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The inaugural keynote of the IMGDC came from Josh Williams of GarageGames. The CEO of the indie game publisher and Torque Game Engine creator used his talk as an opportunity spell out what it means to be an indie game designer. Williams posited that “having creative control” is one of the defining factors of being independent. Funding, he said, “is where the rubber meets the road.” Bad decisions at the money stage are the key point at which creators begin to lose control of a game. Financial independence, he said, is the game maker's way of “throwing the birdie to the mainline industry and saying 'You know what? It doesn't have to be this way!'” Williams outlined key ways to fund a game: bootstrapping, investment and project based funding. A show of hands showed that most teams in attendance were using the challenging bootstrapping technique to finance their titles. One exception in the audience proved to be Celia Pearce's game Mermaids, which uses university funding. New tools, such as Multiverse and the Torque developer kit, help level the playing field for small teams. Out-of-the-box solutions offer more opportunity, he said, since developers don't have to create all their own technology. Another hurdle, the creation of a team, is becoming less of an issue as communities of like-minded game designers form. Artists who make assets specifically for indie game makers are reducing the need for all visuals to be crafted in house – a problem that would be expressed frequently during the course of the IMGDC's two days. “The hard part, the one that stumbles most developers,” Williams added, “is getting your game out to market.” Getting people to play and making a game a success is becoming easier now that there are more channels for indie games. Williams cited the existence of Steam, Xbox Live Arcade and other download services as great new opportunities. Still, developers aren't treated well, he said. In many cases, “the royalty rates suck.” On consoles, “if you funded your own game you have creative control, but it's a lock and key sort of system. You have to go through a lot of hurdles to get approved.”
More and more developers, Williams said, are having success by creating their own channels of distribution. He cited Josh Ritter's Minions of Mirth as an example. Low hosting costs and online marketing opportunities are making this option more and more viable, he said. With workarounds for the roadblocks between an independent developer and success now known, the biggest hurdle to overcome, Williams said, is “ourselves.” He ended the session with advice to the game makers in attendance. Scope, he suggested, was a vital consideration. “Think small,” he implored. “Be willing to scrap ideas.” Williams suggested tackling a job suited to a team of two or three people working for six months. “If you think you can do it in six months, then you have a good chance of getting it done in a year.” “Dream tight. Dream small. And dream niche too,” he told the audience. He closed his pep talk with the call to action, “Let's get some shit done!” |
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