Tag Archives: publisher

Indie: The American Dream

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(I’m not actually American, but the phrase sounds better with “American” than “Canadian”.)

I’ve talked to a few friends over the last few weeks. Graduating from university, what will become of them? Some have landed very impressive jobs at various companies (and are very deserving of them). I’ve also heard disappointment and boredom with their jobs. I’ve heard plans of (eventually) getting a Masters degree, maybe a Phd, and eventually starting their own company.

Starting your own company… going “indie”…

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Deadlines Don’t Exist Anymore…

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Well, I came back from that second interview from that game company. I told them I had already made commitments to graduate school, they were really nice about it and agreed I should finish school, and may skip the interview process a bit should I apply again next year. Also gave me some free swag, including their most recent game for PS3 (here’s a hint: it made over a billion dollars within the first few days of its release). Great guys, couldn’t ask for better people or location to work. UPDATE: Although, every other student I talk to says I’m an idiot for not holding out to try to get the job… but they don’t know my plans for indie development, my need for a “break,” my plans to use graduate school research for other means, or that the company agreed I was probably better suited for another position that was already filled. I might be making a huge mistake, but I think I know what I’m doing…

Also thought about game deadlines. One of the reasons I like game development is that there is a set product at the end, a final stage, at which point you ship out the final product, take a break for a few weeks, start fresh on the next project.

Not anymore.

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The Modern Definition of “Indie”…

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Being “indie” was always a small trend of people thinking they were cool (most of them are cool, but not because of “being indie” like some hipsters would try, but what they do that makes them “indie”). The “indie” lifestyle is present in almost every aspect of creative culture. “Indie” music, “indie” films, “indie” writing (blogs or self-published), “indie” comics, and of course, “indie” games.

But what exactly does “indie” mean?

Of course, it stands for being “independent,” which according to Wikipedia, is simply being free from any government or corporate interests. If no big publisher is paying you for you to make something, or if you aren’t doing what you are told, then you are technically an “indie” artist.

But does this definition still hold today?

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Make a Successful Indie Game Using Kickstarter… Making Your Game & Company “Official” (part 3 of 7)

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By this point, you’ve probably begun making your game. You’re pleased with the results so far, and believe you can commit yourself to seeing this project through to the end.

Then it’s time to get serious and go over some legal stuff you should think about.

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So You Want To Make A Successful Indie Game Using Kickstarter…

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Most of my blog posts revolve around personal views on how you should make games and how to sell them (based on my own personal views and mistakes after a tiny bit of experience). I’ve meant to do this next bit for a long time, and here it is…

A multi-part guide on “how to make a successful Kickstarter campaign for your indie game!”

A handful of you know that I had a (failed) Kickstarter campaign for my first indie game, “James – Journey of Existence.” It certainly doesn’t give me too much credibility to give you advice after only one attempt (a failed attempt at that), but I’ve learned a lot about crowdfunding and the indie community in general, and you can never have enough advice on the Internet!

Also, I know I haven’t followed this advice myself… but I wished I did, and will try to from now on. My mistakes are what led to this series.

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