Each unfamiliar term requires definition and independent video game development is not an exception. It is a process of video games creation, where the end product (game) is developed by separate individuals or a team on their own, without any support of official game publishers and significant finances involved. Though software developers used to create indie games since the 1970s, their boom happened in the 2000s and nowadays you can not only become a member of “indie” movement but also try your hand at game development and even sell your creation without any difficulties.
There are two main features of such way of game development already mentioned in the definition:
– Absence of financial support from large publishers;
– Independence from any restrictions of thoughts or time limits.
It means that the larger amount of money spent on the project belongs to developers or so-called crowd funding that have appeared to support young gamers. Also, every person or a group of people create their project without the intrusion of third parties and their imagination does not depend on market researches, commercial profit and minor defects that appear because of restricted timeframes. The game creation process can take from one week to several years, and it will be a single decision of its developers.
There are many obvious reasons why so many developers tempt to go indie, though not every person realizes difficulties that may await a creator too. The unsurpassed benefits of developing indie games are:
At the same time indie developers should be ready to experience such possible troubles like:
Many young developers can’t make an efficient game for the first time, so experienced indie programmers have done a list of useful tips how to create a game quicker and with fewer resources:
1. The design is half of your game success. Several design choices are more suitable for indie games. You can opt for a multiplayer with a larger lifespan of the game, use both generated and procedural content to simplify the process or look for inspiration in game designs with 20 years of experience and re-explore them.
2. Numerous game development tools and libraries provide an abundance of ready-made or free technologies that can be used by every developer.
The amount of software for indie game development process is impressive. You can find examples for beginners, who only make attempts to create a video game and there are various programs and tools for those, who take up game development seriously and professionally. These are top best tools for beginners to work on indie games:
Learning what indie is and getting into indie game development one may think that this process is simple and quick. It is one of the most widely-spread misconceptions about game development services. Apart from being painstaking indie game creation has several more misconceptions that are unnoticeable at the early stages of the developer’s work:
– A newly released game will bring a fortune to you: absence of marketing strategy, extra expenses for music or wording can even leave you in debts. Sometimes it takes years before a game becomes popular and sometimes it never boosts.
– An excellent game does not need marketing: no advertising and different marketing approaches will not make you game stand out on the list of thousands of others.
– Start marketing the game right before its release: that is far from being the truth, make your product desirable at the development stage for it to have fans on the release day already.
– Retro and cheap tools can make an innovative game: only good artwork with the use of the latest technologies can result in a new creation.
– Indie developers have no restrictions: of course, there are no limits in creativity and uniqueness of your project, but think only about funds, time and tools and you will realize that not everything is that pleasing.