Video games have grown exponentially in recent years and have captured the hearts of millions thanks to the success of titles such as Minecraft, Journey, Limbo, Dead Cells, The Banner Saga or Firewatch. To compete with the blockbusters, the independents have had to be massively creative and come up with innovative gameplay, top-notch writing, original graphic universes, and sumptuous soundtracks. INDIE GAMES pays homage to some of the greatest success stories in the world of independent video games. Superbly illustrated, INDIE GAMES contains more than three hundred images from titles that revolutionized the gaming industry. Full of anecdotes and interviews with personalities like industry veteran Eric Chahi and young designers like Ian Dallas. You will see behind the scenes at Indie studios, revealing the creators, designs and marketing. This exploration will give you a better understanding on what is an "Indie" game. Official and authorized, with the participation of studios around the world, including over 50 interviews highlighting over 70 games, INDIE GAMES is the most complete and up-to-date overview of indie video gaming. With exclusive behind the scenes content provided by the studios, it serves as a fitting tribute to the audacity of these developers, who have elevated video games into an art.

COMPUTER GAMES / ONLINE GAMES: STRATEGY GUIDES. Everything you need to know about the exciting new trend of indie gaming. Independently made video games have become some of the most original, ingenious and successful games available on the market today. Matched against giant tech companies and their mammoth-budget franchises, indies, have demonstrated the extraordinary impact that individuals and small teams can have on the direction of the gaming world. Mike Diver takes us behind the scenes to explore this incredible movement, where freedom from major studios has allowed for near-infinite possibilities, revolutionizing gaming mechanics and remoulding genres. Including interviews with legendary developers such as Tim Schafer and David Braben as well as the brains behind newer studios such as The Chinese Room, Hello Games and Simogo, Indie Games introduces us to the personalities, the passion and the practicalities that have transformed an industry.

This book is a guide to the expanding world of indie gaming. It helps readers to understand why indie games are so important to so many people in the entertainment industry. The book covers puzzlers, platformers, beat 'em ups, shoot 'em ups, role-playing, and strategy.

The only book for indie gamers that asks, "What do you want to do?" before it says, "Here's what you need to do!" Based on Don Daglow's top-rated games sessions at GDC, Devcom/Gamescom and events from Shanghai to Toronto to Berlin. Over 90 questions to ask yourself as you prepare to develop your indie game - respond to what's relevant, skip past what's not. Detailed feedback on what to do with your answers from a 3-time Inc. 500 CEO whose honors include a Technology & Engineering Emmy® and multiple Game of the Year awards. -- back cover.

The indie game developer’s complete guide to running a studio. The climate for the games industry has never been hotter, and this is only set to continue as the marketplace for tablets, consoles and phones grow. Seemingly every day there is a story of how a successful app or game has earned thousands of downloads and revenue. As the market size increases, so does the number of people developing and looking to develop their own app or game to publish. The Indie Game Developer Handbook covers every aspect of running a game development studio—from the initial creation of the game through to completion, release and beyond. Accessible and complete guide to many aspects of running a game development studio from funding and development through QA, publishing, marketing, and more. Provides a useful knowledge base and help to support the learning process of running an indie development studio in an honest, approachable and easy to understand way. Case studies, interviews from other studies and industry professionals grant an first-hand look into the world of indie game development

Learn how to market for your indie game, even with a small budget and limited resources. For those who want to earn a regular income from making indie games, marketing can be nearly as vital to the success of the game as the game itself. A Practical Guide to Indie Game Marketing provides you with the tools needed to build visibility and sell your game. With special focus on developers with small budgets and limited staff and resources, this book is packed with recommendations and techniques that you can put to use immediately. As a seasoned marketing professional, author Joel Dreskin provides insight into practical, real-world experiences from marketing numerous successful games and also shares tips on mistakes to avoid. Presented in an easy to read format, A Practical Guide to Indie Game Marketing includes information on establishing an audience and increasing visibility so you can build successes with your studio and games. Through case studies, examples, guidelines and tips, you will learn best practices for developing plans for your game launches, PR, community engagement, channel promotions and more Sample timelines help you determine how long in advance of a launch to prepare your first public communications, when to announce your game, as well as recommended timing for releasing different game assets Book also includes marketing checklist 'cheat sheets', dos and don’ts and additional resources

If you know nothing about game development, you're basically me before I started working on my first game DARQ. This book assumes no knowledge of game development on the reader's part. As a first-time developer with no prior experience in coding, modeling, texturing, animation, game design, etc., I managed to launch DARQ to both commercial success and critical acclaim. With zero dollars spent on marketing, it was featured in major media outlets, such as IGN, Kotaku, PC Gamer, GameSpot, Forbes, and hundreds of others. Ultimately, DARQ became #42 Most Shared PC Video Game of 2019, according to Metacritic, with the average user rating of 9 out of 10. In my book, I'm sharing with you exactly how I did it. The book guides you through a step-by-step process of making a game: from downloading a game engine to releasing your first commercial title. The book features advice from 15 industry professionals, including Mark Kern (team lead of World of Warcraft), Quentin De Beukelaer (game designer of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Assassin's Creed Unity, Ghost Recon Breakpoint), Bjorn Jacobsen (sound designer of Cyberpunk 2077, Divinity: Fallen Heroes, Hitman), Austin Wintory (Grammy-nominated composer of Journey, ABZÛ, Assassin's Creed: Syndicate), and others. The foreword is written by my mentor John Corigliano, Oscar, Pulitzer Prize, and 5-time Grammy Award-winning composer.

Ready to give your design skills a real boost? This eye-opening book helps you explore the design structure behind most of todayâ??s hit video games. Youâ??ll learn principles and practices for crafting games that generate emotionally charged experiencesâ??a combination of elegant game mechanics, compelling fiction, and pace that fully immerses players. In clear and approachable prose, design pro Tynan Sylvester also looks at the day-to-day process necessary to keep your project on track, including how to work with a team, and how to avoid creative dead ends. Packed with examples, this book will change your perception of game design. Create game mechanics to trigger a range of emotions and provide a variety of play Explore several options for combining narrative with interactivity Build interactions that let multiplayer gamers get into each otherâ??s heads Motivate players through rewards that align with the rest of the game Establish a metaphor vocabulary to help players learn which design aspects are game mechanics Plan, test, and analyze your design through iteration rather than deciding everything up front Learn how your gameâ??s market positioning will affect your design

Indie Games introduces us to the personalities, the passion and the practicalities that have transformed an industry.

A host of digital affordances, including reduced cost production tools, open distribution platforms, and ubiquitous connectivity, have engendered the growth of indie games among makers and users, forcing critics to reconsider the question of who makes games and why. Taking seriously this new mode of cultural produciton compells analysts to reconsider the blurred boundaries and relations of makers, users and texts as well as their respective relationship to cultural power and hierarchy. The contributions to Indie Games in the Digital Age consider these questions and examine a series of firms, makers, games and scenes, ranging from giants like Nintendo and Microsoft to grassroots games like Cards Against Humanity and Stardew Valley, to chart more precisely the productive and instructive disruption that this new site of cultural production offers.