March Of The Indies: The Punk Rockers Of Video Games
Editor's Note: There's no question that gaming culture has made a huge impact on the way we live. So this week, as we examine the evolution of video gaming, you'll be hearing a lot of stories on the topic. We're also going to give NPR gaming junkie Steve Mullis a space each week to analyze indie games — something that might not get the attention of, say, Grand Theft Auto, but makes us think a little harder about the future and deserves a look. Take it away, Steve:
Anyone with even a cursory interest in the video game industry already knows that it has exploded over the past two decades into a mainstream, multi-billion-dollar business. Triple-A titles from the major developers and publishers like EA, Sony, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard often have production and marketing budgets that rival blockbuster films.
Video games are also being increasingly seen as a deep, artistic medium as well as a form of entertainment. But behind the industry's big-budget behemoths sits the growing and expanding market of independent video games. As industry expert John Davison told All Things Considered host Robert Siegel on Monday, these are games created by small teams and even solo developers.
Like indie movies and music, these are games developed outside the gaming studio system — one that is not unlike the big-budget Hollywood studio system — often filled with creative control issues and executive intervention. Many of these independent games often get funded through sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo.
This freedom of both financial and creative control has allowed indie developers to create games that buck the current trends, create new genres and put experimental titles on the market that challenge the conventions of an industry that often seems to produce the same games year after year.
While it's not to say that the big, triple-A titles like Bioshock Infinite, The Last of Us and GTA V don't have their merits, their massive sales and fanbase shows that they most certainly do. But indie game developers have shown that it is equally possibly to evoke emotion, tell a compelling story and be innovators with a small budget, a small development team and a lot of passion.
The spread of high-speed Internet, greater access to technology and development tools, as well as new digital distribution platforms like Steam, have allowed small developers to see their vision through and bring their games directly to consumers. With Sony and Microsoft also embracing indie games on their current and next-generation consoles (the PS4 and Xbox One), the audience and opportunity for small gaming studios is about to be bigger than ever.
Our aim with this feature is to shine a light on games from the indie market that significantly disrupt the conventions of the gaming industry, break new ground or are just amazing pieces of interactive art that should be experienced. We'd also like to hear suggestions about indie gaming gems you've found and enjoy or games that have had a significant impact on the way you view video games and the industry.
Let's Press Play
OK, so now that we have the introductions out of the way, let's check out some games. Below are just a small sample of indie titles that are a great introduction to what is out there and help illustrate what the indie gaming market is like.
Cave Story