Indie games have been an ever-increasing trend in the gaming world as of the last 12+ years. When Microsoft opened the door on indie game market for the Xbox 360, the gaming world began to see an influx of indie titles coming out for the XBLA and even on the PlayStation Network. That isn’t to say indie games didn’t exist before then as there are numerous indie games on the PC and various other gaming consoles, but during the Xbox 360 era, we began to see a rise in them overall. Now in 2018, indie games can be found on nearly every console ranging from the PS4, Nintendo Switch, Steam and the list continues. Even systems that are dead—like the Dreamcast—are having some indie developers make games for them. Though with so many indie titles flooding the market we here at Honey’s Anime have to ask this question: Are There Too Many Indie Games?
The good, the bad and the awesome
Indie developers have their work cut out for them when they make an indie game. Not only are they up against triple A companies, but they also lack the same funding, support and development teams that a bigger gaming company has. This can lead to numerous indie games looking pretty bad—note we won’t mention these bad titles only good ones to avoid any harsh backlash on smaller teams—and some just ending up good to okay at best. However, there are some indie development teams that work for years and years to create substantial games such Cuphead, Super Meat Boy and of course, Minecraft. When these indie titles released, you almost forget about the bad games and remember that indie games can offer some excellent quality even stronger than triple A titles can.
A way to the big league
The one reason we can’t fault a lot of indie gaming teams is because, for many, this is the way to get noticed and potentially find bigger support from the gaming world. When an indie team makes an awesome gaming title, they can become noticed by studios within the groups of Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo and that could propel their next project forward as they will gain a stronger budget and even stronger development members. For most indie teams that have lofty goals, making a worthwhile indie title is there way into the forefront of the gaming world and we can’t blame them for having that drive/ambition.
The scams
The unfortunate thing about too many indie games though is that sometimes, these indie titles are nothing more than scams waiting to take money from the consumer. Again, we won’t name any titles specifically but the PSN had a recent PS4 indie title release that was universally known for being a title so bad that it seemed to be an unfinished game. However, this indie title wasn’t cheap and cost almost $20 dollars to buy! With so many indie titles out there in the gaming landscape, people need to beware of titles that are just meant to scam money out of gamers. Indie games are like any other product at the end of the day. When there’s one popular product, numerous other creators will try to recreate it and or make knockoffs that aren’t even close to the real thing.
The future of indie games
The flood of indie games won’t stop anytime soon, that we can bet on here at Honey’s Anime. Indie game developers and creators will continue to create more and more games for people to buy. However, with titles like Children of Morta coming out though we hope indie games continue to release in the near future. There are genuinely some great creators working around the clock to make some amazing indie titles. With better gaming technology and some developers actually giving it their all when making their titles, the future of indie games can be a lucrative one. Ultimately, indie games will be the best way for gamers to find joy in titles that take risks and allow for newer theme to be seen in the gaming landscape.
Final Thoughts
The argument of the day we asked was, Are There Too Many Indie Games? The answer to this question truthfully can’t be answered so black and white. As we mentioned above, there are some titles that revolutionize the gaming world and they were made by indie teams who lacked big budgets and big teams. Equally, there are developers—if you want to call them that—who use the flood of the indie game market as a means to scam others into buying cheap knock off titles and unfinished games that will never be updated beyond launch. Indie games are definitely out there in a mass number that much we can say, but when solid titles come out here and there we don’t dislike that so many indie games exist. What do you readers think? Are there too many indie games for your taste or do you wish more came out? Let us know in the comments below and for more articles like this one be sure to keep stuck to our hive here at Honey’s Anime!
Author: Aaron