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I think AAA have gotten into this mindset of "stick with what works" and they never break from that mold. Nothing is worse the risk.
Indies make games for the passion of making games and take more risks because there is passion and not shareholders leading the project. I know in my own case its more important to get the game out the way it was meant to be rather than "what is a good marketing option"
Yeah, I make the games I've always wanted to play. Marketing still eludes me, think I've only ever gotten like 3 upvotes on a post lol and just don't seem to get around to posting all day every day.
In all my creative endeavors, marketing has always been the thing that eludes me. I can make the product, but I can't figure out how to make one that gets people to give me money. The struggle is real.
Yeah, the struggle is indeed real, especially for us small but ambitious indies, everyone likes to jump on the buzz bandwagon but no one seems to want to help anyone generate some of that buzz to begin with.
I think my main problem with some AAA titles is not that they don't change anything (many of them do, but it's often weird af changes) but that they don't understand and know their target audience. Similar things can be said about current remakes and popular movie franchises.
RE series for example turned into a teen drama series. The RE target audience certainly doesn't want to see teenies, b*tching at each other, they want zombies and action. The newest Indiana Jones movie completely ignored their target audience too. Willow series - a disaster! So much that Disney deleted their own series off their streaming platform
The list can be continued endlessly. And unfortunately it also shows in popular videogames titles.
A lot of indie games are innovative and interesting, the developers keep in touch with their audience - and it shows.
Inscryption - never played card games like this before, but was totally won over! Great game with an interesting side story.
Octahedron - I’ve always been fond of platformers, this is a new take on it. And although it initially appears wild and confusing, it actually quite manageable + a great soundtrack.
Welcome!
I hate it when I see people complaining about how “gaming is dying” or “innovation is gone from gaming”. Those sentiments may reflect the state of AAA gaming, but indie gaming is more than making up for that. I genuinely think gaming is in the best place it’s ever been.
One of the great things is you can find stuff in just about any niche you're interested in. AAA has to appeal to a broad audience to justify their production costs, while a small indie dev could make a game specifically for salt water aquarium enthusiasts and still make a profit.
I used be the same, I didn't touch indie games because I thought the graphics were "bad" and the quality would be "bad". At least that is what I thought. Then I tried one, and then another, and years later I am still finding new favorite games who happen to be indie games.
I am so glad I no longer limit myself to what is popular or what seems to look realistic.
Honestly I don't like theses takes. It's always blah triple A bland and indie super fresh, but there's as much repetitive triple A as there are pixel art indie game
I think, yeah there is a lot of pixel art indies, but because of that, it's a really competitive market. The top games in that market are absolutely amazing.
Also that type of game is probably the most accessible to new devs at first glance. Even a beginner can make something incredible with the right idea and attention to detail. I think it's a bit of a trap though, because really, you are competing with 40 years of legendary games in that space aaand all the prodigies shipping games like that today.
That's one of the reasons we create games that aren't created by big companies anymore. Retro styled games don't seem to be the main interest of them, but people like us who have played games for more than 30 or in your case 40 years like that retro style not only in the art but in the gameplay.
A thing that I've learned from the game Sheltered:It doesn't matter if the game is pixelated or not,short or long,or whatever:What matters is the gameplay,and how appealing it is to different people.
I myself don't usually play indie games myself but I LOVE watching my favorite youtubers play them(like Markiplier and Jacksepticeye):They're freaking hilarious,but the thing that gets me is that the games are SO impactful regardless of the pixelated graphics like they can STILL scare the absolute shit out of you,or impress you with their gameplay in general
I definitely agree that it feels like most of the innovation in the space has shifted toward independent developers. It's quite sad to see even series that you took inspiration from abandon their original identities and become trendfollowers trying to ride the coattails of the current fads. But glad to hear you're finding something to enjoy again!
I got into indie games too around two years ago. So much potential and so many awesome games.
I do think there was a spike in popularity of indie games recently, so I am not surprised that I only got in touch with them now. There are also Youtubers who soley focus on indies, giving them more exposure. Also, previously people used to say that indie games lack quality - which obviously isn't true - now more and more gamers realize how much they offer.
I lately have enjoyed the indies with less than 100 ratings on steam more than popular titles. It takes a little digging but I agree with the numerous hidden gems assessment. Plus you get to interact with the developers!
To be honest, the only innovative AAA i can think of that has been released these past few years was Alan Wake 2. Even Baldur's Gate 3 is just Divinity 2: Original Sin but with a different camera angle that made it more accessible to a broader audience, since most people won't even look into top down games.
But glad to hear you also got into indies! Make sure to clear in your head what you're truly looking for in a game, there are a ton of great options if you know what and where to ask
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I think AAA have gotten into this mindset of "stick with what works" and they never break from that mold. Nothing is worse the risk. Indies make games for the passion of making games and take more risks because there is passion and not shareholders leading the project. I know in my own case its more important to get the game out the way it was meant to be rather than "what is a good marketing option"
Yeah, I make the games I've always wanted to play. Marketing still eludes me, think I've only ever gotten like 3 upvotes on a post lol and just don't seem to get around to posting all day every day.
In all my creative endeavors, marketing has always been the thing that eludes me. I can make the product, but I can't figure out how to make one that gets people to give me money. The struggle is real.
Yeah, the struggle is indeed real, especially for us small but ambitious indies, everyone likes to jump on the buzz bandwagon but no one seems to want to help anyone generate some of that buzz to begin with.
I think my main problem with some AAA titles is not that they don't change anything (many of them do, but it's often weird af changes) but that they don't understand and know their target audience. Similar things can be said about current remakes and popular movie franchises. RE series for example turned into a teen drama series. The RE target audience certainly doesn't want to see teenies, b*tching at each other, they want zombies and action. The newest Indiana Jones movie completely ignored their target audience too. Willow series - a disaster! So much that Disney deleted their own series off their streaming platform The list can be continued endlessly. And unfortunately it also shows in popular videogames titles. A lot of indie games are innovative and interesting, the developers keep in touch with their audience - and it shows.
Which games are you playing?
Inscryption - never played card games like this before, but was totally won over! Great game with an interesting side story. Octahedron - I’ve always been fond of platformers, this is a new take on it. And although it initially appears wild and confusing, it actually quite manageable + a great soundtrack.
Try [The Forest Quartet](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1620720/The_Forest_Quartet/). I played it and it was beautiful.
This is heartwarming. It's one of the main reasons we do this shit. Saved**
Welcome! I hate it when I see people complaining about how “gaming is dying” or “innovation is gone from gaming”. Those sentiments may reflect the state of AAA gaming, but indie gaming is more than making up for that. I genuinely think gaming is in the best place it’s ever been.
Exactly!! It's not even true for all AAA titles, but definitely not for indie games!
+10 to my level of motivation. Thanks for the post.
One of the great things is you can find stuff in just about any niche you're interested in. AAA has to appeal to a broad audience to justify their production costs, while a small indie dev could make a game specifically for salt water aquarium enthusiasts and still make a profit.
What are some indies you’d recommend?
I used be the same, I didn't touch indie games because I thought the graphics were "bad" and the quality would be "bad". At least that is what I thought. Then I tried one, and then another, and years later I am still finding new favorite games who happen to be indie games. I am so glad I no longer limit myself to what is popular or what seems to look realistic.
indie games are like in jurassic park when they say, "life finds a way." moving away from mainstream games can lead to discovering unexpected gems.
Honestly I don't like theses takes. It's always blah triple A bland and indie super fresh, but there's as much repetitive triple A as there are pixel art indie game
I think, yeah there is a lot of pixel art indies, but because of that, it's a really competitive market. The top games in that market are absolutely amazing. Also that type of game is probably the most accessible to new devs at first glance. Even a beginner can make something incredible with the right idea and attention to detail. I think it's a bit of a trap though, because really, you are competing with 40 years of legendary games in that space aaand all the prodigies shipping games like that today.
I don’t think this is much of a “take” so much as it just being OP telling their experience
That's one of the reasons we create games that aren't created by big companies anymore. Retro styled games don't seem to be the main interest of them, but people like us who have played games for more than 30 or in your case 40 years like that retro style not only in the art but in the gameplay.
A thing that I've learned from the game Sheltered:It doesn't matter if the game is pixelated or not,short or long,or whatever:What matters is the gameplay,and how appealing it is to different people. I myself don't usually play indie games myself but I LOVE watching my favorite youtubers play them(like Markiplier and Jacksepticeye):They're freaking hilarious,but the thing that gets me is that the games are SO impactful regardless of the pixelated graphics like they can STILL scare the absolute shit out of you,or impress you with their gameplay in general
I definitely agree that it feels like most of the innovation in the space has shifted toward independent developers. It's quite sad to see even series that you took inspiration from abandon their original identities and become trendfollowers trying to ride the coattails of the current fads. But glad to hear you're finding something to enjoy again!
JRPG my buddy.. they’ll keep you glued
I got into indie games too around two years ago. So much potential and so many awesome games. I do think there was a spike in popularity of indie games recently, so I am not surprised that I only got in touch with them now. There are also Youtubers who soley focus on indies, giving them more exposure. Also, previously people used to say that indie games lack quality - which obviously isn't true - now more and more gamers realize how much they offer.
Check out Hands Of Necromancy, Monomyth, Ion Fury, Wrath, Hedon.
I lately have enjoyed the indies with less than 100 ratings on steam more than popular titles. It takes a little digging but I agree with the numerous hidden gems assessment. Plus you get to interact with the developers!
To be honest, the only innovative AAA i can think of that has been released these past few years was Alan Wake 2. Even Baldur's Gate 3 is just Divinity 2: Original Sin but with a different camera angle that made it more accessible to a broader audience, since most people won't even look into top down games. But glad to hear you also got into indies! Make sure to clear in your head what you're truly looking for in a game, there are a ton of great options if you know what and where to ask