Playing Outside The Sim Box - Independent Video Gaming

Once the economic analysts and social pundits gotprovides a sales mechanism for the various
over the shockwaves from the assault of videoproducers, provides a "top ten" list of current indie
gaming on our culture, they began to look at thegames and has a Soapbox forum for comments,
nuances of the industry. For several years, thererecommendations, gripes, etc. from active gamers.
wasn't much product variation to see outside ofManifesto's game review categories include some
shooters, fantasy role playing, and sports games. Thestandards such as Adventure, Role Playing Games
Sims brought some variety and expanded the playerand Sim/Tycoon games. But there are also categories
base to more mature "casual gamers," but for thesuch as Schmup and Turn-based Strategy, categories
most part gaming has been for the young. That'sthe major producers don't promote - and in the case
beginning to change. Independent game developersof Schmup, probably don't understand. It's a term
who cater to a more dedicated gaming communitythat seems to refer generally to games that
have functioned under the radar, for the most part.recreate the early space-ship shoot-em-ups but with
They are beginning to get the recognition theyfar cooler graphics and actual plots to them. Many of
deserve and that, in turn, is expanding the numberthe games found on Manifesto follow mainstream
and complexity of game genres that are finding theirgame profiles such as war games and role playing
way to the marketplace. The big game companieswizardry, but they interject some element of reality
such as Electronic Arts and Nintendo continue to turnor human complexity that isn't readily found in
out sequels to their big money-makers such asstandard game fare. There's a sim game available on
Madden's NFL Football and Zelda. Their sales remainthe site called Democracy. Not a concept that
huge, but as their audiences mature, the market ismatches the testosterone-based video game
finding room for games that go beyond sports, warstandard. By virtue of distribution channels such as
and wizards. "Indie" games are developing their ownManifesto and Steam, indie developers have a shot
distribution channels. Valve, the company that had aat commercial exposure and hopefully, some
huge mainstream hit with Half Life, now distributes itscommercial success. This foot in the door of an
games over its own online service, Steam. It sellsenormous commercial monolith has generated some
directly to the gamer, and provides the servers foroutrageous creativity in expanding game genres into
their game users to play either singly or in multiplayermore original and complex formats. It's like good new
format via the Internet. Their games come from anbands that blow past the record companies,
assortment of developers and range fromintroduce themselves through YouTube and MySpace
cartoon-noir mysteries to empire building to moreand sell their CDs online. The indie game producers
standard fare. Steam provides an outlet for somehave created a market that allows for creativity and
independent games to reach a wider audience.product honesty.
Manifesto Games is a website dedicated to theMadison Lockwood is a customer relations associate,
support, promotion and distribution of independentlyspecializing in small business development, for Apollo
produced video games. The site has game reviews,Hosting.