Canabalt creator Adam Atomic talks indie gaming, documentary on the way (video)

Adam Atomic's real name is Adam Saltsman, but regardless what you call him he's the man behind Canabalt, a killer parkour-inspired title in which you control a dude running across a rooftops with just a single button -- jump. Though it has simple mechanics and simple aesthetics the thinking behind it was anything but, a topic that Adam explores in the video clip embedded for you below. The footage is the product of James Swirsky and the team behind the upcoming documentary Indie Game: The Movie, due out next year and promising to explore the art and craft of the independent game movement. It's too early to tell whether the film might be able to knock The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters from the top of our documentary chart, but this segment (not actually a part of the movie) certainly makes things look promising.

[engadgetcomexcludeengadget Posted Aug 17th 2010 8:56PM]

Why does it need to be a movie? Can't they just put it on CBS or something?

[KinGKasH Posted Aug 17th 2010 9:00PM]

@engadgetcomexcludeengadget They shouldnt call some indie game, indie games... they should call them,

"i had an idea and somehow the internet made it famous so i haz moneyz now and spend my days riding its fame and doing documentaries."

no disrespect, i know alota work goes into coding and design etc... and the famous indie games are indeed really good, but seriously....

[Scrubs Posted Aug 17th 2010 10:54PM]

@KinGKasH
well some people are like that, but I like a good indie dev. Taking on giant corperate companies and publishers, going to the top with an idea and a keyboard. Its the modern american dream.

[THEGODOFAPPLE Posted Aug 17th 2010 8:56PM]

hi

[JS Posted Aug 17th 2010 9:19PM]

Seems like a neat idea.

[Wade McGillis Posted Aug 17th 2010 9:24PM]

His Macbook Pro is running XP. :)

[That guy 2 Posted Aug 17th 2010 9:25PM]

I hate documentaries, btw what is this post about?

[fresh prince of ohio Posted Aug 17th 2010 9:27PM]

I wish i could've been a fly on the wall during that weekend that they created the game. I have no idea how people create this stuff, but it sure is cool.

[system22 Posted Aug 17th 2010 9:43PM]

i have that game on my iphone. its awesome. dunno if there is an android version but it also exists as a flash game so i guess youre hooked up either way :)

[marioandangel Posted Aug 17th 2010 9:52PM]

At the beginning of the video, I thought the bird that came from the top was a guy falling from the building...

[SeVeNcE Posted Aug 17th 2010 10:13PM]

I would love to see him play his game for no more than 4 straight minutes without dieing... talk about giving him a bit of his own medicine.

[THEGODOFAPPLE Posted Aug 17th 2010 11:15PM]

hello

[Joao Posted Aug 18th 2010 3:52AM]

1. This game has already been done in many forms.

2. I see they used a Canon body and Canon glass to shoot this video. Which looks AMAZING.

[SlimSpaceman Posted Aug 18th 2010 4:37AM]

XP on a MacBook... just sayin'

[theguedz Posted Aug 18th 2010 8:04AM]

@SlimSpaceman it's probably because he's not used to photoshop on mac and or mac mouse accuracy.

[mreichelt Posted Aug 18th 2010 4:46AM]

Canabalt is an *awesome* game - does anybody know if Adam is working on an Android version of it? I would buy it, so would many others... :-)

[quitefrankly Posted Aug 18th 2010 9:59PM]

@mreichelt
I second that! I need another way to get more of it