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Why There Are No Hit Indie Games
Slate is running an article on why indie games are still such small potatoes in today's game industry. From the article: "In today's movie business, it's possible for an indie film like Napoleon Dynamite to become a sensation. Saw, which cost a mere $1.2 million, grossed 100 times that amount. That just doesn't happen in video games. The average PlayStation 2 game costs about $8 million. Studios often need large development teams--usually 40 or more people--to meet their tight deadlines. They spend money to license everything from comic book heroes to graphics engines. They record A-list actors. And if they burn their own CDs or do their own marketing, costs can really soar."
Well one of the problems is across the whole industry, lack of imagination. Stop using comic book characters, record some talented local voice actors, distribute through secure bittorrent, etc.. Want free marketing? Get your game /.ed as the next big indy hit. Or try sending promotional copies and news to every gaming site you see.
Don't complain about the system when there are ways to get around it, that just require some effort and imagination instead of whining for big bucks.
Jesus, you're like a fucking broken record.
Congratulations on figuring out that life isn't fair fuckwad. Are you jsut going to troll slashdot for the rest of your life from your cubicle or do something about it? I hear Cuba is a nice place to live.
I don't always use unix-like operating systems; but when I do, I prefer FreeBSD.
I actually don't really understand our obsession with "hits". There are good indie games out there for anyone who wants to look, and there are indie developers making a living off their games, as far as I can tell. I recently had a ball playing Darwinia, and Rag Doll Kung Fu.
I've made games, movies, and music, and I think it's just about artists and audiences getting over their obsession with being a big hit and dominating the world. Many of my favorite things are smaller scale things that touched me personally, and would not necessarily appeal to the mass market. And I think that's okay.
On the consoles it is far more limited, but I feel that is just an issue of openness. I mean, there wasn't much indie music on minidisc either. But the music in other formats exists, and games on the PC or online exist, and anyone with the talent and skills can still make something cool. And if they can't dominate the world and make millions like EA or Sony... oh well. I still appreciate it.
Cheers.