Indie games

[Crims]

Are indie games worth your time? This is a post I would've made a while ago, though felt like there's a definitely better time for that, and that's now.
The core argument is if:
A. indie games are overtaking the mainstream, and
B. to most of my friends, games are still so-so forms of entertainment.
Theoretically, is gaming (edit: indie and regular) as good of a hobby as before? IMHO due to microtransactions they're business mogul run these days.

My current indie games are Neodori Forever (like Outrun, a Sega arcade game), Akane (cyberpunk slash em up), and the more AAA driving titles usually. The games I usually opt for have no grind and are very like in the Playstation games I grew up with.

 

[Tiffany]

Any game is worth my time if I don't have to grind too hard to get somewhere or win something. When the game designers make it too hard, I get frustrated...sorry, maybe I'm not a true gamer lol. Gaming is supposed to have a fun component right? So if it's a good indie game, well designed and different from most of the main games, yeah, I think it would be worth my time.

 

[Crims]

Games like all products get produced for the needs of the times, I honestly do my best to evoke deeper answers by being clear with my questions. Something (including sims and boring games) all games have is fun, and indie or not it's more of finding whether games are acquirable, playable and worth the time.
I prefer list format:If indie games are searchable or at least the ones available are good (whether they're designed for 30+ and whether they're relatively worth it too), and I find that when games are suited for players they can find more fun. It all depends on constraints creating format.

 

[Retro]

Unfortunately, I've not played any games for many months now due to various reasons. However, when I do, I have to agree with what Tiffs says here:

Any game is worth my time if I don't have to grind too hard to get somewhere or win something. When the game designers make it too hard, I get frustrated...sorry, maybe I'm not a true gamer lol. Gaming is supposed to have a fun component right? So if it's a good indie game, well designed and different from most of the main games, yeah, I think it would be worth my time.

I want the game to be enjoyable and not too taxing, so I often find myself setting it to the easiest setting. There's zero fun in hitting a spot, or multiple spots in a game where I just can't get past it. It might feel like a "challenge" for some, but to me, it's just one almighty headache that I could do without. In fact, if this happens, I may well abandon the game and this is what happened with Stray after I couldn't get past a certain point - where those red things ran after the cat, swarmed it and killed it every time no matter what I did - even after Googling for help and talking to friends who'd played the game. I'd be happy for a hack to get past points like that tbh as I did like the game otherwise.

This point goes for indie and games and big hitters like Call of Duty alike. Thankfully, CoD is designed so that these pain points are largely absent, especially when set to easy.

Stray on Steam

Lost, alone and separated from family, a stray cat must untangle an ancient mystery to escape a long-forgotten cybercity and find their way home.

store.steampowered.com

 

[Crims]

I find the opposite to be correct as well. I'm not a fan of linear games, unless they have something that is worth playing for - like co-op. I get incredibly bored when the game is too easy or calibrated in a way that you can tell it wouldn't be enjoyable as it is for hours and hours. I like to think it's savvy though it's probably just ADD. I have a much more low threshold for stretches of dull grind. GT7 almost hooked me until the GTR9 I bought controlled badly.

 

[Crims]

This topic is more relevant than ever. With the new PS5 Pro and all the games at the moment being flops - and even in other entertainment spheres like movies, Disney and Netflix - the value of indie developed projects (games specifically) are vastly underrated. That or we start to consider the value of user created content and the gamer themselves. Earlier this month Concord released to massive unpopularity, and while brushed under the rug is the clear death knell for unique Sony entertainment IPs.

 

[data66]

Kongregate used to be great for Indie games. It's changed from what it used to be though. I think it's good to have Indie games, just like it's great to have Indie authors. We have a game we've been waiting to get developed - needs money and a dev first, might post about it sometime in the future.

On Switch, the Indie games lately haven't been all that wonderful. Sorta seems like they put the games out just to get them out there without thought to quality/user experience. I think on PS, the games may have had more of a quality standard - or they did the last time I checked. It's been a while since I've been on the PS and I only have a PS4.

 

[Crims]

Kongregate used to be great for Indie games. It's changed from what it used to be though. I think it's good to have Indie games, just like it's great to have Indie authors. We have a game we've been waiting to get developed - needs money and a dev first, might post about it sometime in the future.

GameJolt and Kongregate have been pretty great, though flash culture, Miniclip and all the games I used to play (Habbo Hotel included) outlasted them not in years though in historical permanence. Indie as a whole isn't a genre that has curation so quality tends to follow profit.

 

[Crims]

@data66 I was browsing Newgrounds earler and realised there isn't nearly as much of a range of games online as you'd believe. A lot of the best games are not shown for a variety of reasons, mostly to keep the websites fresh. The world at large moves quick, even Newgrounds doesn't show the best games available on there, without deep searching. The best option might be using console - I know I'm preaching against common wisdom of, "just use steam lol", though Steam is impossible to use reliably -- curators included. For a fact.

 

[Retro]

Steam is impossible to use reliably -- curators included. For a fact.

How is it unreliable? I've had an account for 20 years with hundreds of games and very few problems.

 

[Crims]

How is it unreliable? I've had an account for 20 years with hundreds of games and very few problems.

If you're browsing for indie games, on Steam 100-200 (sometimes more) get published daily. It's a entire endeavor to find something good, whereas PS4's store has maybe 10, if that. Same for the conversation about GameJolt and such.

 

[Retro]

Right, I think what you mean when you say "to use reliably", is that there's simply to much crap to sift through to find quality games? I've certainly heard that accusation levelled at it and indeed so many games are pure dross.

 

[data66]

I actually found a good, old fashioned turn based RPG by a developer who is actually responsive to feedback by those I've seen reviewing it. It's called Duskfall and I have it on my iPad. Very old school feel and this guy/gal has some promise. https://duskfallrpg.com/ .
For me, for now, I've had to move away from any PC based games. Later on, I'll beef up my security knowledge, make my everything (systems, net, etc etc) more secure than Fort Knox, and get another Alienware.