Indie games are now bigger than ever before. Titles like Minecraft and Untitled Goose Game have found more success than some mainstream titles. A lot of factors contributed to the meteoric rise of indie gaming: Improved hardware, the Internet and video games entering the mainstream have all helped smaller companies finally get the respect they deserve. While all these things aid indie video games, the main reason for the medium’s success is the newfound popularity of digital downloads.
Digital downloads have been around on PC for quite some time. However, it wasn’t until the seventh generation of video game consoles when digital downloads started to take off. People began downloading games from places like Xbox Live and the PlayStation Store instead of going to a brick and mortar store like GameStop.
Digital downloads are now replacing physical media in nearly all forms of entertainment. While some people might be hesitant to enter this new digital age, smaller video game developers are embracing the shift more than anyone else.
The ability to upload games onto a digital platform instead of having to make physical copies has helped indie developers tremendously. Smaller video game companies no longer have to shell out tons of cash to print games onto physical medial; teams can simply upload games to digital platforms instead of jumping through hoops in hopes of getting a game onto store shelves. This means indie dev teams can put the extra cash into promotions or the game itself, which leads to better games as well as better sales.
Digital platforms also tend to promote indie games and their developers quite often. It’s not uncommon for Steam and other digital marketplaces to prop up lesser-known creators to its users. Before digital downloads, it was extremely rare to see smaller companies advertised alongside gaming giants like EA or Activision. Now, gamers see a little of everything every time they log into Steam or other digital platforms.
The success of indie games is also linked to the new generation of gamers. This new generation tends to be more accepting of digital downloads than previous generations, which gives them access to more indie games, since many of them never see physical iterations. Most younger gamers didn’t grow up playing strictly physical games.
Digital marketplaces are crucial for indie video games. Smaller developers no longer have to spend an outrageous amount of money to print physical games or get them into stores. Some indie developers have gone from rags to riches due to the success of their games on digital marketplaces.
The indie gaming boom is not just great for video game companies, but for for gaming as a whole -- and it wouldn't be possible without the rising popularity and accessibility of digital downloads.