Independent Games Festival Nominees Announced

Thanks to the IGF website for revealing their list of nominees for the 2004 Independent Games Festival awards, which have been running since 1998 "to encourage innovation in game development and to recognize the best independent game developers." The finalists in the 'Open Category' include everything from "blend of puzzle and action" Fuzzee Teevee, budgeted at a mere $10,000, to the $1-1.5 million "FPS and RTS [hybrid]" Savage: The Battle For Newerth. The 'Web/Downloadable' category also has some interesting entries, from seeing "two possessed cue-balls duke it out in realtime battle" courtesy of Kung-Fu Chess follow-up Billiard Boxing, to recently-featured "puzzle-based massively multi-player online roleplaying game" Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates.

Comments

$1.5 million = independent?

[BTWR]

OK, I know "independent" means it isn't from some huge software firm, but I was thinking "independent" was in the "under $10,000" sort. Like Bejeweled... certainly prizeworthy, but if that cost $1.5 million to make, then someone did NOT know how to hire a CS major at the local college! (Hell, my friends coulda made that game and woulda been square if you agreed to buy them a new nintendo game or something!)

Re:$1.5 million = independent?

[Smidge204]

I also find the results rather... offcolor?

I can't seem to find any solid definition of what "independent" is. The best I can make out from their rules is "self funded" and "company whose primary business is game development as opposed to commercial game publishing"

That's pretty vauge, IMHO. And to me, "independent" means you don't have a company backing you.

Maybe there should be another category for people who develop games independently, as in by themselves with at most a small group of friends instead of a structured, funded company behind them.

I really think some of the more unique game ideas were overlooked as a result... Obviously a team of professional developers stand to develop a more complete and polished product than some guy working on it in his spare time, especially within the same timeframe.
=Smidge=

Re:$1.5 million = independent?

[bear pimp]

Reading a few of the developement boards of 'indie' developers, it seems they don't enter because of the money involved. The entrance fee is $100 and if they are selected, the finalists have to appear at the festival and demo their game or are disqualified. This immediately discounts many people (especially outside the US) who may not even be able to afford the price of an air ticket and accomodation. The result of any competition that a: requires an entry fee, and b: requires other associated costs involved with turning up, are never going to have a true representation of the artform they are celebrating.