game. This happens for several reasons including the amount of money that those developers have to create their game, and the tools that they have access too. The graphics in mainstream games are almost always a generation ahead of indie efforts. When pushing an indie game towards the mainstream, that game then has to compete with the newest and best looking games available. While Garage Games has helped developers to bridge the gap, the reality is that the gap is still quickly visible. Typically the same gap also appears in regards to the sound, especially in the lack of quality voice in indie games where it would be expected in mainstream games.

Space Tripper a fantastic action game that looks as good today as when it was released.

Though independent efforts do a good job of doing the best graphics they can, even this can backfire on them. An independent developer can easily make a nice-looking game that does not use 3D graphics, or uses them in a simple and clear way such as in Best Friends or Hamster Ball. However, when the graphics are done in complete 3D and attempt to compete with mainstream, then the game has a tendency to quickly look dated. To illustrate the point, consider the game Space Tripper. Though this game is at the time of writing this is 2 and a half years old it does not look dated in the least, and no-one would bat an eye if I said the game was released yesterday. This longevity of graphics in indie games helps contribute to what has been a very important piece of Independent games in the past. Graphics that do not look dated allow a game to sell over a very long period of time.