What Independent Gaming is defined as is a discussion that will likely go on for years. The basic pieces of the recipe include the innovation in different areas than mainstream gaming, and the presentation of non-mainstream ideas (such as Teenage Lawn-Mower and Dope Farmer). However, beyond that the true definition of Independent Gaming is an unknown. In the past there have been a very few developers who have made the "professional" Indie games. Those games were typically puzzle games or action games that were aimed at the casual gamer. Today, however, with the games industry continuing to expand, more and more developers are taking the plunge into "doing things on their own." With their movement into Indie games, the quality of Indie games is certainly increasing. At the same time, much of indie gaming is moving away from games that are marketed at the casual gamer, and moving more towards trying to capture some of the mainstream audience.

Anito, one of the recent Independent efforts aimed at the mainstream marketplace.

Recent "Indie" efforts include Savage, a multi-million dollar effort, and Anito, a fantastically deep Role-Playing game that is not a game that the casual gamer would consider playing. Garage Games is also deeply involved in trying to make Independent products mainstream, though they have several titles that appeal to both casual and mainstream gamers. In many of the instances where indie developers are pushing their products toward the mainstream, the main purpose isn't to make mainstream gamers aware of Indie efforts, but instead the idea is to help Indie developers gain more control and money off of the projects that they have created. As these efforts continue, a great dichotomy is being created in the Indie Gaming world. On the one hand, there are several companies that are sticking with the known audience, creating tried and true games for the 1-hour gamer, and often distributing their games through sites such as Real Arcade. On the other side is the mainstream movement, creating games for the hardcore gamer, and attempting to either distribute them through normal retail channels, or through the internet.

As more games such as Dark Horizons: Lore are worked on from the Indie ranks, I've come to contemplate more the probability of success of these titles. In many cases I believe that the movement towards the mainstream market is one that will not be successful.

There are several reasons that I see folly in these decisions. The first, and perhaps most obvious, of these reasons is the fact that competing with mainstream means with completing with mainstream production values. Games delivered to stores by game companies are typically better quality games as far presentation go than any independent game. This happens for several reasons including the amount of money that those developers have to create their game, and the tools that they have access too. The graphics in mainstream games are almost always a generation ahead of indie efforts. When pushing an indie game towards the mainstream, that game then has to compete with the newest and best looking games available. While Garage Games has helped developers to bridge the gap, the reality is that the gap is still quickly visible. Typically the same gap also appears in regards to the sound, especially in the lack of quality voice in indie games where it would be expected in mainstream games.

Space Tripper a fantastic action game that looks as good today as when it was released.

Though independent efforts do a good job of doing the best graphics they can, even this can backfire on them. An independent developer can easily make a nice-looking game that does not use 3D graphics, or uses them in a simple and clear way such as in Best Friends or Hamster Ball. However, when the graphics are done in complete 3D and attempt to compete with mainstream, then the game has a tendency to quickly look dated. To illustrate the point, consider the game Space Tripper. Though this game is at the time of writing this is 2 and a half years old it does not look dated in the least, and no-one would bat an eye if I said the game was released yesterday. This longevity of graphics in indie games helps contribute to what has been a very important piece of Independent games in the past. Graphics that do not look dated allow a game to sell over a very long period of time.

The amount of sellable time for a game has always been at the heart of succeeding as an independent developers. The ones that continue to do well are those that are not just selling their newest title, but also selling their older titles. The selling portion of the cycle for an Indie title is typically 3-8 years. Contrast that with the mainstream market where new games often sell well for 5-10 months and then taper of considerably. Five-year-old retail titles will be in the bargain bin if they are available at all, while often Indie games can still be selling at the same price that they were introduced to the market at 5 years later. This process is very important for Independent developers as they attempt to survive. However, with the move to the mainstream market the process is not followed.

Indie developers who try and make it in the mainstream then have to deal with a much shorter portion of the selling cycle for their Indie game then they did when they were making games for the casual gamer. This is compounded by the issue with the graphics looking a bit dated, as previously pointed out. Pushing their title towards the retail market means that it will sell for a shorter period of time, and thus it must sell at much higher rate than a game for the casual market would need to sell at. In addition, due to the shorter selling cycle, the Indie developer runs higher risks. The developer does not have previous titles to fall back on as a source of income, and if one of their current titles is poorly received, the developer may find themselves out of money and out of business.

Think Tanks is one of the titles using the Torque engine from Garage Games to create quality graphics.

If Indie games could just join into the mainstream market, it still could all work out as the tens of thousands of sales that are possible through retail channels on a monthly basis is much higher than the number of casual gamer sales. However, it is not quite to simple to push an Indie project into the mainstream gaming public's eye. The marketing ability of an Indie company is much lower than that of normal game publishers. Those companies such as Garage Games have made great in-roads into the mainstream, the reality is that they are still a long way from competing with mainstream titles as far as public awareness goes. That will cost further sales, which with the shortened selling cycle of the game is doubly damaging for the Indie company. I've often seen people pass over games in stores just because they weren't familiar with the company that made it. After looking at a great box, the gamer moves onto something that is a safer beat, a company they are familiar with, or a title that they have heard before.

Further complicating this issue is that Indie games are pioneering their way into mainstream. The marketplace is completely unaware of them. With each passing day, they become better known, but in the meantime, many of the pioneers will not come to fully appreciate the fruits of their labors as their games will pave the way for successful games in the future, but not be the successful games themselves.

Overall, Independent developers face a large uphill battle in competing with the mainstream title offerings of other companies. Perhaps the greatest positive thing they have going for them, besides their own inherent abilities and ingenuity, is that the cost of an Independently created project is much lower than a studio game. This allows developers to have a lower need for income in order for the game to make a profit.

Still when compared to the mainstream, it puzzles me that so many Independent developers are pushing towards games that are aimed more at the mainstream gamer, and less at the already created market of casual gamers. While I have used the word casual gamer continually, I don't think that these gamers should be considered "Puzzle" gamers. Certainly a portion of the casual gaming market does focus on puzzle games, but many do not, as evidenced by the recent success of games such as Airstrike 3D, Starscape and Alien Shooter.

As Independent Gaming continues to grow, I'm confident many more developers will continue to try different avenues to make their game. At the heart of it all is the reality that Independent Gaming is about the developers making the game that they want to make. That being the case, games aimed at the mainstream are as valid a project as any other game project. Even if they could be considered a potentially financially damaging move out of the of typical Independent gaming niche.