Gaming Mechanics & Design Codexery

Indie game

Video games created without major publisher support.

Last updated

The phrase "indie game" draws from terminology used for independent film and independent music, where the concept typically involves self-publishing and operating without major studio backing.[1] No single, universally agreed-upon definition exists for what qualifies as an "indie game," other than generally being outside the scope of triple-A video game production by large publishers.[1] According to Dan Pearce writing for IGN, the only shared understanding of what makes a game indie is a "I know it when I see it" judgment, because no single definition covers all games broadly considered indie.[1]

Last updated 2026-10-05 from the source article.

Quick Facts

Field
Video game development
Characteristics
  • Small teams
  • limited budgets
  • freedom from publisher oversight
Common traits
  • Retro 8-bit and 16-bit graphics
  • simpler visuals
  • complex mechanics

Facts from the source article.

Key facts and history

When the first personal computers were released in 1977, they each included a pre-installed version of the BASIC computer language along with example programs, including games.[2] Pinpointing the start of indie game development is challenging because the term "indie game" itself is broad, and the label was not commonly applied until the early 2000s.[3] Because BASIC was readily available, individuals were motivated to create their own software.[2] During the 1980s and continuing into the 1990s, shareware became a common method for distributing game demos or incomplete versions.[4]

By the latter part of the 1990s, games from single-developer or small-team studios became less visible, as such small groups could not easily match the costs, development speed, and distribution capabilities of commercial entities.[5] The modern, widespread understanding of indie games on personal computers emerged in the early 2000s, influenced by several developments including the rise of online distribution via the Internet.[6] Around 2005, indie games experienced a significant increase in prominence within the video game industry, largely fueled by digital distribution platforms such as Steam.[7] Console makers also contributed to the growing recognition of indie games during this time; for instance, the Xbox 360 introduced Xbox Live Arcade in 2005.[8]

What the cited sources add

Gril, writing for Gamasutra in 2008, defined an independent game as above all trying to innovate and provide a new experience for the player.[9] Cobbett, writing for PC Gamer in 2017, noted that Richard Garriott sold copies of his first RPG, Akalabeth, in ziploc bags at his local computer store in 1979.[10] Cobbett also stated that the world of indie development is only really a decade or so old, with the launch of Steam on PC and services like Xbox Live Arcade providing the necessary ecosystem.[10] Juul, writing for Polygon in 2019, described the 1984 game Deus Ex Machina as touching on many contemporary ideas of independence, made by a small team and expressing cultural independence.[11]

Bycer, writing for Gamasutra in 2019, stated that the sign of a new "indie darling" is when major sites like IGN and Destructoid cover the game.[12] Gril identified that independent game players can be grouped into categories including "The Cult Gamer" and "The ex-hardcore gamer," as well as a third category.[9]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Indie game" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Dutton, "What is Indie?", Eurogamer, 2012-04-18; Gnade, "What Exactly is an Indie Game?", The Indie Game Magazine, July 15, 2010; Gril, "The State of Indie Gaming", Gamasutra, April 30, 2008; MacDonald, "Understanding "Independent"", Game Tunnel, May 3, 2005; Thomsen, Michael, "The 'Indie' Delusion: The Gaming Category that Doesn't Exist", IGN, January 25, 2011; Parker, "The Rise of the Indie Developer", GameSpot, 2011-02-13; Pearce, "Opinion: 'Indie' Has Lost Its Meaning", IGN, July 9, 2021 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Indie game" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McCracken, "Fifty Years of BASIC, the Programming Language That Made Computers Personal", April 29, 2014; Gril, "The State of Indie Gaming", Gamasutra, April 30, 2008; Cobbett, "Is indie gaming the future?", TechRadar, September 19, 2010, p. 1 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Indie game" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cobbett, "From shareware superstars to the Steam gold rush: How indie conquered the PC", PC Gamer, September 22, 2017; Parker, "Indie Game Studies Year Eleven", Digital Games Research Association, 2013; McGuire Jenkins 2009, p. 27; MacDonald, "Understanding "Independent"", Game Tunnel, May 3, 2005; MacDonald, "Understanding "Independent"", Game Tunnel, May 3, 2005 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Indie game" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cobbett, "Is indie gaming the future?", TechRadar, September 19, 2010, p. 1; Cobbett, "From shareware superstars to the Steam gold rush: How indie conquered the PC", PC Gamer, September 22, 2017; Juul, "The indie explosion that's been going on for 30 years (give or take)", Polygon, November 15, 2019 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Indie game" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Izushi, "Industry evolution and cross-sectoral skill transfers: a comparative analysis of the video game industry in Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom", Environment and Planning A, 2006, p. 1843–1861; MARCELO PRINCE, PETER ROTH, "Videogame Publishers Place Big Bets on Big-Budget Games", Wall Street Journal Online, January 2018; Cobbett, "Is indie gaming the future?", TechRadar, September 19, 2010, p. 1; ; Juul, "The indie explosion that's been going on for 30 years (give or take)", Polygon, November 15, 2019 (we also read that en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Indie game" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Iuppa Borst 2009, p. 10; Cobbett, "From shareware superstars to the Steam gold rush: How indie conquered the PC", PC Gamer, September 22, 2017; Irwin, "Indie Game Developers Rise Up", Forbes, November 20, 2008; Cobbett, "From shareware superstars to the Steam gold rush: How indie conquered the PC", PC Gamer, September 22, 2017; Chan, "Tracing the Sprawling Roots of Flash Preservation", Vice, March 18, 2021; Cobbett, "From shareware superstars to the Steam gold rush: How indie conquered the PC", PC Gamer, September 22, 2017; Blake, "PC Gaming en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Indie game" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McGuire Jenkins 2009, p. 27; Irwin, "Indie Game Developers Rise Up", Forbes, November 20, 2008; Gril, "The State of Indie Gaming", Gamasutra, April 30, 2008; Gamasutra staff, "Q&A: Independent Game Creators On Importance Of Indie Movement", Gamasutra, October 4, 2007; Cobbett, "Is indie gaming the future?", TechRadar, September 19, 2010, p. 1; Cobbett, "From shareware superstars to the Steam gold rush: How indie conquered the PC", PC Gamer, September 22, 2017 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Indie game" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gril, "The State of Indie Gaming", Gamasutra, April 30, 2008; (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Gril, "The State of Indie Gaming", Gamasutra, April 30, 2008. facts only, no text reused. gamedeveloper.com
  10. Cobbett, "From shareware superstars to the Steam gold rush: How indie conquered the PC", PC Gamer, September 22, 2017. facts only, no text reused. pcgamer.com
  11. Juul, "The indie explosion that's been going on for 30 years (give or take)", Polygon, November 15, 2019. facts only, no text reused. polygon.com
  12. Bycer, "The Problem of the Indie Game Pedestal", Gamasutra, October 15, 2019. facts only, no text reused. gamedeveloper.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Indie game (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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