What is an Indie?

If you asked one hundred game developers what being an independent game developer means, you'd probably be surprised at how many different definitions would be thrown at you. Defining the term independent game developer is about as easy as nailing Jello to a wall. This is due to the fact that the term is used as a catch-all for a large contingent of developers and development studios that service needs within the industry including casual game development and publishing, outsourcing for big corporate projects; open-sourced projects, companies that have their own digital distribution networks like Stardock's TotalGaming.net and Valve's steam; mod developers and a host of other development types. Here's the definition offered by the Wikipedia on Game Development ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_developer ):

Independent developers

Independents are small software developers that are not owned by or beholden to a single publisher.

Some of these developers self-publish their games, relying on the Internet and word of mouth for publicity. Without the huge marketing budgets of mainstream publishers, their products never get as much recognition or popular acclaim as those of larger publishers. However, they are free to explore experimental themes and styles of gameplay that mainstream publishers would not risk their money on.

Other independent developers create game software for a number of video game publishers on various gaming platforms. In recent years this model has been in decline, with the larger publishers such as Electronic Arts and Activision increasingly turning to internal studios, usually former independent developers that they have acquired for the majority of their development needs.

But independent game development isn't really about freedom from publishers or the lure of easy money, but rather about forsaking the trends of the day to create something unique and entertaining - it's a movement, a way of thinking and for some - a lifestyle. So what's my definition of independent game development? Developers that think outside the box to create something different or use an existing game concept and breath new life into it. In other words, developers like Digital Eel and Introversion Software are on equal footing with New Crayon Games and SpinTop Games in my opinion.

So why all the evangelism? That is the whole point of this column - but it's important that I establish my definition in advance so that you, dear reader, know what you are getting into in the weeks and months ahead. I'll be highlighting everything from casual games and open-sourced projects to commercial successes and the tools and portals that do their best to bring new and exciting game experiences to the masses. I also plan to highlight some of the more entertaining and outspoken personalities in the indie space.

With all that said, it's time to jump right in and have a closer look at several games I find myself wasting time on this week:

Sixty Seconds With..

While Chronic Logic's Kingdom Elemental comes off as a poor man's Myth, this real-time fantasy themed tactical action game is a lot of fun and infused with some charming elements. The demo lets you try your hand at fighting off waves of monsters using such units as Knights, Archers, Clerics and Necromancers, with each offering their own set of strengths and weaknesses. Putting together the right mix of characters is all part of the game's challenge. The most interesting part of the game is the fully voiced tutorial, which does a good job of berating and encouraging you to do everything right. Even the sales pitch in the game, the nagging voice of a developer telling you that you are in fact playing a demo, is well intentioned fun. Download the demo or purchase it from Manifesto Games .

War on Folvos from four man development team Lonely Troops is a fun strategic strategy game developed using GarageGames' Torque 2D game engine. If anything War on Folvos proves that you don't need a huge development team or an expensive game engine to create something that is fun and easy accessible to strategy fans of all skill levels. Grab the demo or purchase the full version from GarageGames .

If you are willing to deal with the nuisances that come with installing open-sourced software, then you may want to check out UFO: ALIEN INVASION , a game that uses the Quake 2 engine to deliver a tactical strategy experience similar to the much popular X-Com series. While this project is far from perfect, it is in a constant state of development and currently playable. While that may not sound like a ringing endorsement, this one of the more polished projects i've seen based on the popular X-Com franchise yet. Check it out at the link above.