A kick starter for an indie games studio

Hi! So at the complete risk of sounding like one of those ad bots that sends fake messages-- wait, does that already sound like one? I should say something forum specific... Uh... Cave story's cool? Is it Toroko or Tokoro? What ever, spoiler: She's adorible.
* suspicious I'm not a bot* formalities aside, do you wanna make games like Cave story possible? Do you want to get 30 indie games for 15 dollars? Do you trust kick starter links given to you by strangers? Then this is totally for you! This kickstarter which I appreciate is about making a place for indie developers to... basically develop, with complete creative freedom.
http://www.kickstart...ing-video-games

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I think games that are cute and cuddly but also a little violent and heart wrenching like cave story are hard to come by, and I think the reason that is is because of the way game business is done. There's the false dichotomy created by the market for videogames, this idea that men play gears of war and women play kirby at best. Guys are and enjoy hardcore while girls play the easy stuff. Which reminds me of ANOTHER false dichotomy, that games that are cute also have to be easy and devoid of storyline. Which brings up *ANOTHER* false dichotomy, that just because something isn't storyline heavy means it has to be completely void of good storyline/story telling.

Ahem, Those inbetween, you know, the guys who like the concept of NES age games where everything is cute and deadly, are kind of left to search far and wide for games we that hit the spot. I grew up on Sonic and Megaman X so both of my heroes died and I feel left in a wasteland sometimes. Cave story, the underside, konjak's games, games that are only in Japanese,I think that people that are inbetween the extremes that are often marketed too have to search much harder for something they enjoy. Both enthusiasts and people who just don't like too much gore in their games express distress at a market that stopped catering to them in the 90's. So how does this make that better?

The idea behind the kickstarter above (which I have absolutely nothing to do with, I'm just a huge nerd/fan/supporter) is to make a place for game developers to develop without pressure. They get to supercede things like what the market wants there for ascending above all those dichotomies I mentioned. When developers have a place to just make games on their own from their vision there is no boy, girl, in fact there's no one to market to at all. Of course a gem like cave story came from a college undergrad with too much free time. He had no pressure on him what so ever, just got to make something he imagined over the course of several years. By making a place for some of the greatest minds of gaming to do that and collaborate while doing so, LA Game space becomes a dream house for the dreamers. And we get awesome games out of it.

So I'm trying to do my part by spreading this little kick starter around just a tiny bit on forums that might care!

 

I didn't have to search far for Cave Story. I've read about it in Nintendo Power.

 

Yeah but that was after Nicalis re-released it 5 times. My brother found out about in the year it was first released, and I have no idea how he managed to find it.

 

I don't think the LA Game Space is necessary.

The way I see it is that there are two extremes that most games go by:
- One extreme is seen in most AAA titles. The big names that make these AAA titles will follow a proven formula, because they know it will sell well. In the concept development process, a lot of creative ideas for games are deemed too risky and are trashed or are revised to be "made safe". Basically, the money is more important than the game, so the game often lacks heart. A good game needs a lot of hard work, but it needs just as much heart effort as it does work effort.
- The other extreme is the common indie mindset that focuses on making something original, something new, something different, something unique. When most indie game developers focus most on expressing something through a game and/or creating something unique and original, all too often their games turn out as a semi-abstract art games of sorts or the game is focused on being a moral lesson or to express a personal conflict or struggle that the indie developer wants to express. Sure, you can do all of that, but none of those things should be the main focus.
The heart of gaming is the root of the tree, and all of those things (i.e. originality, personal expression, moral lessons, etc.) are branches; they are not the heart of gaming. The tree doesn't start with the branch, yet developers tend to think they start with the branch, so they miss their roots and the tree isn't complete and many gamers will be the wiser and notice that tree is dead, where a tree with roots can be alive with epic green leaves and-!... okay, I'm probably taking this tree thing too far... hmm, yep, that should definitely end right now.

Moving on: What do I mean by the "heart of gaming"? It's fun. It's personal enjoyment. That said, some people enjoy graphical styles that others hate, some people like strategy, others like action, some like a mix of action/strategy etc. So, of course there are different tastes and things. These are part of the heart of gaming, but they are still not the very core of it. The very core is what is commonly enjoyed among all sane healthy-brained humans; it's all of the things and reasons that every gamer shares, whether they realize it or not. For some examples: Everyone likes responsive controls, a game that keeps a smooth and steady framerate, a smart GUI that makes things accessible and allows people get to the gaming as fast and easy as possible, etc. All you need to do as an indie game developer is to use your observation skills to see what is popular entertainment and take time to think and ask why. It really comes down to knowing all these little pieces of things that people enjoy. Once you understand those things, you will see tons of connections and ideas that open amazing new worlds to gaming.

*Frozen looks at how much he is talking* ..... Wow, I need to end this.

I'm pretty much just saying indie game developers don't need LA Game Space to make awesome indie games. All they need to do is observe and to think; to get to the real root of gaming and go from there.

 

Agreed. This is more like hipster gaming. Having pixel art to be retro and not because it serves a purpose is a bad practice. All these retro games obsess over the art and music so much that they can never really capture the feel of the games they try to replicate. A game that actually manages to recreate the same feeling is super meat boy for instance. It uses lots of new techniques and has all that spirit we want. Cave Story works because the gameplay is unique, with the character momentum, and the interesting desicions and all that.

 

I completely agree with the two of you except in that I think indie game space promotes what your talking about.

I think by giving developers a place to work without bounds, limitations, or age groups, you end up with a place for things we've never seen before to blossom.
It's not just about achieving something retro or a certain look, there are a lot of games and genre's that just aren't going to be explored in new ways outside of the indie field, and I think that games have a limitless potential that becomes more hidden as large companies push for realism and accessibility. As well, I would like to see what some of the worlds power house studios (like EB games) can do with fresh new ideas and genres, and I feel like indie developers have a place in searching for those fresh new ideas and genres.

(Is my idealist showing? My idealist is showing. I'm sorry, let me pack that away for a bit)

Indie Game Space might be more a luxury than a necessity, but it's M.O. seems good and they promise free video streams of game developer workshops and talks. "If we get just one carnival ride out of this it will have been a success" -Peter Griffin.
If we get just one hour long work shop with a famous developer out of this, it will have been a success.

I really respect people who can put fourth their opinion so harmlessly, by the way.

 

Alright, I'll consider it.