Independent video game development:

The process of creating video games without the financial support of a video game publisher. While large firms can create independent games, they are usually designed by an individual or a small team of as many as ten people, depending on the complexity of the project. These games may take years to be built from the ground up or can be completed in a matter of days or even hours depending on complexity, participants, and design goal.

IndieCade is a public festival located in Culver City, California celebrating the development of these games. The GameGeex team was over there to experience the moments in the spotlight these developers get with their titles. We were able to see the finalist titles, the best of the best and some of them were definitely something to behold. Overall, the event itself was not only about video games, but gaming as a whole; as a way of life and aside from the virtual titles, there was a wide variety of board games, card games, simulation games, and even games that involve physical activity distributed among the three demo galleries.

IndieCade was definitely an interesting experience for me. It was very hands-on. Being able to not only try out the games but getting easy-access to their developers? That’s a dream for me. Whether you’re a hardcore gamer or not, getting in behind the scenes about what it takes to become a gaming developer and what influences them is fascinating for anyone really. It may not seem like a big deal now, but the brilliant people behind these small independent development teams are the big names of the future. The future Activision, Capcom, Rockstar, who knows?

I had quite a blast playing some of the games there. I particularly had fun with a game called Johann Sebastian Joust because it was a total party game. You each held a Sony Move wand and the objective was to eliminate other players holding wands, usually with a light tap or the occasional smacking of the wand out of their hand. Another game I found fascinating was a co-op game called PewPewPewPewPewPewPewPewPew!. Yes that’s the actual name. The game utilized sound as a controller. With each player equipped with a microphone, one player makes noise to control the thrust of the little astronaut and the other player fires the gun, usually making sounds like “pew pew” to do so. To think some of these games were made with small teams on very little funding, yet they still get the job done.

Even if you’re not into video gaming itself, there were a slew of other fun options for you to do. Perhaps you’re the nitty-gritty type that wants some inside knowledge on the world of game design? There were discussion panels involving the development of games and the concept behind what it takes to make games playable, appealing, and balanced. Tired of the controller and want to try something different? There were also a ton of “big games”, outdoor games like Human vs. Zombies, Ninja, Gargoyles, Piñata Pummeling, and more.

These independent developers deserve every minute in the spotlight. We forget it at times but this is where gaming started. This is where innovation happens. We as gamers are blind-sided by the big names, forgetting the roots of gaming and I’m glad for what IndieCade does. Celebrate the gaming of the future. As for the event itself, it was nice, had plenty of things to do, and it was fun. It brought back that special kind of simplicity that always makes me smile. The only thing I can say is it could’ve been more organized since the festival spanned the whole city in varying locations, but I’m sure it’ll get better as the years go by.

Anyways, since we did go as a team, here’s what some of the other team members had to say about IndieCade:

“Loved the variety of the games that the various developers had on display. There were definitely some unique concepts being used, and shows how creative the indie scene can be (some were a bit wonky, though I guess that's the nature of the whole thing). The event taking over the whole city was actually a pretty good idea, since it got people from outside the gaming scene to walk around and check out what was going on. Humans vs Zombies was definitely the high point for me, and working together with other zombies to tag the human participants was definitely a great social experience, even if one person did decide to be stupid and use his sock as a mace to plant it in my face instead of as a projectile. Did not feel good at all. Other than that, pretty fun time.”

            - Michael “Sir loin of Beef” Revis

“While I wished there was more cohesion between the various venues during the festival, it reminded me of a Renaissance Faire celebrating gaming in all flavors.  With such a variety of activities and the entire downtown transformed into gaming stations, it felt more open and collaborative than any other gaming event I've attended.  I love that indie developers are getting their moment in the sun.  It will be interesting to see how the event evolves in the future.  It sort of felt like this was a beta test for a larger event.”

            - Amanda “Mandifesto” Orneck