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People who don't play indies...why?

If you don't play indies , do you ever feel like you are missing out?

  • Yes

    Votes: 15 16.9%
  • No

    Votes: 74 83.1%

  • Total voters
    89

Hendrick's

If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
The main reason I don't play a lot of indie games is because of TIME. These days I barely have time to play AAA games so if I was to play indies also it would just be cutting my AAA game time.

Also very few indie games appeal to me.
Time is part of why I enjoy these smaller games. AAA is too much of a time commitment these days, and most of the time I grow bored long before the end. AAA feels more and more like a slog, and the enjoyment of the moment to moment gameplay rarely lasts beyond the 20 hour mark.
 

Three

Member
I always find these distinctions odd. CDPR is indie. They have massive AAA games. When you are asking me if I play indies are you asking me if I play low budget games with poor production value/graphics? Yeah I do.

If it's fun then I don't see why not. I'm less likely to spend money on it though. Say if some low budget poor production value game is asking for £20 or above I'm less likely to give it a chance.
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
Most people here don't play indies, even those that claim they do.
Because if you have a publisher backing your *development* (Devolver, Microsoft, Humble Bundle, tinyBuild, etc) then you're not "indie" at all.

I agree with this. If your game is published by a big company like Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Humble, Devolver, etc..then it’s not an indie.

Indies are the little guys, who are self publishing or published by some small time publisher - not a big brand. Something like Hades is not a indie. It was a big release with a big push from a studio with numerous games under their belt.
 
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Guileless

Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
They don't come with exclusive preorder weapon skins if you pay extra. And no C list Hollywood stars and/or B listers trying to pay the mortgage after being Me Too'd.
 

Valt7786

Member
I'll play the ones that aren't yet another "oooh so retro 8-bit sprite metroidvania-dark souls wanna be".
and if they dont look like total shite. I'm a graphics whore 100%.
 
I don't play Indies just on the moral virtue that I'm not going to pay money for games that used to be free on an internet browser 20 years ago. If it's a small studio game that has a decent budget mislabeled as Indie I may look at it but why would I pay "money" for most of the Indies? Especially the downgraded pretend to be old stuff? Doesn't make sense to me when I can pay money for the actual quality stuff that were designed like that for the time, instead of a nostalgia grab immitation scheme.

Then you have stuff like Jumping Taco, the stuff that was on steam greenlight, incredibly basic games that could be on mobile, in fact, most indies are in that style. A lot of walking simulators, pointless puzzle games, etc etc etc
 
every time i consider checking out a 2d indie rpg, i realize i'd probably have more fun replaying ffix. same with indie strategy games & ff tactics. every single time, & i'm pretty sure i'm right...
 

EDMIX

Member
Ima say it.....Stray has the verticality and futuristic city quality that CP2077 CLAIMED to bring to gaming.

Stray folks...

76e.gif
884de7938767ec31210a14116234c8b50207eddc.gif
9bd73de7aac97660e5ffd1707dca6b38f61cd0f2.gif
8fea968027e97155484e8496cd81ff5470769187.gif
ee9.gif
stray_gameplay.gif
stray-robot.gif


So maybe its the commercial, big budget, corporate aspect of AAA games that have them marketing claims or perceptions of what their game is or going to be, only to spend years patching, updating and trying to reach said claim.

Maybe its that with smaller indie titles, they must actually sell based on what they are and not what they claim to be.

Playing Stray on PS5 right now, 5 hours in its already a better design, experience and overall quality then what CP2077 was. I had little expectations going into it and just thought it would be some short puzzle game, its much more and they seem to succeed better at that "dense" quality over quantity and show that great design can never be substituted.

I found myself having the experiences of learning the lore, finding new characters, navigating the city and finding little small meaningful places that offer a story elements, more in Stray, then what I was expecting in CP2077. It shows that it doesn't matter if a game has a bigger budget, AAA actors and a shit load of claims, if its not designed properly to do the thing claimed, none of that is really going to matter.

Any indie title can come out of no where and give you a better experience if they have solid design.

edit. Anyone telling you Stray is GOTY, that is sounding more and more like a just claim then a troll comment based on what I've played. I'm very, very surprised at the level of quality and design with this game and it deserves the awards.
 
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odhiex

Member
I have to admit, I only played a handful of titles from hundreds or thousands of indie games that came out every year.

I am mostly interested in playing because of the:
1) unique graphics and art styles (8-bit pixel art is no longer appealing to me because there are so many of them, hence it is no longer special to me)
2) unique gameplay (not just 2d platformer, farming simulator, brawler etc.) at least give something new/twist.
3) cheap price (or free through subscriptions or whatever)
 
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ungalo

Member
But indies have the same issues with lack of imagination and follow-the-leader-ism than AAA games.
Not in the same proportion, not even close. There are indie tropes of course but it's different from the way AAA industry functions in terms of development.
 
Last edited:
Ima say it.....Stray has the verticality and futuristic city quality that CP2077 CLAIMED to bring to gaming.

Stray folks...

76e.gif
884de7938767ec31210a14116234c8b50207eddc.gif
9bd73de7aac97660e5ffd1707dca6b38f61cd0f2.gif
8fea968027e97155484e8496cd81ff5470769187.gif
ee9.gif
stray_gameplay.gif
stray-robot.gif


So maybe its the commercial, big budget, corporate aspect of AAA games that have them marketing claims or perceptions of what their game is or going to be, only to spend years patching, updating and trying to reach said claim.

Maybe its that with smaller indie titles, they must actually sell based on what they are and not what they claim to be.

Playing Stray on PS5 right now, 5 hours in its already a better design, experience and overall quality then what CP2077 was. I had little expectations going into it and just thought it would be some short puzzle game, its much more and they seem to succeed better at that "dense" quality over quantity and show that great design can never be substituted.

I found myself having the experiences of learning the lore, finding new characters, navigating the city and finding little small meaningful places that offer a story elements, more in Stray, then what I was expecting in CP2077. It shows that it doesn't matter if a game has a bigger budget, AAA actors and a shit load of claims, if its not designed properly to do the thing claimed, none of that is really going to matter.

Any indie title can come out of no where and give you a better experience if they have solid design.

edit. Anyone telling you Stray is GOTY, that is sounding more and more like a just claim then a troll comment based on what I've played. I'm very, very surprised at the level of quality and design with this game and it deserves the awards.

I loved the game, one of my favourites this year. Hope a Series X version happens at some point.
 
I play good games that fit my tastes. I don't make the distinction between indie and AAA when it's time to choose what looks fun.
 
Last edited:

BennyBlanco

aka IMurRIVAL69
Ima say it.....Stray has the verticality and futuristic city quality that CP2077 CLAIMED to bring to gaming.

Stray folks...

So maybe its the commercial, big budget, corporate aspect of AAA games that have them marketing claims or perceptions of what their game is or going to be, only to spend years patching, updating and trying to reach said claim.

Maybe its that with smaller indie titles, they must actually sell based on what they are and not what they claim to be.

Playing Stray on PS5 right now, 5 hours in its already a better design, experience and overall quality then what CP2077 was. I had little expectations going into it and just thought it would be some short puzzle game, its much more and they seem to succeed better at that "dense" quality over quantity and show that great design can never be substituted.

I found myself having the experiences of learning the lore, finding new characters, navigating the city and finding little small meaningful places that offer a story elements, more in Stray, then what I was expecting in CP2077. It shows that it doesn't matter if a game has a bigger budget, AAA actors and a shit load of claims, if its not designed properly to do the thing claimed, none of that is really going to matter.

Any indie title can come out of no where and give you a better experience if they have solid design.

edit. Anyone telling you Stray is GOTY, that is sounding more and more like a just claim then a troll comment based on what I've played. I'm very, very surprised at the level of quality and design with this game and it deserves the awards.

can you even call a game funded and published by annapurna an indie game?

to me an indie game is something developed and published solo like FTL, slay the spire, etc



annapurna is a pretty prominent publisher the last few years
 

KXVXII9X

Member
Although I do play some indies, I no longer have the same rose-tinted lenses I once had. For every great indie title, there is a LOT of trash to shift through. A lot of indies shown look like games I played on flash sites in the early 2000's. They aren't really new or fresh to me.

A lot of indie games follow trends just as aggressively as AAA. We have so many Metroidvanias, Roguelikes/lites, Soulslikes, Amnesia clones, and now farming/cozy games. Nothing is wrong with these genres, but I'm not obsessed with these kinds of games. I audibly groan whenever I see the words rogue-like/lite and procedurally generated. Same with soulslike games and now farming which is a shame.

Also, jank and bad presentation can steer me away from a game. I wish I didn't care about production values, but I do. I don't need nor want things to be photorealistic. I like voice acting. I like well animated games. I like good soundtracks, good sound design, a nice UI/HUD, good enough lighting, and responsive and smooth controls.

What even is "Indie" anymore? A lot of my favorite games this year are either considered indie when they are really AA titles. I would rather play polished smaller titles with a lot more budget and polish like Kena, Sifu, Stray, Ori, and Psychonauts 2. Japanese games like 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim fall and Neo: TWEWY as well. Nintendo also has a lot of indie-like games like Rhythm Heaven, Brain Age, and WarioWare. They are all AAA. I feel like I have to compromise something with most smaller indies.

I don't think someone disliking indies means they dislike smaller and more niche games. There is a huge gap between indie and AAA. I am like other commenters who say they just play whatever is good.
 

Laptop1991

Member
In the 90's there was the top games then a good B section that were still good but not as good as Half Life, AOE, Total Annihilation, etc, but in the modern gaming industry, the indies just seem cheap and low effort to me, or old style games, none have made an impact like the original Doom did on shareware, and if there are any good ones they are among the masses of cash grab's Steam opened their doors to a few years back,

A rare few i've seen a trailer for and followed up to find out there are shallow mechanic's or bugs in the game's, i prefer The triple A game's that are now on the endangered species list lol.
 

tommib

Member
Has to be something special for me, I don’t care if that means indie, AA or AAA. Stuff like Hades, A Hat in Time, Yooka Laylee, Stray, Tinykin, Tunic, A Plague Tale, Ori, Vampire Survivors - those games capture my imagination and slap hard. I can’t imagine anyone on here limiting themselves to AAA only.
There’s not a lot of indie in those titles, baby.
Time is part of why I enjoy these smaller games. AAA is too much of a time commitment these days, and most of the time I grow bored long before the end. AAA feels more and more like a slog, and the enjoyment of the moment to moment gameplay rarely lasts beyond the 20 hour mark.
Bookmarking this for when Starfield releases. 💋
 

Little Chicken

Gold Member
I don't know how you can pass on indie games. Some of the best games this generation have been indie games.

If you think they're just all 2D pixel platformers then you're missing out.
 

Bragr

Banned
Vampire Survivors, what exactly are you guys doing in that game? I loved it for 10 hours-ish, but at this point, I don't understand what else I am supposed to do but play the same stuff over and over.
 

sigmaZ

Member
I really enjoyed my time with Celeste, that’s the pinnacle imo but I don’t play nearly enough indie.
Agreed. It really got the fundamentals right that so many don't even though they were well established as far back as the NES era. I don't know if Shantae falls into indie, but those games are pretty good too. Especially the snes style one.
 

NewYork214

Member
I'm too lazy to go searching for them on playstation store. Unless it's really popular like hades, usually goes under my radar.

If I used my pc more, would probably be playing a lot more indies.
 

consoul

Member
This was a weirdly worded poll question.

If people who don't play indies felt like they were missing out, then they'd just play them.

The main reasons people don't play indies are:
  • they don't know most indies even exist (due to lack of marketing budgets)
  • they don't like what they see of the ones they do know exist
 
I couldn't care less if a game is "indie", "AAA" or something else. If it's fun, plays good and has appealing graphics I'll play it.

That said, few indie games appeal to me. Vampire Survivors for example just isn't my genre and it looks really boring, but that has nothing to do with it being indie or not. Then again, few AAA games appeal to me as well. It's just like any media, the majority isn't for me.
 

Whitecrow

Banned
Because most of the time they are a very specific type of fun which, which pales in comparison to other forms of entertainment which strikes a wider variety of emotions.
Just fun is not enough for some of us who enjoy good character development and good world building, or we have other goals that are not getting good at something.

Games are suposed to be fun is too from the 90s.
 

Oof85

Member
Memba’…

  • Zelda Link To The Past
  • Super Metroid
  • Ninja Gaiden
  • Chrono Trigger
  • Harvest Moon
  • Contra
  • Smash TV
  • earthbound
  • Gauntlet

remember-i-remember.gif
Damn, Nintendo all through this list and people really dispute that they're the goat publisher?

Screaming into the storm, they are.
 
Not in the same proportion, not even close. There are indie tropes of course but it's different from the way AAA industry functions in terms of development.
Porcentually, maybe. In sheer amount, fuck no - There are enough Undertale copyc-inspired games to compete numerically with whole AAA genres. If you take all the low-effort indies in Steam you have 10 times the whole AAA industry.
 

buenoblue

Member
I play barely any indies. It's weird cause I do play loads of old games from 80s arcade and 16 bit games on my mame arcade machine.

I think it's cause those old games still strived to be on the cutting edge of of there technology at the time. I find "choosing" an older art style or tech limitation just seems shitty to me.

It's not indie but I loved stuff like Rayman legends and Ori cause they were stunning to look at. If any 80s and 90s game makers make games today they would make them with today's tech. Like secret of monkey island remake or streets of rage 4.

Give me cutting edge HDR ray traced big screen surround sound gaming all day everyday!
 
I used to not play indies because they were mostly pretentious nonsense with very little actual gameplay while bigger budget games were still focusing on being a video game. Now, I mostly only play indies because they're focused more on gameplay while bigger budget titles are mostly pretentious nonsense more concerned with being cinematic than being a game.

I guess it'll probably just flip flop forever. But no matter what, Life Is Strange is the worst "game" ever made. And it started a trend that turned me off indies for years, because any good indie was buried under CW show narrative bullshit that flooded the market.
 

Kupfer

Member
I'm not a typical indie game player, because I like oppulent technology and graphical finesse. But even I stumble across one or the other indie pearl from time to time, which only lets me guess how many great and worth playing games might be out there. Among my favorites from the last years are

Hotline Miami
Far Lone Sails
Firewatch
Gris
Carrion

I have to finally get around to giving Owlboy, which I've been meaning to play for years, the time it needs to pick me up.
 

sachos

Member
I’m sitting here and playing…. nothing. Miss the old PS2
One thing i like to do is set up PCSX2 and then go look for Top 100 PS2 videos or look at GameRankings for a particular genre, the PS2 library was so big the chances you find a hidden gem you never knew about is pretty big. Its fun to check some obscure games out even if you don't finish them.
 
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Saber

Gold Member
Because between 80 to 90% of them are garbage.

Used to very much like indies. But the experience I had with last indies weren't good and one of them its just straight up terrible.
 

JimmyRustler

Gold Member
One thing i like to do is set up PCSX2 and then go look for Top 100 PS2 videos or look at GameRankings for a particular genre, the PS2 library was so big the chances you find a hidden gem you never knew about is pretty big. Its fun to check some obscure games out even if you don't finish them.
I actually did that 2 years ago and cought up on a few classics. Enjoyed every minute of it... but now I really am through. :(
 
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