My very fast thoughts on the indie game scene...

First off, let me make this clear: my 2009 game of the year is Flower.

Now I have yet to finish UNCHARTED 2 (playing thru it now) and so that could top it. BUT I 

mention it because:

a- many folks have asked me what my 2009 GOTY is.

b- I need to make it clear- before I go off- that I'm a fan of all games, mainstream and indie 

alike.

HAVNG SAID THAT (yes, I watch Curb):

SHUT THE FUCK UP WITH THE OBNOXIOUS AS HELL INDIE GAME MAKER 

ATTITUDE.

Yes, I get the irony of a loud mouth, obnoxious guy like myself telling folks to shut up for the 

same behavior. So this is kinda tongue in cheek. But it's also kind of serious.

Here, this clip MEGA64 made for the IGF sums it up better than I could anyway:

Granted, this funny as hell clip was made FOR the IGF and so I imagine it's meant to be a

badge of honor that supports the indie game dev community. And I get that and I sort of 

respect that. On one hand, I want to say: good for the indie game makers who are pushing

back against the mega corps that rule the gaming roost. I'm down with that fight, even tho I'm
not participating in it.

But at the same time it occurs to me that the indie game scene seems to be trying awfully hard these days to make it clear how cool and indie they actually are. One would think that the 

games they make- because clearly they are so artsy and amazing and meaningful and more 

communicative than anything mainstream games can shit out- could communicate that 

message for them. But I guess not. Hell in some cases you've got indie game makers publicly calling out other indie game makers for NOT being indie enough or not being worthy at all of 

the independent badge.

Well here's what I told a buddy of mine who makes indie games and who was called out for just that very crime (he had had mainstream success and now is finding success as well on the indie scene):

If you really want to be indie, stop giving a fuck about being indie and just be; just keep doing ya'lls thing and fuck what anything thinks. THAT- to me- is hella indie. Hell, the people who go out of their way to make it crazy clear they are indie seem a tad suspicious to me anyway. If they were really so indie, wouldn't that be clear from their games? Why do they have to keep reminding us?

Lots of games from the indie game community wear their angsty-ass hearts on their sleeves and- as an outsider- it's fucking annoying. We GET it: you're intelligent, you're free thinkers, you think the mainstream is beneath you and you are here to save the day. Yadda-fuckin-yadda.

Do you REALLY want to be grouped in with that bullshit mentality given how entertaining and accessible your games are? 

So ya know...there's that.

I dunno- I just hate it when mainstream games are so vilified. As a guy who LOVES mainstream games (playing and making them), it just seemed to be a good time to stand up for big, accessible, in your face, good old fashioned entertainment. 

And for my friends in the indie community: I LOVE some of your games (clearly) and crazy respect what SOME of you guys/gals do. Hell, if I have the talent, perhaps one day I will make an indie game as well. I think some of you are onto something. But it's not the only game in town and I sure wish some of ya'll would remember and respect that fact from time to time.

But for the rest of you assholes, get yourself a copy of this and shut the fuck up :)

David


ps. I know the formatting on this is shit. But it's 3AM and I don't have time to deal with it right now. When I came back to blogging last week I found BLOGGER had changed their interface and beats the hell out of me how to make it work. I'll get around to it in the next few posts but I'm frankly too tired and bizzy to deal with it right now. Hope ya'll don't mind too much- thx!