What are Indie Games? | Why Indie Games are so popular?

What is an Indie Games

Introduction

So, as you know a triple game like GTA V and witcher 3 cannot be made single-handedly by a person. A AAA Game requires a used in investment and a team.

Many of our readers want to make a AAA game, but as you know a AAA game cannot be made by a single person. This does not means that one can’t make a video game. There are many games available in the market which are developed by a single person. This type of games are called Indie Games. These games are very popular now-a-days. Due to this reason many developers have started making indie games.

But a question arises here, to our mind, that what are Indie Games? Why indie games are so popular?

If you want to get the answer of these questions then make sure to read this post till end. 

Let’s Begin,

What are Indie Games ?

From the name itself it is very clear that Indie games means independent games. That is, the games which are developed by independent (or individual) developers are called Indie games.

Indie Game

Indie games are popular from very beginning of this Gaming Era. If we talk about 1980s, indie game started developing.

Companies related to Indie games

After this many games came into existence. Due to this many companies came forward and gained name and fame like Nintendo, Saga, Sony, steam etc, who developed amazing games. And this made them very popular. 

Now they are multi-million dollar companies. And they have made their own gaming industries. Theses company had to start from somewhere. So they decided to choose indie game to become popular.

Which games are called Indie games ?

Any game which a solo person or a group of friends develops is called an Indie game.

For example,

You have an excellent idea of a game. Then you choose a game engine and build this game successfully. And you publish this game on Google Play Store. Congratulations then, as you have successfully developed an indie game.

From the above example you might have noticed that the indie game was published by its developer only. So, you now know, Indie games are self-published games. But you might think, “ what does self published games means? “

So let’s have a brief discussion about a self published game. The games which are published by its developers. That’s it does not require any publisher. This type of games are called self-published games.

Who are publishers?

Well guys, publisher is a company(or someone) who invest money on a game.

For example, 

You all, might have played the game God of war. This game was developed by Santa Monica studios. But this game was published by Sony company. That means Sony invested money on this game.

“AAA Games” require a publisher as it is developed by a team which develops a high graphic games and these games have big budget.

On the other hand, indie games are developed by a person which has low graphic and low(or no) budget. This simply means that indie games do not require any publisher.

Indie Games List

There are many indie games available across the web. Names of few indie games which are very popular nowadays are given below:-

For PC

1. Cuphead
2. Minecraft
3. Hollow Knight ,etc.

If we talk about few indie games available on mobile. Then we end up with many. Given below are few indie games which are very popular now-a-days on mobile.

For Mobile

1. Crossy road
2. Alto's Odyssey, etc

This indicates that you can have an idea from these games and make your own indie game.

Why Indie Games are so popular?

If we talk about what makes an indie game different from the other games available? We arrived to a straight forward answer which is its uniqueness. The uniqueness of indie games make them very interesting and lovable which has made indie games so popular.

These games, instead of doing big, thinks upon doing something unique. It gives user a new experience which everyone is in search for! And now-a-days this uniqueness is rarely found.

Because if we talk about a AAA Game, these games follow a trend. For example, PUBG and Fortnite are famous games which are battle royale games. Due to this reason every company introduces battle royale mode in its upcoming games.

This directly shows that these company just do copy paste. There main focus is towards earning more instead of doing something new. 

And this is totally fair. As these companies are bounded by the publishers pressure. So they can't think of a new idea. Because if any company invest money in any game. Then in return they demand double income. That is why this company follows a trend.

There is no such situation existing for an indie game developer. Indie games are generally made for a particular audience. If you want then you can make a puzzle game/adventure game/visual novels/walking simulator etc. 

Moreover, one can cover further topics which are generally neglected by everyone. Like games on mental disorder or depression. And if you have a story in your mind which you want to make others listen. Then you can build a game on it and publish it.

You can build any type of game. That is you are free to do anything you want. You can explore your thoughts in an indie game. In addition to this, indie games are normal 2D or 3D games which does not require high end system. Hence you can develop an indie game easily at your home.

Indie games are normal 2D &3D games

Best Game Engine for Indie Games

If we further look on a frequently asked question which arises to a beginners mind is,” which game engine to choose?”

The answer is very simple. You can go for unity game engine. Unity game engine is quite simple to use and it requires knowledge of c sharp language. An add-on to this game engine is, it is totally free for a single user.

Now,

What about assets?

If you are using unity game engine then you can buy or download free assets from its official asset Store. Or else, you can design your own custom assets using software like Adobe Photoshop(For 2D assets)& Blender (For 3D assets) which are free to download.

Now you all might have understood that you can develop an indie game for almost free. This is the reason,” why generally developer prefer to develop an indie game!”. In case, who does not want to have maximum profit with low investment. Indie games are best example of it. As it requires low budget and if your game becomes hit, then you can take bath in the rain of money.

Pros and Cons of Developing Indie Game

Only investing money is not a big deal. Building game also requires the investment of another precious thing which is time. On an average, an indie game takes about 6 months to 1 year for being developed. During this time period one has to think upon the idea, design its gameplay and code the game ( if required). Sometime you often have to build assets by your own which is quiet time taking and a lenghty process. And if the game didn’t boom the market then all your hard work goes in vain.

Don't Loose hope buddy. Even after your game failed in earning a handsome amount for you. You can add this game on your portfolio which you can be shown to a company. As experience matters more than the marks. And ultimately this game can help you get a job in a gaming company. Thereafter, your dream to build a AAA Game becomes true. 

Game development

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Video explanation

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Conclusion

This was all about what are indie games? and why are indie game so popular? Don't lose hope after reading this article. Infact this article was written inorder to show you the right path. So, stop dreaming and start working. And we pray that your games might hit after launching.

We have something inspirational quotes for those who are demotivated. So make sure to read our article on "Inspirational Quotes".

arti you all would have love reading this article. If you really did then make sure to comment below and follow us by email for more such knowledge.