PHOS: I am the Phosphorous. I contributed dim illumination and other digital things.

RC: Generally, I'm Rich Carlson. I helped design Weird Worlds. I'm also responsible for writing, sound effects and music for the game, and even a little art.

IK: I'm Iikka Keranen, I translate the game to machine-readable form and align the protonic transwigglers.

PHOS: They can afford to be fun.

RC: The aroma. Heady, spicy and deliciously different. Indie games are made by individuals with their own ideas about fun and gameplay who have the freedom to experiment and do whatever they want. Unlike commercial designers, indie game creators don't have to force themselves to think outside the box. They already exist outside of the box, in fact, to them the box isn't even there. Is it any wonder that so many indie games are so distinctive and original?

IK: The way indie game developers are able to resist today's rampant antidisestablishmentarianism.

How did your studio get your start in working with independent games?

IK: Digital Eel hatched from an electric egg in Boston in late 1999, but it wasn't until it had slithered across the continent and absorbed the luminous Phosphorous in 2001 that it began to spawn offspring of its own, starting with the enigmatic Plasmaworm.

PHOS: Mutual entertainment, and the fact that we all went to different high schools together.

RC: Iikka and I were playing and designing games during our free time and we actually got a few of them finished. Then, when we met Phosphorous here in Washington, we were off!

What is the most innovative feature of Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space and how is it innovative in your mind?

RC: Maybe the way starship combat works. Maybe its boardgame-like guts and the way roguelike-inspired elements are applied to a game that only takes a few minutes to play. Maybe some of the music.

IK: The fact you can make a contra-positronic neutrino ray in five minutes, drop it in the game and have it look just like the real thing!

PHOS: Robust downloadable pleasures with no strings attached.

What do gamers appreciate most about Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space?

IK: That the game doesn't waste their time.

PHOS: It's a toy that is enjoyable on many different levels --the mods will be incredible.

RC: Well, Weird Worlds is still a bun in the oven, so it's not in gamers' hands. To venture a guess, I think they'll appreciate the little details and TLC we've put into it. I think they'll appreciate that Weird Worlds looks good, that it feels tight and that it's bug free. I also think, no, I KNOW, that folks will have a blast with all the ships, weapons and gadgets.

What was the single most difficult part of Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space to program?

PHOS: Don't even talk to me about letters and numbers.

IK: Hard to say, perhaps the sound system based on the sheer volume of curses uttered in the process. Also, placement of enemy ships, items and events is a tricky balancing act.

Other than your own game did any one of the IGF finalists or Student Showcase games stand out to you? Why?

RC: We all like Mutton Mayhem because it's a great name.

PHOS: I love all of them. How can you choose?

How do you think Independent Games will evolve in the future?

PHOS: More and more people are going to become dissatisfied with what they find on the shelves. It's overpriced and overhyped. They'll be able to go online and try any number of excellent indie games and never have to go back to the shelves again.

RC: With the patient assistance of visionaries and benefactors who do not exist at this time, indie games could be big business, like indie films. As it is, the indie game scene will continue to be a creative hotbed, it will continue to be a possible way to break into the game industry (which unfortunately means giving up independence) and it will continue to be the perfect opportunity to create unique games that befuddle commercial developers and delight gamers.

What is the biggest challenge facing Independent games?

PHOS: They are so fun to play and make that it's hard to get any work done at all.

RC: Publisher-imposed distribution limitations. Currently, the typical business model online publishers adhere to can't support games that don't fit neatly into established "casual game" categories. So, if you're selling a puzzle game, no problem, but if you're trying to market an rpg or a strategy game, for example, online publishers cannot help you. I think this limits designers too much, and the worst part is that gamers will never know about the variety of cool indie games that are actually being made.

As one of the leaders of Independent Games, what is next for you?

PHOS: Even further adventures in infinite space.

RC: After we release Weird Worlds, we'll take a breather for a couple of months and then get back to some ideas that we had to put off for a while. There's always something cooking in the Mystery Kitchen.