The State of Things

The State of Swordpond

About two years ago I created this blog, with a strong hope of being able to produce some quality indie gaming goodness.

This never happened. At about the same time as I created this blog, I had just started out with Game Maker again, after some years hiatus. I learned a lot at the time, and realised that my ideas actually had a chance.

That's not the whole truth though. I had no idea what an actual project would be like to drag all the way to the end. Tonnes of prototypes and projects were started, and just as many were abandoned. I wasn't skilled enough, and I didn't know it (or didn't want to acknowledge it).

There never was a clear goal either, other than the rookie-mistake of maintaining a "Make Game! Profit!"-mentality. I'm not saying that I am any more ready now then I was back then, but some more clarity has definitely come my way.

Me.

So, after wanting to be more than I could ever be, a redirection of my approach this time around feels at hand! This will be my honest attempt at getting back on the saddle, finish my current project, and see what lays ahead.

The State of the Industry

The independent development scene is constantly expanding. Thanks to the early introduction to computers, children are currently growing up with a thirst to explore and try out digital systems, and replicate their interests - video games for example.

At the same time, the gaming industry as a whole is still in its cradle. The internet isn't much older than me. While big budget companies and publishers have trapped themselves in a narrow corner of sequels and a phobia for real innovation, the indie scene is arguably free to explore the future of interactive entertainment. The last year alone has made me lose interest in the myriad of AAA-titles that gets a release each year. But then indie games still put me in awe from time to time. And there's constantly new means for it to grow.

Crowd sourcing has been a very prominent topic so far this year. Services like Kickstarter and the wildly debated upcoming Steam platform Greenlight are all making it easier for people with quality products (or just an appealing pitch) to fulfill their dreams. Greenlight hopes to give the power to the community, with mixed feelings from the actual people. Steam has been the holy grail of indie devs for a couple of years now, and some worry that this will devalue the platform. If the people from places like yoyogames.com start flooding the service, it sure is screwed in my humble opinion. But they will. It's only a matter of time.

"Steam is to become a republic again!"

No matter how you look at it though, it is a very exciting time to be a part of the industry. It is rapidly growing and maturing. The rise of the casual market has opened up for new possibilities for a lot of developers. The overcrowding of the same market has created competition, but also the burying of titles that deserve more attention.

And finally...

There's my five cents. And I'll just go ahead and welcome myself back to this blog, that will be seeing a prominent makeover as soon as time is on my side. Also keep an eye out for posts regarding my current little project. It might actually become something this time around.