New Players Join Indie Scene

Independent video-game makers used to be the starving artists of the gaming world. Rather than taking cushy jobs at major companies, they lived off measly donations to create what they saw as a better, more innovative product.

No longer. Independent game makers are coming of age, thanks to new distribution methods that bring quirky, original games right into people's living rooms. And the indie scene is flourishing, just like it has in movies and music.

"We're much more high-profile than we used to be," said Phil Fish, a Montreal game designer whose game Fez, while unfinished, is being courted by large game publishers eager to tap into the indie scene.

Source: http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/business/story.html?93306

Indie Mobile, Next Big Thing

Easy to pick up, easy to play, the mobile casual game is the perfect distraction to entertain us while waiting for the next train or a late friend. Likened to a "game snack," the casual game requires little commitment and minimum investment-meaning players should never have to resort to reviewing a tutorial or have to free up hours in their schedule to get through a game.

At the console level, everyone from Nintendo to Ubisoft and Electronic Arts has put increased interest in the casual, pick-up-and-play game as a way to reach a wider base beyond the core gaming demographic. The personal and virtually ubiquitous qualities of the mobile phone make it an ideal platform for the casual game, letting us fill up small slices of time-both at home and away from home-with little commitment.

More and more, we're seeing that mobile casual games are indeed for everyone. Women outnumber men in terms of numbers and revenue for mobile gaming. And mobile gamers encompass a broader age range than the typical console gamer.

The next logical stage is the democratization of game design-where just as anyone can play games, anyone can now create games. User-generated games tap into the seemingly universal human desire for creative self-expression-as well as sharing those creations within a wider community. Whether it's in the form of video, music, or text, social networking and self-content sites have become a mainstay in today's Internet, as the consumer becomes content-provider.

Source: http://www.gamesondeck.com/feature/3533/editorial_user_generated_mobile_.php

About Crayon Physics Deluxe

An ingenious video game that looks like it was designed by a third-grader.

The annual Game Developers Conference is a chance for all the major players in the video-game industry to show off their flashiest new titles. Attendees at February's meeting, for instance, were treated to a sneak peek of the upcoming Gears of War II, a richly detailed sci-fi action game that appears indistinguishable from a blockbuster sci-fi movie. The game has subtle lighting and shadow effects, water that ripples and splashes properly, concrete walls that crack and crumble to reveal the underlying rebar. To top it all off, the guy leading the demo had his character pump bullets into an enormous cube of meat, which was authentically elastic and viscous in response to the fusillade.

Despite that absurd graphical overkill, or maybe because of it, Gears of War II wasn't the talk of the show. Most of the chatter was about a game called Crayon Physics Deluxe, which didn't get a glitzy demo on a huge video screen in front of an audience of thousands. Why all the love for a game that looks a bit like something your third-grader might ask you to stick up on the fridge? Watch the embedded video below, and you'll understand.

Full Article @ Slate.com: http://www.slate.com/id/2186848/