PlayStation 4 Indie

Indie is the video game equivalent of Marmite: a sector of the medium so divisive that it’s simultaneously culpable of both dismay and delight. The very website that you’re reading is evidence of that, but we’re not alone: scuffles and skirmishes more heated than the format wars themselves can be attributed to the increasingly taboo terminology, which is particularly unnecessary considering the frustratingly hostile nature of this hobby at the best of times. But why exactly has a word once universally associated with creativity and originality mutated into a hotbed for hate and negative debate – and what does it even mean in this day and age?

That’s a question that’s becoming increasingly nebulous, and it casts a shadow over the cheers and jeers that surround the subculture itself. Michel Ancel, the creator of Rayman and the French visionary in charge of bringing PlayStation 4 exclusive WiLD to life, recently remarked that it’s a descriptor that’s fast becoming out of date, and in a world where The Tomorrow Children and RIME exist solely because of the kind of financial support that only a conglomerate like Sony can provide, we suspect that he’s very much on the mark. Why, then, does a borderline meaningless phrase attract such ire and enthusiasm in equal parts?

PS4 Indie

There’s certainly a case that the aforementioned platform holder is partially to blame. Ever since the PS4’s announcement, high-profile executives like Adam Boyes have been flaunting indie shirts like Gucci handbags – an honest motion, but one that could be perceived as pandering when taken as part of the organisation’s developer centric push. Alone, we suspect that sceptics would be more forgiving of the fashion statements if the firm’s next-gen format was firing on all cylinders from a first-party front, but considering that the company seems increasingly eager to keep its exclusive content under wraps, there’s a growing impression that low-budget is all that the company has.

And, in its current state, PlayStation Plus is helping to proliferate that perceived problem. Once a host to the biggest of blockbusters like Red Dead Redemption and Assassin’s Creed III, there’s an emerging sentiment that the manufacturer is willing to pass off any old items now that it has its latest system’s entire user base locked behind an online paywall. It’s a fair criticism at times, too: while we feel that expectations for the Instant Game Collection have arguably risen too high, we can’t help but sense that there’s a hint of abject ignorance in the selection of Sportsfriends – a local multiplayer minigame collection – in September’s lineup.

Vita Indie

That’s not a slight against Die Gute Fabrik’s wacky release, but it was inevitable that such an experimental title would raise eyebrows from the pitchfork-equipped crowds that have been complaining about Sony’s subscription giveaways for months now – and it’s either arrogance on the platform holder’s part to offer it, or an example of its inability to sign anything else. But while we can’t picture the Call of Duty crowd ever even coveting a round of BaraBariBall, surely a quality game should be deemed as such – irrespective of its production budget, marketing methods, and graphical prowess?

Perhaps the problem no longer pertains to the games themselves, but the pretence that comes hand-in-hand with them. As is the case with music and movies, there’s a vocal crowd that enjoys scoffing at the ‘peasants’ who prefer Britney Spears to Bjork and Michael Bay to silent cinema, and there’s some similar snorting in the indie scene. It’s never nice being made to feel like you’re an outsider in an industry that you otherwise enjoy, and highbrow releases like Braid definitely attract a degree of haughtiness should anyone ever dare to declare that, well, they’re all a bit pompous and up their own arse.

Sony Indie

But that defence only exists in a few isolated instances, as not every game unfortunate enough to shoulder the indie name is a puzzle platformer with a pretentious plotline. Velocity 2X, the FuturLab developed sequel to the award-winning Velocity Ultra, will accompany Sportsfriends in next month’s PlayStation Plus update, and has been dismissed by some corners of the web because it’s not, er, Knack. Reality check: Mark Cerny’s next-gen launch title may have shipped on a Blu-ray in a box, but it’s not a good game by any stretch – in fact, from the few snippets that we’ve played, Kai Tana’s return excursion has it beat in almost every regard.

Of course, you may be the sort of person that prefers platformers to arcade blast-‘em-ups, and you shouldn’t be ashamed of that fact – but to wholesale dismiss a title just because you’ve decided to award it an outdated label just doesn’t make sense anymore. Indie may be Marmite, but it’s also a contradiction: a word that can be applied to any title from Heavy Rain and Hellblade through to No Man’s Sky and Nidhogg. Whatever your preferences and personal tastes, perhaps it’s time that we stopped these antics over semantics, and started to judge releases for what they really are: video games – and nothing more.

Do you agree that indie is becoming a meaningless term? Why do you think that the label is causing so much debate right now? Should we do away with the word entirely? Let us know in the comments section below.

Do you think that the word indie is defunct? (60 votes)

  1. Yes, I couldn’t care less about a game’s budget if I enjoy it63%
  2. Hmm, I’m not really sure8%
  3. No, it’s important to differentiate between different titles28%

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Are you enjoying the emergence of smaller games? (61 votes)

  1. Yes, I love that there’s so much variety in the industry77%
  2. Hmm, I don’t know7%
  3. No, I’m not really interested in non-retail releases at all16%

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