Twitter is an Explosion of Excellent Indie Games
/Back in the early days, game development was dominated by big studios pushing their titles with TV ads and mascot characters. Although the market is still dominated by huge development teams, the small developers garner massive mainstream appeal. Thanks to the internet and modern technology, the average person can create a game from the comfort of their own home.
But how do they market themselves? If they’re lucky, they catch the attention of companies like Nintendo or Sony. Those who aren’t as fortunate have to rely on social media and word of mouth.
Twitter, especially, is incredible for finding interesting and unique indie games. Scrolling through the site on your phone can provide you with GIFs and video clips of some of the most beautiful pixel art you’ve ever seen. I would have never discovered projects like Andrew Brophy’s Knuckle Sandwich if it weren’t for Twitter. It’s this Earthbound-inspired role-playing game where you play as a disgruntled twenty-something who has to survive working at a sketchy burger joint. You don’t get that kind of shit from AAA titles.
Some other games that have caught my attention thanks to Twitter are Carrion; a Metroidvania horror game where you play as an amorphous blob of blood and guts, Kingdoms of the Dump; another Earthbound-inspired RPG about a sentient trashcan, and Eastward; a beautiful pixel art RPG about a futuristic post-apocalypse.
These developers need to get word of their games out somehow. They also need to continuously update their followers on projects they’re working on or else they’ll fade into obscurity. I love seeing how a project is coming along over the years; how the artwork and the gameplay evolves over time is super interesting. I’m grateful for the time we live in where I can get excited for a video game just because I was bored enough to log onto Twitter.com.
Dylan has been playing games since he was a wee lad. For the last 25 years, he has built up a terrifying backlog of games he claims he will get to “eventually.” Unfortunately, this backlog continues to grow because of his crippling Tetris addiction, and his horrible attention span.
His other interests include: thinking up Dungeons & Dragons characters he never ends up playing, watching compilations of sad anime scenes, and trying to be funny.
You can find him occasionally tweeting here: @dylanproy
