Skyler Smith

    Compared to other virtual programs, certain indie games appear to have the “spark” that has accumulated attention, long-term playthrough and a large fandom — especially as of late. Generally, a much broader range of independent games have been attracting viewership, including Poppy Playtime, Garten of Banban, Amanda the Adventurer, Cuphead, Hades and Hollow Knight. 

     Although it’s difficult to define, “Technically, an indie game is anything that’s not AAA, so not Nintendo, Xbox, Sony, etc. But at the same time, there are certain studios that maybe when they started were indie, but because of how much success they gained or because of who they partnered with, I wouldn’t really call them indie,” sophomore and digital game enthusiast Boston Littlepage-Santana said.

     Originally, both Minecraft and Plants VS Zombies were considered independent games, but both have been purchased by larger companies: Minecraft was purchased by Microsoft, and Plants VS Zombies was bought by Electronic Arts (EA).      

     Lately, small team-created games have become prominent in the video game industry.

     “Basically, with indie games being more popular, I feel like that gives a space for a lot more people to make more games, like with smaller sizes of budget and still being able to get really popular,” freshman and gamer Andreas Noordstar said. 

     Only, AAA and indie games have incredibly different motivations. AAA games typically are provided with a budget and a deadline, whereas indie games have a forgiving deadline and little to no funds, leading to the production of innovative details.

     In comparison to a few AAA games, several indie games have generated many views. Soly, the first Poppy Playtime has secured over a million plays alone. Similarly, Garten of Banban has focused on mascots. The game itself contains over ten million downloads.

     However, large company games are typically more motivated by money — the reason why companies are raising prices and adding more opportunities to advertise in-game purchases. Since funds are put into the game, developers are expecting to make a profit from the audience. Indie games utilize the same technique, but not to the same extent. 

     Indie games are commonly less money-oriented, due to the labor put into the program. According to “How to market a game,” indie game pricing has recently begun rising, however, they are typically cheaper than AAA games.

     “Obviously, they’re made for money because you need to make money off of it,” Littlepage-Santana said. “But indie games typically are solely made for a passion because whoever is making them is really passionate about that. It’s more so [AAA games] are making it for the money because it is an industry.”