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Documents about indie

Cover of Write Video Game Music In 30 Seconds With Ecrett!
10 min
Thomas Brush10 min

Write Video Game Music In 30 Seconds With Ecrett!

The process of composing original music for video games is often time-consuming, frequently requiring days of effort for a single track that may ultimately fail to fit the intended gameplay experience.

  • Automated music generation tools like Ecrett allow developers to create royalty-free game soundtracks in seconds, significantly reducing the traditional multi-day composition process.
  • These platforms enable rapid prototyping and final audio implementation by allowing users to select specific parameters such as mood, genre, and scene type.
  • Developers can create dynamic, evolving soundscapes by adjusting the intensity of individual musical components like melodies, bass lines, and percussion to match gameplay tension.
Thomas BrushJul 2019
Cover of Unity IPO | Games ReCAP Episode 028
44 min
Game Dev Unchained44 min

Unity IPO | Games ReCAP Episode 028

Unity has achieved a $6 billion valuation following a $525 million investment round, positioning the company for a potential public offering in early 2020.

  • Unity has secured a $525 million investment round, resulting in a $6 billion valuation and setting the stage for a potential IPO in early 2020.
  • The transition to a public company will likely force a shift toward aggressive monetization strategies, specifically targeting revenue growth through the Asset Store and adjustments to licensing fee structures.
  • Unity must expand beyond its core mobile and indie gaming markets by positioning its engine as a foundational platform for real-time simulations in industries like aerospace and smart technology.
Game Dev UnchainedJul 2019
Cover of Indie vs Steam | Games ReCAP Episode 026
56 min
Game Dev Unchained56 min

Indie vs Steam | Games ReCAP Episode 026

The current landscape of the digital games industry is defined by a growing rift between independent developers and Valve, primarily driven by the platform’s shift toward an opaque, algorithm-heavy discoverability model.

  • Valve’s shift from human-led curation to an opaque, algorithm-heavy discoverability model has caused extreme market oversaturation, making organic traffic an unreliable strategy for indie developers.
  • Independent developers must now treat aggressive, self-directed marketing as a fundamental business necessity rather than an optional growth tactic.
  • Valve is facing significant criticism for prioritizing high-revenue publishers over the indie community, leading to a growing rift between the platform and its smaller partners.
Game Dev UnchainedJul 2019
Cover of How much money will your FIRST INDIE GAME make?
10 min
Thomas Brush10 min

How much money will your FIRST INDIE GAME make?

The primary objective for aspiring independent game developers is to shift their focus from immediate financial gain to the acquisition of essential production skills.

  • The primary objective for a first indie game should be skill acquisition and project completion rather than immediate financial profit.
  • Initial projects rarely generate significant revenue, often yielding little to no direct sales or only negligible amounts from ad revenue.
  • Successful developers, such as Edmund McMillen, typically release a high volume of smaller, lesser-known titles before achieving commercial success.
Thomas BrushJul 2019
Cover of After a decade, my game is done. WISHLIST NOW! | Dev Diary #2
7 min
Thomas Brush7 min

After a decade, my game is done. WISHLIST NOW! | Dev Diary #2

The development of the indie title Once Upon a Coma represents a decade-long creative journey, culminating in the finalization of the game after a two-year intensive production cycle.

  • The developer finalized the indie title 'Once Upon a Coma' after a decade-long creative journey, including a two-year intensive production cycle.
  • To prevent last-minute scope creep and ensure project completion, the developer restricted his own access to the source code repository to force a transition from development to marketing.
  • The marketing strategy prioritizes a high-energy, 'bombastic' trailer aesthetic to maximize visibility and stand out in a competitive digital storefront environment.
Thomas BrushJul 2019
Cover of How I Quit My Job To Start An Indie Game Studio
20 min
Thomas Brush20 min

How I Quit My Job To Start An Indie Game Studio

The transition from traditional employment to full-time independent game development is driven by a combination of persistent creative passion, strategic preparation, and the psychological necessity of overcoming self-doubt.

  • Transitioning to full-time indie development requires a disciplined schedule of two to three hours of daily development work while still employed to build a portfolio and validate concepts.
  • Professional independence is a gradual process that necessitates shifting one's mindset from a passive employee to a proactive entrepreneur rather than an overnight career change.
  • Crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter serve as essential tools for validating game concepts and securing the financial independence required to leave traditional employment.
Thomas BrushJul 2019
Cover of Playing YOUR Indie Games (Bug's N Boo Hags RETRO ARCADE GAME!)
20 min
Thomas Brush20 min

Playing YOUR Indie Games (Bug's N Boo Hags RETRO ARCADE GAME!)

The game Bugs N Boo Hags is an indie title currently seeking funding through a Kickstarter campaign.

  • Bugs N Boo Hags is an 8-bit arcade-style indie game currently seeking development funding via a Kickstarter campaign.
  • The game’s core mechanics are rooted in Gullah Geechee folklore, requiring players to defend homes from supernatural 'boo hags' using traditional items like salt, brooms, and haint blue paint.
  • The title is designed as a high-stakes, punishing experience that mimics the difficulty and aesthetic of classic Nintendo-era console games.
Thomas BrushJul 2019
Article

Playing Like a Girl: How Sports Elevates Gender, Politics, and Equality

The intersection of sports, gender politics, and global technology trends highlights a transformative period for international entertainment and digital markets.

  • The 2019 Women’s World Cup final between the U.S. and the Netherlands functioned as a cultural catalyst for gender equality, with the absence of theatrical fouls contributing to a more authentic viewing experience.
  • Major hardware manufacturers including Microsoft, Dell, and HP are shifting their supply chains away from China due to trade tariffs and increasing market complexities.
  • Tencent and other major Chinese gaming incumbents are implementing government-mandated age-rating systems to align with evolving regulatory oversight.
SuperJoostJul 2019
Cover of Troubled History of Vietnam’s Mobile Game Market
Article

Troubled History of Vietnam’s Mobile Game Market

The Vietnamese mobile gaming market occupies a complex position within the Southeast Asian landscape, characterized by significant growth potential tempered by stringent government regulation.

  • Vietnam’s mobile game market generated $365 million in revenue in 2018, with local developers contributing approximately $200 million of that total.
  • Government regulations significantly hinder the market, including the 2018 ban on phone card payments and the forced removal of unlicensed titles like PUBG and Rules of Survival from app stores.
  • Strict licensing requirements have forced international publishers to either comply with local mandates or exit the market, as seen with Supercell’s departure in July 2019.
Game World ObserverJul 2019
Cover of Mordhau Responses | Games ReCAP Episode 017
34 min
Game Dev Unchained34 min

Mordhau Responses | Games ReCAP Episode 017

The controversy surrounding the development and management of the medieval combat game Mordhau serves as a critical case study in the intersection of community moderation, public relations, and studio accountability.

  • The Mordhau development team faced significant backlash by citing technical limitations as the reason for lacking robust chat moderation tools, which critics perceived as a tacit endorsement of toxic behavior.
  • Effective crisis management in the indie gaming sector requires proactive, unified communication that prioritizes long-term community health over defensive or overly specific justifications.
  • Failure to implement clear moderation policies poses a direct threat to a title's commercial viability and long-term reputation by alienating segments of the player base.
Game Dev UnchainedJul 2019
Cover of Prepping to launch my next game after ~3 years of work... (Launch Diary #1)
8 min
Thomas Brush8 min

Prepping to launch my next game after ~3 years of work... (Launch Diary #1)

The transition from development to commercial release represents one of the most complex and anxiety-inducing phases in the independent game development lifecycle.

  • The developer is finalizing a narrative-driven adventure game after a three-year development cycle, acting as a spiritual successor to a decade-old browser title.
  • The project utilizes a collaborative development structure involving a publisher and a secondary developer to manage the complexities of a polished commercial release.
  • Final-stage focus testing is conducted with a sample group of approximately 50 testers to evaluate narrative, gameplay loops, and user experience.
Thomas BrushJul 2019
Cover of Lessons from triple-A game development applied to blockchain games
22 min
PocketGamer.biz22 min

Lessons from triple-A game development applied to blockchain games

The integration of triple-A development methodologies into the blockchain gaming sector offers a strategic framework for smaller, agile studios to navigate the complexities of emerging technology.

  • Keep core game logic within the game engine to ensure performance, using the blockchain exclusively as a specialized ledger for digital assets to avoid high latency and transaction costs.
  • Adopt an 'open kitchen' community-first development model to replace traditional secretive marketing, allowing for cost-effective, continuous market research and playtesting.
  • Prioritize rapid prototyping to identify the core engagement 'hook' early, enabling teams to 'fail fast' and validate technical architecture before scaling.
PocketGamer.bizJul 2019