indie developers
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'GameLoading' documentary charts the rise of indie gaming stars
The indie game community has exploded in the last few years, especially as development tools and digital distribution channels have become more accessible. StudioBento filmmakers Lester Francois and Anna Brady wanted to document the movement and, in 2013, raised almost $58,000 on Kickstarter to make a new movie. Now, almost two years later (and a second Kickstarter) GameLoading: Rise of the Indies has finally arrived. It was filmed over three years and features prolific developers such as Davey Wreden (The Stanley Parable), Rami Ismail (Vlambeer) and Zoe Quinn (Depression Quest). You can grab it now through the GameLoading site, as well as iTunes, Steam, PSN and Xbox Video.
This art dealer wants to hang an indie game on your wall
Dutch art dealership and gallery Cook & Becker has been selling fine art prints from video games for a few years now. Thanks to partnerships with companies like Capcom, Naughty Dog, DICE and BioWare, it's offered artwork from critically acclaimed titles like The Last of Us, Mass Effect, Okami, and Mirror's Edge. Now, it's wooing indie developers into its ranks with a new initiative called the Cook & Becker Indie Program. The first fruits from the effort came last month with the release of artwork from Ronimo Games' Awesomenauts, and it's signed deals with both Vlambeer and The Astronauts -- Ridiculous Fishing and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter prints are coming soon.
Here are the current most-hated game genres in F*ck This Jam
F*ck This Jam is all about anarchy on the indie scene, challenging developers to pick their most hated genre and create a brilliant game within it. Founder Rami Ismail isn't doing this because he's a sadist; he believes in the possibility for beauty in resentment. So far the top three most-hated genres submitted to F*ck This Jam are social, sports and racing games.As Ismail sees it, some of the best indie games are borne out of a disdain for a particular genre: Alexander Bruce's Antichamber is a study in aversion to puzzle games. Ramiro Corbetta's Hokra, on the other hand, is a minimalist take on a sports game that similarly blurs the genre's definition."The idea is to get people to challenge established rules and conventions," Ismail says. Even the jam itself is an anomaly: It lasts an entire week, where standard jams last two days or so. Ismail and co-founder Fernando Ramallo are setting up a transparent website for all the developers to post updates, live stream their games-in-progress and share their creations with the world, every step of the way."Traditionally jams are an introverted thing," Ismail says. "But jams are supposed to force people to do things differently, and F*ck This Jam will challenge the notion that jams are introverted."
15 indie developers re-imagine Pong for iOS, hope to win Atari contract
As far as video games go, it doesn't get much simpler than Pong -- two paddles, one ball, no complications. A classic, to be sure, but definitely not the flashiest game when pitted against the average smartphone title -- maybe that's why Atari is asking indie developers to jazz it up. Yes, the Pong Indie Developer Challenge is in full swing, and Atari has pared down some 90-odd submissions to mere 15. Not familiar with the contest? Here's a quick refresh: Atari is looking for indie developers to re-imagine Pong for iOS as a fun, original, visually interesting and overtly marketable title. The stakes? Winners can score up to $100,000 and a publishing contract with Atari. Many of the semi-finalists' redesigns are as simple as adding multitouch gestures or bending the traditionally square playing field into a more circular court, but a few ambitious developers mixed it up with 3D playing fields, anthropomorphic paddles or augmented reality multiplayer. Check out Mashable's collection of contestant trailers at the link below for a look at the Pong of tomorrow. As for us? We're still pretty pleased with yesterday's model.
Stick it to the world in The Missing Ink's open alpha
If you like your MMOs a little bit sandboxy, a little bit quirky, and 100% indie, then RedBedlam's upcoming title The Missing Ink might be right up your alley. The game puts players in control of a 3-D world which they can mold to their liking and also provides MMO mainstays such as combat, PvP, exploration, and more. The game is still in the alpha testing phase, so players should expect more than the occasional bug or glitch. But if you want to help an indie developer iron the kinks out of its Unity-based sandbox MMO, then just head on over to the game's official site to sign up. There's no selection process; just sign up, jump in, and shape the world.
Great Little War Game heading to PS Vita via loaner dev kits
Sony certainly seems to be putting its money where its mouth is over this whole "we have to support indie devs" thing. In a recent NeoGAF thread, Rubicon Development Managing Editor Paul Johnson revealed that the studio has received 4 PS Vita development kits from Sony, free of charge. "I can confirm that Sony was generous enough to loan us some kit," Johnson said, telling Gamasutra that those kits are being used to port the indie's iOS strategy title Great Little War Game to the Vita. "They really do seem to have gotten behind smaller developers, based on my own experience and from talking with other small devs, and I think they should be saluted for it." Sony seems to be pretty aggressively courting indie developers, and if they can continue to entice small studios with loaner dev kits and the Vita's capacitive touch screen, we doubt Rubicon Development will be the only ones extending themselves from Apple's ecosphere to Sony's.
Sony must support indie developers, says Yoshida
Speaking to Develop Online, Sony Computer Entertainment's Worldwide Studio President Shuhei Yoshida said that the gaming megalith sees value in the continuously expanding world of indie development, and that supporting those developers is the key to industry growth. "We have to support those smaller teams," he said. "Without doing so, the whole industry will stall, in terms of innovation." Yoshida thinks Sony's forthcoming PS Vita will serve as a good platform for indie developers currently subsisting in the mobile-phone universe, citing the handheld's capacitive touch-screen and AR capabilities as an entry-level gateway for development on the platform. He also added that the Vita's development kit has been specifically engineered with affordability in mind, and that the system is "small and light and easy for developers to handle." With smartphones gobbling up increasingly larger slices of the mobile gaming pie, Sony seems to be positioning itself as the indie-friendly option for mobile developers looking to enter the world of dedicated gaming devices.
Free for All: A few tips for the indie developer
I am no developer, nor do I have dreams of one day becoming one. I absolutely love having the ability to write about what I like and to interact with those who enjoy (or hate) what I write. Developers have their hands and tongues tied much of the time, and often the indie developer gets no credit whatsoever. Granted, if artistic release or programming is your thing, I say go for it. But I will absolutely admit to wanting attention most of all -- it's what I like to do. Over the years, I have visited more independent MMO sites and played more independent MMOs than I care to recount. Still, not a week goes by when I do not find a new one to look at, and so I file it away for future use. I am often amazed at some of the mistakes indie developers make -- such obvious ones, too. I try to remind myself that the garage-coder is not always the best choice for graphic designer, so sometimes the websites and logos of these tiny companies look like they were hosted on Geocities. I decided to have some fun and throw down some general rules that I apply to indie developers. Take them or leave them, but I think that they are based on quite a bit of observation. Feel free to add any of your own. Click past the cut and let's get to them!
Humble Indie Bundle: Pay what you want for World of Goo and four others
You've commented on Joystiq posts about oppressive DRM many times before. You dutifully wear your Target-purchased indie game t-shirt every week without fail. And you read every Joystiq Indie Pitch we post. But if you want to put some money towards supporting indie games, you won't find a better way to do it than this. Wolfire Games and a few other indie developers have put together the "Humble Indie Bundle" sale, offering five terrific award-winning indie games (World of Goo, Aquaria, Gish, Lugaru and Penumbra Overture) for the low, low price of ... whatever you want. That's right -- they're asking you to pay what you feel is right for these bundled, non-DRM, developer-owned Mac, Linux or PC games. And that's not all: You can even specify part or all of your donation to go to a charity, either Child's Play or the Electronic Frontier Foundation. That's about as selfless as it gets in gaming -- pay what you think it's worth, to charity or the people who made it. The average donation so far is about $8.00, but individuals have donated as much as $500 to the effort. You get lots of chances to say you support indie gaming, but fewer great chances like this to put your money where your mouth is. And walking away with five great indie titles to play doesn't hurt, either.
