Overview
Indie games (インディーゲーム, indī gēmu), although basically synonymous with doujinshi games, these games have a stronger character than doujin games in that they are released on a commercial basis and are original creations. It is more in the lineage of the shareware culture of the 8-bit PC era.
For this reason, there are almost no fan creations, as is common in doujin games (see below), but homage works can be seen here and there.
The difference is that in Japan, many doujin games have been created as derivative works. This is because there is a precept that "derivative works are fan activities and not profit-oriented activities". If this principle collapses completely, permission for use must be obtained. However, there are labels such as Play, Doujin! that release derivative games of Touhou Project on home video game hardware, so it can be said that derivative works are included, albeit to a limited extent.
They are often released mainly by small software houses. Of course, there are times when a game produced by an individual gets attention and becomes famous.
However, nowadays, with the development environment enriched with free or inexpensive game engines such as Unity and Unreal Engine, there are many games with beautiful 3D graphics that are as good as major titles.
The basic supply of game is often sold by download only. In rare cases, some games get released as a packaged game.
This is because the rise of download sales, as typified by Steam, allows even indie makers without sales channels to expect sufficient profits. In addition, the crowdfunding environment, as typified by Kickstarter, has made it easy to obtain financial support, and the number of productions that rival major titles in terms of quality has been so great that they are now thriving.
However, it is also true that the number of works has resulted in a mixed bag of quality.
List of Indie Games
Related Illustrations
Related Articles
Independent Game Doujin Game Video Game Western Video Game Indie Pixel Art
External Links
English
Japanese
インディーゲームとは [単語記事] - ニコニコ大百科 (NicoNico Encyclopedia)
