Indie game developers are generally not financially backed by video game publishers (as these are risk averse and prefer big budget games[11]) and usually have little to no budget available.[5][6][8][12][13] Being independent, indie developers do not have controlling interests[7] or creative limitations[6][14][8] and do not require publisher approval[5] as mainstream game developers usually do.[15] Design decisions are thus also not limited by the allocated budget.[14] Furthermore, smaller team sizes increase individual involvement.
Small teams, scope, and no creative restrictions have made indie games known for innovation, creativity, and artistic experimentation.[5][10][16][17][18][19][20] Developers limited in ability to create graphics can rely on gameplay innovation.[21] Both classic game genres and new gameplay innovation have been seen.[18] However, being "indie" does not imply that the game focuses on innovation.[10][22] In fact, many games attributed the "indie" label can be of poor quality and may not be made for profit.[8]
The indie game scene started on PCs, where it remains prominent. Indie games saw a rise via shareware distribution in the early 1990s.[20] However, as technology advanced, requirements and high user expectations made indie gaming less prominent.[20][28] Modern video games exceeded the ability of a single developer to produce.
Indie gaming industry has a constantly growing interest and popularity.[5][21] Indie industry saw a steep rise in the latter half of the 2000s decade.[21] The expansion of Internet allowed games to be distributed online moving beyond retail sales.[30] This allowed for both developers to publish[6][18][20][21] and players to download such games from platforms like Xbox Live Arcade,[6][19] Steam,[26] or OnLive.[31][32] Similarly, developers have access to tools like Adobe Flash.[21]
Like mainstream video game industry is comparable to mainstream film industry,[33] so is indie gaming industry comparable to independent film industry.[14][34][35] However game distribution is shifting towards online marketing.[34] For developers, online marketing is much more profitable[21] and more readily available than retail marketing. Although, distribution portals have been criticized for collecting a large portion the game revenue,[17] in 2008 a developer could earn around 17% of game's retail price and around 85% if sold digitally.[21] This also leads to appearance of more "risky" creative projects.[21] Furthermore, expansion of social web-sites have introduced gaming to casual gamers.[6] Nevertheless, there are few examples of games that have made large profits, and for many indie game-making serves as a career stepping stone, rather than a commercial opportunity.[30]
It is argued as to how prominent indie gaming currently is in video game industry.[17]
Most games are not widely known or successful and mainstream media attention remains with mainstream titles.[36][6] This can be attributed to the challenge of marketing for indie games. For developers with no prior history of success, getting attention to a game can be extremely difficult. [37] Indie games can be targeted at niche market. I think that indie games are great to play.
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