Now I wouldn't call myself an indie fan, in fact I've shuddered at the mere mention of the word for many years, especially in regard to the music scene. But I have been a flash gamer for many years, and I've had more fun playing some flash games than I have some big name console titles. The articles I've been reading in this magazine about indie gaming have really turned me on to the idea of downloading and playing these games. I think, unlike music in many ways, it is also much easier to get your content out there and known to the world, which is a very appealing thought.
The reason I shyed away from the word indie for so long was because of my understanding of the word. Now there are plenty of indie mainstream bands, and it never made sense to me. What exactly are you independent from now? You were indie, but now you're raking in money, touring the world and altering your image to sell more and better. Plus, you know have a plethora of imitations ruining your unique flare that you were signed for, and will be dropped for something younger and newer. This is exactly what indie game developers fear, as this is when the term 'indie' is describing a genre, not a methodology or philosophy.
I've been a little more open to the indie gaming scene thanks to some of the articles here at The Escapist, but my question is, how long until indie games become a genre too?
I'm not a big art fan, and games as art sounds even more distasteful to me. In my oppinion, calling games art is just a way of peddling a confusing, convoluted game with no real solid ground. I'll admit, there are some games that have been called art that are actually quite entertaining and challenging, but calling something an art form and calling it art are two different things. A game is there to be played and enjoyed, not viewed in a way as to try and discover it's meaning, the creators views on the declining state of culture, or the petulence of war. While some games have a message, I don't think the game should be the message. I think that this will lead to the decline of gaming when it becomes a high brow piece, to be viewed by the pretentious.
To me, indie means freedom, freedom from the standards of big budget gaming, freedom of expression, freedom to take risks and freedom to distribute content, and I hope that indie designers don't lose sight of these things.