Innovation in the Gaming Industry :: The Problem with the Indie and Mainstream Scene
I just finished watching the above video on Innovation in the game's industry and I could not agree more. I love the indie game scene, and although I'm not anywhere near accomplished, I have dabbled in creating a few games myself. There is an insane amount of passion and ability in that scene. The most difficult part for the developers seems to be seeing any amount of revenue from their projects. (With a few notable exceptions).
It seems to me that eventually the two industries will begin to work together, but I also feel that so much of the issue deals with people's perceptions and egos. As the video says in the first half, these two sides continue to fight over some fairly petty details. Each side feels superior to the other, and everyone suffers.
Furthermore, I have a feeling that consumers are the biggest problem, even beyond the indie game dev scene are those who play those games. Those gamers are quick to move on to the next game and rarely seem to build up a loyalty to a developer or style. Everything becomes old-hat for them very quickly. If this crowd was to somehow change their perception, it could really help things. (Sadly I think we'll just have to wait for that to happen naturally)
Everything said about the AAA industry is just as true, but going back to the consumers I feel we have another problem. Lots of my friends who only play the console AAA games will complain to no end if a game is too different from another. One friend in particular wont play an unreal engine game because the physics bother him. He is not familiar with that style, and is not as good with it. They become so accustom to being good at a particular style that change angers them and they equate the change with sub-par quality. I feel if they were to change their perception, games with a few quirks would be more widely accepted. So in the end we are left with an indie scene without a sense of pride and loyalty, and we have a mainstream scene that abhors change. I think if they could learn from one another, both accepting change, but still maintaining a sense of loyalty to a team and genre. The monetary end will start to straighten out, and things will be better for everyone.Just thought I'd share a few thoughts.
