A Nod to Indie Games

Amongst this new high speed lifestyle in which our culture is immersed, it is surprising that anyone has time for computer games. Most games emerging from behind closed developer doors are simply too time consuming for the average casual gamer.

I believe I have the solution! Indie games! That is to say, games made by independent software developers. Companies such as GameHouse Games, Big Fish Games and Reflexive games have been churning out games for years and their devotion has gone unnoticed by many.

These games are not always the prettiest, don’t need a powerful machine to run and are not the longest games on the market, but what they lack in these areas they make up in sheer fun! If you want a fun game that you can pick up and play, and stop when it’s time to go, these games win every time. There are no long complicated storylines eating into what valuable playing time you have, they are simply fun and engaging. I have spoken to several people who use games such as these as a way of forgetting the stresses of the day and just relaxing.

These companies cover genres from arcade shooters and puzzle games, to time management simulators and hidden object games. There is something for everyone here. I challenge you to try the demo’s of some of these games and not find one you like, regardless of your age or gaming status. Most studio’s offer a 60 minute demo on their games, for people to try them out.

The reason I decided to draw these games to people’s attention is purely to make people aware that they exist. These independent studios are making great games, but don’t have the marketing budget to make people aware of them. If just one person finds a little bit of amusement and stress relief from these games it will be worth it.