amok: So this is “it’s not real art unless the artist is suffering” .
Indie devlopers are not supposed to eat or be able to pay bills. They are to suffer. If they are not suffering and bleeding bloody tears in pursuit of the next pure indie game, then they are not making indie games?
rjbuffchix: I believe you are pushing what is a false dichotomy. I don't think anyone is saying modern indie devs are supposed to miss meals or bill payments. I would like to ask is, why "must" the meals and bill payments come as a result of their game sales? Why is it a requirement for indie development to be their full-time job rather than a hobby/side-pursuit? I ask the same questions of people who want to be full-time rockstars, or movie directors, or whichever artistic pursuit. In the case of game development, the barriers to entry are even (generally speaking) lower than ever.
The fact remains many people sense intuitively there is a spectrum of "purity" in which pieces of media fall into various places. For example, a AAA game that has been focus-grouped into oblivion will feel "corporate" or "diluted" compared to a one-person developer's passion project. Of course, modern indie gaming includes passion projects. However, while I believe a modern indie game from a developer who obsesses over Steam/Google/etc metrics can still be a passion project it will likely be inferior to someone's who isn't trying to pursue "game developer, as a lifestyle".
The intent behind the art matters, and if the intent boils down to "I want to be a rich famous game developer, and that's my full-time job", the art is already getting compromised imo. The motivation should instead be gamers making games for gamers. The shareware golden age was full of that; the modern indie era, for the most part, isn't.
I agree that when it comes to indie games, the best ones often show how passion should be the driving force. I also agree that some games feel soulless when they’re just chasing trends or metrics, and design by committee tends to result in bland, forgettable experiences. But I don’t think it’s fair to draw a hard line between making money and making meaningful games - these things aren’t mutually exclusive (where is that line, anyway?)
Ideally, people make games because they love doing it. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t also be able to pay their rent or make a living from their work, just like any other artist. Game development takes a huge amount of time and energy, and if someone is pouring themselves into it, why shouldn’t they be financially supported? Wanting to earn a living from your art doesn’t make you a sellout, it just means you’re trying to survive doing something you care deeply about.
Honestly, treating indie development as something that should only be a hobby can come across as a bit exclusionary, even elitist. Not everyone has the luxury of holding a day job and working on games in their free time. If you have a family or other responsibilities, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. If we only value the work of those who can afford to develop games "on the side," we risk missing out on a wide range of games. In the end, I believe passion and professionalism can absolutely go hand in hand. You can care about your art and want to succeed at the same time.
