Interviews

JA – What advantages do you see as an Independent Developer?

Steve Ince – The biggest advantage to me is the amount of creative control and freedom that I have.  I believe that by doing exactly the type of game that I want, without the need to constantly check over my shoulder, the passion and enjoyment I have will be passed onto the player and become a really fun experience for them.

Jonathan Boakes – Developing independently.

Britney Brimhall – I think the biggest advantage is being able to work on projects you believe in, and having a lot of creative freedom.
 

Tamás
Marosi Z. (Pierrot) – I
don’t know how non-independent game developers do it,
but we also have false alarms about the conditions defined by
the market, which often kill good production. These do not influence
us now, say in the form of an arrogant publishing producer. However,
sometimes it wouldn’t be bad if someone could decide
more securely in certain situation, as to which line to follow,
because
on our part it is basically a shot in the dark. We only trust,
that others will like what we like.

Mikael & Eleen Nyqvist – Not having to answer to deadlines. We can make the game, administer the beta testing etc., and then decide if we want to release the game. We can design the box ourselves and make the web site as we want it.

Matt Clark – As with many good films and excellent TV series, working with little or no budget keeps you focused, and the end result is more rewarding. This allows for extra personal effort that shines through the end product.

Cos Russo – Freedom to produce an original product without restrictions.
  

Agustin
Cordes & Alejandro Graziani – Plenty
of much needed control over your projects and freedom to engage
some basic marketing yourself. It probably sounds like something
only a publisher could do, but that’s far away from the
truth. Writing a press release and spreading it is a fairly straightforward
process. And ‘word of mouth’ is an invaluable tool
for an indie. Even advertising through certain channels can be
(somewhat) cheap.

Also, no pressure with schedules and deadlines could be seen as an advantage, although this can be a double-edged weapon.

Chris Brendel – We are all lucky and cursed at the same time in that commercial game companies have, for the most part, neglected the adventure genre for the past couple of years.  This has opened the door for indie developers like me to make names for ourselves within the adventure community.  I feel that, although the lack of commercial adventure games is disheartening, what we do as developers would not be possible if this niche in the gaming industry never existed.

Bryan
Wiegele – The one advantage I would say enjoyed by
an Independent Developer, and it’s a big one, is creative
freedom. Independent Developers are allowed to create content
of any kind, their imagination really is the limit. When you
work on a project where you have total control over how it turns
out, it’s becomes a very personal entity and you want
to ensure it’s the best it can be.

Gey & Silvio Savarese – Most
importantly, the freedom to carry out our own ideas without having
anybody imposing anything. I wouldn’t have good time in
developing a project if I don’t believe in it. Then, another
advantage is time: since we cannot do this profession full time,
we need to have the flexibility to allocate time accordingly. 

With other indies, we have spare contacts. We believe it would be a great idea to found an association of adventure game indies. As a whole team, we could have more interchange of resources during the development and more weight in the industry.

This is a very exciting time for adventure games. There are a lot of new teams and new ideas coming up (especially from indie developers) and the genre is really experiencing a new renaissance in the adventure game history.

Michael
Clark – As
an Independent Developer, I can make my game any way that I want
to.  I decide what story to write, what characters to develop,
what puzzles to incorporate, and what music to include.  Of
course, I want the game to sell as many copies as possible, and
to be as good as I can make it, but if I fail, I don’t
have to worry about letting down any corporate folks who have
their own money riding on it.  Also, since there is a limited
audience, it is much easier providing technical support than
it would be if my game was mass-produced and sold commercially.

Knut Mueller – To be independent.
  

Keith Nemitz -You are the only limit to your personal contentment. I think a little differently than most
indies. My criteria for success isn’t weighted heavily on monetary or fame rewards.
Design and development is like a drug to me. I do hope my efforts will be able to sustain
my habit.