If you're like me, then you may be perpetually out-of-touch with what's going on right now in gaming. I recently went to a game stop, and I kept repeating 'Another God of War?' 'Another Bioshock?' 'didn't these games just come out?' And if you're like me, you probably don't really mind being out of touch.
Yet another similarity you may have to me is that you may enjoy listening to podcasts, perhaps while in the kitchen, cooking or washing dishes. I have a few podcasts that I cycle through; I've always got something to listen to. However, sometimes I get bored of the same old subjects, and I go out to find something new. My latest search was for indie game podcasts.
To my disappointment, the first few podcasts I found had not been updated in months or even years. This seemed odd, given that I think indie games are becoming a bigger part of the entertainment discussion, not smaller. But, then again, as I mentioned, I am perpetually out-of-touch. I decided to give one a go, and I settled on the BBC-sponsored: 99 coins podcast (not updated since July, 2012).
I started with the latest episode, titled 'anyone can make a game.' This is just the kind of sentiment I was looking for. What I found was a rambling discussion of game-making tools and what an 'indie game' really is. Nice overall tone, a little hard to catch the details sometimes. However, the writings and programs they reference in the episode are included in the links.
The second episode I listened to was 'favourite indie games of 2011.' I found that this was just my speed. If being out-of-touch can be quantified, then I guess I'm about a year and half behind the indie gaming scene. They list of several interesting titles, and even a couple I know of: Minecraft, SpaceChem, Sword and Sworcery EP along with many other interesting titles.
One game referenced is johan sebastian joust. A game I may never play, but does look like fun.
http://www.jsjoust.com/
Another is the Stanley Parable, a game I almost played once. I'm going to give this another try. -D
http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-stanley-parable
-D
A game company I like "Renegade Kid," one of the founders put up a post this last Monday (4/15/13) about deciding to take their company in more of an "indie" direction. It's a pretty good read and yes, I'm biased towards this company: http://joolswatsham.blogspot.com/2013/04/turning-point-going-indie.html
ReplyDeleteHey, that was a great post! I like hearing about the business side of things from the perspective of the creative team/developers. It also helps define 'indie' in more direct and simpler terms than trying to approach it from a 'style' perspective. Methinks I should do some research on the companies that released the various indie games I've played over hte last year or so. And I'll have to keep an eye out for Renegade Kid products.
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