Renaissance of gaming.

As the years go by it gets increasingly more expensive to make a game. This of course makes it very hard to break into the industry and share your vision with the masses. Publishers will very rarely front an unproven developer a massive amount of cash and let them run with it. Projects are increasingly made to be "safe bets" and take less chances with all the cash floating around.

This is all about to change, and in a very radical way. Many people often speak of digital distribution and how it is the future of the gaming industry instead of physical media. While this is most likely the case, there is certainly a large amount of time before such a system can be perfected and standardized. The most exciting thing that comes from the switch to digital distribution however, is that it gives many indie developers to break through and get their projects to the gamers. Services like Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, and the upcoming WiiWare provide an avenue for small developers to get known and make themselves a living.

Publishers are more apt to take chances with these smaller projects because it does not take nearly the amount of money or time compared to games like Halo 3 or Assassin's Creed. Taking chances leads to innovation and innovation leads to completely new experiences. Publishers also do not need to worry about pressing discs, shipping, or any of the extra expenses that come with physical media. On top of the expenses, no more worry needs to be had over used games. The money for every single game sold will go into the rightful pockets.

Games like Everyday Shooter on PSN are paving the way. One person, Jonathan Mak, made Everyday Shooter and released it for $10. These smaller, cheaper experiences are going to influence these major developers and quite possibly land these up and coming start-ups shiny new jobs with a big name company. The Independant Games Festival undoubtedly stole the show at this years GDC, bringing many of these developers into the spotlight for the first time and for good reason. The gaming press went crazy with stories and interviews with the people making Fez, Braid, Crayon Physics, and many more.

I can't wait to see where this takes the industry in the next few years. Things like this are sure to make a huge impact. Here are some videos of some of the award winners!

Fez



Crayon Physics


World of Goo


Synaesthete