
Can D.I.Y. Supplant the First-Person Shooter? - robg
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/magazine/15videogames-t.html?hpw=&pagewanted=all
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maudineormsby
The article references "Passage" a game written by Jason Rohrer. If you
haven't played it, you should - it's extremely hard to describe, but in short,
it is a sort of simulation of life. Not like the Sims - it's about 300
seconds. At the end, you die.

<http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/passage/>

Extremely unsettling to me, a very "momento mori" moment. Love the concept and
execution though.

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wmeredith
No...

But it can certainly find a place next to it. (A small place, think _Primer_
vs. _Transformers 2: Revenge of The Fallen_.) There will always be a place for
indie art, just as there will always be a much larger place for _Dancing With
the Stars_ or endless _Pirates of The Caribbean_ sequels (which I enjoy, btw).

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Dove
This is news? Small teams have been making games since back when that was the
norm for the industry.

The juggernaut industrial game is the (comparatively) new phenomenon. The
first games _were_ what we'd today judge as indie, and it has always been
possible to find that sort of game.

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acgourley
I think the last crop of indie games represents a significant point in time
for the industry, though, and is worth writing about.

Yes there were always people making games for fun, but this is the first time
a critical mass of people are feeling hung over from the industrial games. The
industry itself feels it, and is taking notice.

Also a new phenomenon is that scale of the market has allowed these indie
games to be financial viable as a primary income stream; making a game in a
2-3 person team or solo can be more than a hobby for the first time since the
very earliest consoles.

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mgcross
I wish the article touched on Xbox's Community (now Indie) games. I spend more
time on $1 games like I Made a Game With Zombies, Jump!, Johnny Platform's
Biscuit Romp and Miner Dig Deeper than I do on XBLA games like Trials HD and
Geometry Wars.

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brianobush
Can I distribute games built on SDL there? or do i have to drink the msft
coolaid?

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mgcross
Nah, you do have to drink the koolaid to an extent: C# w/XNA framework, but
you can use the free VC# Express. Only costs would be $99/yr to publish to
Xbox Indie; publishing to windows is free. There's an extensive community
that's churning out some impressive games. [Along with a plethora of massage
and drinking games]

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omouse
Who thought the industrialization of gaming companies would lead to bland
games? I for one am shocked, SHOCKED!

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JMiao
not exactly, but fps et al are certainly a shrinking part of a growing pie.

