"in the end, no longer means anything at all, and as such the fights over what is allowed to call itself one are mostly futile. It's best just left alone. But then along come the annual awards reserved specifically for whatever an indie game actually is, and suddenly the whole contentious topic is thrown into a harsh light, along with which comes a realization:"
"Yesterday the excellent Indie Game Awards announced their lists of finalists. It's a fantastic ceremony that not only champions the very best in indie gaming, but also shines lights on minority developers, highlights the work of solo devs, and pushes for greater accessibility in video games. It's also now in the awkward situation of having a grand prize category that is pitching the five-person-created Consume Me against the behemoth of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. So yeah, we're having that argument again."
"In the music industry in the 1990s, "indie" irreversibly went from meaning an album or single not published by a major record label to a genre of music. So-called "independent" labels grew enormously successful from their bands becoming mainstream, and many were bought up by the big five (at the time) majors, while the listening audience absolutely didn't care one iota about any of it. They just liked the music. And as a result, "indie music" went from distinction to vibe."
The definition of "indie game" has blurred and often lacks precise meaning. Annual indie awards expose tensions by placing tiny teams alongside large productions, highlighting what indie is not: not multi-million-dollar projects made by hundreds. A simple publisher-based definition no longer suffices. The evolution mirrors 1990s indie music, where 'indie' shifted from a label-status to a genre and vibe as independent labels grew, were absorbed by majors, and audiences ignored industry distinctions. The result is a cultural sense of 'indie' rather than a clear industry or publishing boundary.
Read at Kotaku
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]