Does anyone else find the modern indie gaming scene extremely overrated?

[alCannium27]

All things are iterative, and the indie scene is the very definition of smuggin' their own farts by chasing after new rather than fun. If you hit the fresh jackpot, good for you, big woops innovation ended up a trainwreck, I'll laugh in your agony and piss on your grave
In shirt, make more soulslike games, be gone with the Outer Wilds

 

[punisheddead]

Could it be the platforms that sell games? Like if indie game x sells 10 million copies, steam will recommend similar games to all 10 million people. Which would mean that people are buying similar games and developers are rewarded for making similar games

No, people with standards struggle with the concept of mediocre games getting popular, which is kinda funny if you've ever seen a normie consumer or the current media landscape. Balatro being on steam doesn't mean getting recommended cool games that are similar, it means being recommended hentai poker VR or some shit. No one takes steam recommendation seriously and the community tags are filled with jokes and memes. Balatro is an amazing example tho, it's one rung up from being a mobile game and people can't get enough of it. It's luck what new indie will be popular for the next month and the drought of decent video games is so severe that it means indies will fill up this void, even for simple mobile like games. My mistake in a previous post was thinking that it was only limited to A or AA gaming.

I just feel bad for the indie devs. I'd rather have a die hard cult classic community like peripeteia has rather then the gazillions of sales and millions of pointless self-indulgent awards Balatro has. In a few months no one will even talk about it, it's a flash in the pan.

 

[alCannium27]

No, people with standards struggle with the concept of mediocre games getting popular, which is kinda funny if you've ever seen a normie consumer or the current media landscape. Balatro being on steam doesn't mean getting recommended cool games that are similar, it means being recommended hentai poker VR or some shit. No one takes steam recommendation seriously and the community tags are filled with jokes and memes. Balatro is an amazing example tho, it's one rung up from being a mobile game and people can't get enough of it. It's luck what new indie will be popular for the next month and the drought of decent video games is so severe that it means indies will fill up this void, even for simple mobile like games. My mistake in a previous post was thinking that it was only limited to A or AA gaming.

I just feel bad for the indie devs. I'd rather have a die hard cult classic community like peripeteia has rather then the gazillions of sales and millions of pointless self-indulgent awards Balatro has. In a few months no one will even talk about it, it's a flash in the pan.

I'm sure they money will out last the fame
Which is all anyone should desire

 

[punisheddead]

I'm sure they money will out last the fame
Which is all anyone should desire

If all one desires is money they're in the wrong industry. For every 1 balatro you have 10000 of failed games with 50 plays.

 

[alCannium27]

If all one desires is money they're in the wrong industry. For every 1 balatro you have 10000 of failed games with 50 plays.

Any industry with actual competition is filled with failures. If one wants to make it, one has to risk it. That's the natural order of the world
if one wants to make smug BS only hipsters give a damn, there is always liberal arts colleges. May they be born with a rich daddy, for clearly they ain't ever gonna amount to anything

 

[Some_porcupine]

problem once again is that there are really not that much of spaces that go against status quo.* (get popular -vs- get hated -vs- get recognized/be indie/new in game, play, interest) if they are, how tf you are even to find them, while they stay away from being popular (it sucks then) and afloat (to find its audience, but to not get popular/trendy/hyped/sellout).
it is problem with
- audience (who, why; f, m, kids, adults, adventure/strategy/mmporg?...)
- market, and (where, how much $ for ad; distribution, visibility; trends)
- familiarity (what i am looking for; trends, tags, genre)

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said nothing new...

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will we ever see game like RTC1, 2; ZT...? or, is it that we retcon (sorry if i am wrong) and those were never indie? was city skylines and mini-metro/freeways! (&types) last games that were indie (if they ere, ever)?...

*) /dont let me tap the picture again (i agree with it but why...)

 

[HEAVEN'S♂JELLYFISH]

I think the problem with even the "good" indie games is that they're too derivative of older, more memorable games to stand on their own and a lot of them aren't made with franchise/sequel potential in mind so stuff like interesting characters and lore that's bigger than what a single game can cover is usually an after-thought.
There's a reason why Resident Evil became a franchise whereas something like Crow Country will probably be a one-off.

 

[willhelpme]

All the innovation is done. The fun that could happen did. Condolences to those who missed it at inception as you'll get naught but retreads till the next tech shift inspires the creatives to think different as they break rules not yet penned in the quest for the elusive.

Not that it was all sunshine and rainbows back then as the shovelware iterative imitations of what hit were present but what was a high water mark hit a target as yet unenvisioned and thats what made it kick like hell when it slipped into your system after inserting a credit for a spin. That and it was a "by nerds, for nerds" type thing ergo more discerning. The other aspect of increased shiny with no underlying mech progress is quite sad as well but, I suspect, the interplay of AI "sentient" NPCs mixed with wearable tech or some VR type headset will bring the thrill as we pave the way to the Brave New World, as intended where we can be lonely, together, whilst surrounded by synths and replicants.

Anyone who calls them less than human will be worse than Hitler himself.

 

[HEAVEN'S♂JELLYFISH]

All the innovation is done. The fun that could happen did. Condolences to those who missed it at inception as you'll get naught but retreads till the next tech shift inspires the creatives to think different as they break rules not yet penned in the quest for the elusive.

Not that it was all sunshine and rainbows back then as the shovelware iterative imitations of what hit were present but what was a high water mark hit a target as yet unenvisioned and thats what made it kick like hell when it slipped into your system after inserting a credit for a spin. That and it was a "by nerds, for nerds" type thing ergo more discerning. The other aspect of increased shiny with no underlying mech progress is quite sad as well but, I suspect, the interplay of AI "sentient" NPCs mixed with wearable tech or some VR type headset will bring the thrill as we pave the way to the Brave New World, as intended where we can be lonely, together, whilst surrounded by synths and replicants.

Anyone who calls them less than human will be worse than Hitler himself.

Can't wait until the days where "YWNBAH" becomes an insult.

 

[PizzaW0lf]

A lot of gamers now, especially younger ones, don't even particularly care about the quality of the game if it's a multiplayer game

I'm actually JUST realizing right how deeply sinister this is for gaming actually. I think a real reason why big single player games aren't being made today (outside of console exclusives) is actually piracy paranoia. If you make a multiplayer focused game well then you just HAVE to have friends just to play!! See with a singleplayer, you can very easily pirate it right? Well guess what these major corporations did? Get rid of them in favor of multiplayer slop! You want to just normally play a game? What are you a chud?? No that's not enough, we want you to join a "community" actually.

AND THIS IS ACTUALLY WHAT VALVE HAS BEEN DOING!!! Let me explain.

So Valve has a mantra of "provide a service better than pirates" and guess what? they have actually done this recently with some specific games.

Remember Half life Alyx? Sure you could pirate the game but guess what chud? You're going to need a VR headset! Please give us 1000 shekels for one! (or on the lower end like maybe 200 but still). And for good measure we will totally convince you that this is "innovative" actually even though VR was a total meme like 3 years before it came out. Also, I think HLA is good/well built actually, not saying it's bad but I'm starting to realize why this actually was VR instead of just a normal single-player game.

AND THEN WE HAVE DEADLOCK... yet again another multiplayer slop game....

This has got to be a very core reason why Valve hasn't really made any games for a very long time (and same with Rockstar). It's literally entirely because of how easy it is to pirate single player games (especially on PC) no matter how good the game is. And OF COURSE, everyone else in the AAA space is following this same exact logic too.

Remember how EA said that single-player games were dead? Yeah they were unfortunately right and not because they're aren't popular, it's because these psychos want total control over everything and piracy and single-player games gets in the way of that. Which again why we're seeing multiplayer slop so much today because now in order to play a game, you need a "friend".

I sound like "the end is near" type person don't I? I really don't want to be a doomer but what an absolutely awful direction for humanity to take huh?? All because we can't be bothered to "honestly" support a game.

 

[Andy Kaufman]

I'm actually JUST realizing right how deeply sinister this is for gaming actually. I think a real reason why big single player games aren't being made today (outside of console exclusives) is actually piracy paranoia. If you make a multiplayer focused game well then you just HAVE to have friends just to play!! See with a singleplayer, you can very easily pirate it right? Well guess what these major corporations did? Get rid of them in favor of multiplayer slop! You want to just normally play a game? What are you a chud?? No that's not enough, we want you to join a "community" actually.

AND THIS IS ACTUALLY WHAT VALVE HAS BEEN DOING!!! Let me explain.

So Valve has a mantra of "provide a service better than pirates" and guess what? they have actually done this recently with some specific games.

Remember Half life Alyx? Sure you could pirate the game but guess what chud? You're going to need a VR headset! Please give us 1000 shekels for one! (or on the lower end like maybe 200 but still). And for good measure we will totally convince you that this is "innovative" actually even though VR was a total meme like 3 years before it came out. Also, I think HLA is good/well built actually, not saying it's bad but I'm starting to realize why this actually was VR instead of just a normal single-player game.

AND THEN WE HAVE DEADLOCK... yet again another multiplayer slop game....

This has got to be a very core reason why Valve hasn't really made any games for a very long time (and same with Rockstar). It's literally entirely because of how easy it is to pirate single player games (especially on PC) no matter how good the game is. And OF COURSE, everyone else in the AAA space is following this same exact logic too.

Remember how EA said that single-player games were dead? Yeah they were unfortunately right and not because they're aren't popular, it's because these psychos want total control over everything and piracy and single-player games gets in the way of that. Which again why we're seeing multiplayer slop so much today because now in order to play a game, you need a "friend".

I sound like "the end is near" type person don't I? I really don't want to be a doomer but what an absolutely awful direction for humanity to take huh?? All because we can't be bothered to "honestly" support a game.

This can't be because smug thrid worlders kept promising me that purchasing video games or not could never ever have an impact on the industry that exists to sell video games.

Maybe I'm still very happy with the vidya industry because I buy my ganes and thus get served what I want.

 

[Lonely_Ghost]

I've recently been playing 3 Indie games that all came out within a year or 2.
Look outside, Animal Well and Toads of the Bayou.
All 3 of these games kick ass and i could easily list another 10 indie games i love that came out over a year ago if i wanted. The indie scene is still going strong and i think you're all nuts.

 

[Andy Kaufman]

I've recently been playing 3 Indie games that all came out within a year or 2.
Look outside, Animal Well and Toads of the Bayou.
All 3 of these games kick ass and i could easily list another 10 indie games i love that came out over a year ago if i wanted. The indie scene is still going strong and i think you're all nuts.

My steam library is always sorted by last played and when I go back form now until 2023 It's 90% indie games

 

[Lonely_Ghost]

My steam library is always sorted by last played and when I go back form now until 2023 It's 90% indie games
View attachment 142175

>Caves of Qud, another banger

I can't for the life of me see the points that many people in this thread make. A good game is a good game, you don't need to reinvent the wheel every time for something to be great and there's tons of great indie games on the market and i'm sure lots that are still in production.

 

[R_Savarin]

I'm actually JUST realizing right how deeply sinister this is for gaming actually. I think a real reason why big single player games aren't being made today (outside of console exclusives) is actually piracy paranoia. If you make a multiplayer focused game well then you just HAVE to have friends just to play!! See with a singleplayer, you can very easily pirate it right? Well guess what these major corporations did? Get rid of them in favor of multiplayer slop! You want to just normally play a game? What are you a chud?? No that's not enough, we want you to join a "community" actually.

AND THIS IS ACTUALLY WHAT VALVE HAS BEEN DOING!!! Let me explain.

So Valve has a mantra of "provide a service better than pirates" and guess what? they have actually done this recently with some specific games.

Remember Half life Alyx? Sure you could pirate the game but guess what chud? You're going to need a VR headset! Please give us 1000 shekels for one! (or on the lower end like maybe 200 but still). And for good measure we will totally convince you that this is "innovative" actually even though VR was a total meme like 3 years before it came out. Also, I think HLA is good/well built actually, not saying it's bad but I'm starting to realize why this actually was VR instead of just a normal single-player game.

AND THEN WE HAVE DEADLOCK... yet again another multiplayer slop game....

This has got to be a very core reason why Valve hasn't really made any games for a very long time (and same with Rockstar). It's literally entirely because of how easy it is to pirate single player games (especially on PC) no matter how good the game is. And OF COURSE, everyone else in the AAA space is following this same exact logic too.

Remember how EA said that single-player games were dead? Yeah they were unfortunately right and not because they're aren't popular, it's because these psychos want total control over everything and piracy and single-player games gets in the way of that. Which again why we're seeing multiplayer slop so much today because now in order to play a game, you need a "friend".

I sound like "the end is near" type person don't I? I really don't want to be a doomer but what an absolutely awful direction for humanity to take huh?? All because we can't be bothered to "honestly" support a game.

To be completely honest with you I don't think this is the case, I think the real reason has more to do with casual players just wanting to turn their brains off and press buttons. They want games that can be played for one hour or three, every day or once a week, without negatively impacting their experience directly. You can do something like that with COD multiplayer since there is no wider context to remember, but a JRPG with a really complex plot, tons of lore and two hour long story missions might not fit the bill.
Singleplayer games like Balatro have become extremely successful because like multiplayer shooters there is no wider context or story to pay attention to. It's also why every multiplayer shooter that starts to die will eventually be full of nothing but stuff like 24/7 hightower and 2fort matches. Most people use videogames as a dopamine factory to make their free time less boring and nothing more.
Multiplayer games also lend themselves to things like microtransactions, which are usually well protected against piracy but would still be vastly more lucrative than game sales themselves even if they were not. Also, multiplayer games aren't inherently resistant to piracy. They're harder to pirate, but most popular paid multiplayer games have cracks available.

 

[InsufferableCynic]

Aaaand now we're seeing an absolute deluge of roguelike deckbuilders, almost all of which are atrocious.

When will this circus end?

 

[silkdealer]

at some point i disconnected from the whole video game scape as a large and stuck to my collection of games that i played back when i was teenager, visiting them every once in a while. there will be the occasional new game that catches my eye (intravenous II, flyknight, deep rock galactic with the boys) but other than that i just play the same shit. cyberpunk 2077 and its likes get catapulted back in the public eye and people talk about it, i feel like playing deus ex or system shock 2. oblivion remaster got people talking about elder scrolls again, so i modded morrowind and booted that game up again. think its been like 7 years since i touched that one. the only new indie games that kinda caught my eye are cyber knights flashpoints and never second in rome.

i dont really think im missing out on much.

 

[PizzaW0lf]

i dont really think im missing out on much.

What's the main thing that's holding you back from modern gaming? MTX? lack of content? stupid drama? Favorite series not being made anymore?

I feel like gaming is in a spot that feels hopeless but I think fixing it is really easy to be honest.
>Make games with the golden standard in mind (full game on disc and NONE MTX, OR DLC, Live service nonesense)
>Don't use games as a political tool or to stir up mindless drama
>Make it addictive but in a good way. Make it feel endless.
>Listen to what players want more or less

Layoffs is a somewhat more complex issue but even then there can be some solutions to it I think. I genuinely feel like gaming can still be easily fixed. We just need some more honesty and less bureaucratic greed.

 

[silkdealer]

What's the main thing that's holding you back from modern gaming?

that im not a dumbass 17 year old loser with all the time in the world. im now a dumbass 25 year old loser with a job and responsibilites. granted, life is still pretty simple and i have decent amounts of free time but i cant keep sitting on my ass doing nothing forever. so i go and do shit andd when i wanna game i just want the stuff that made 17 year old me happy.

 

[Lonely_Ghost]

Aaaand now we're seeing an absolute deluge of roguelike deckbuilders, almost all of which are atrocious.

When will this circus end?

Which ones? Especially the atrocious ones