Indie video games are becoming ever more popular in the gaming world. As a result, there has been grown respect for these solo indie video game developers, and they show how determination and skill can give you a place in this industry. This article will discuss the easiest way to get an indie video game company with minimal cost.
The video game industry has grown by a tremendous size during the past few years. It’s turned into a billion-dollar business and is now earning more than the revenues that both the movie and music industries earn combined—one of this almost $70 billion industry’s growing sub-sectors in the indie game development scene.
The Indie Scene
The world of indie video games is just starting, and known titles are now populating the market from the likes of Celeste and Hollow Knight. It seems that there is a whole new space for beginner developers to start, and it’s an already billion-dollar market, too. Unfortunately, this means that there is no more room for investors to join the party and fund these indie video game developers.
Now that you know you can profit from making video games, it’s all about knowing where to start.
Start Solo
This guide is all about being a solo indie video game developer. Big indie games such as Undertale, Stardew Valley, and even Minecraft are made by a single developer! If you have the determination and creative mind, you can go to the distance being a solo developer. Because of today’s software, you don’t even need that much experience in video game development to create your games. You need the right computer and the proper design choice to get you on your way.
Purchase the Right Computer
You’re going to need a computer good enough for video game development, and with this guide, you won’t even need the most high-end gear. You have many choices in purchasing a computer, but you can look for gaming PCs to buy online. In addition, many websites can help you customize your own gaming PC, and this will save you a ludicrous amount of money, which you’re going to need if you want to sustain yourself.
The right specs you’re looking for here are a gaming computer with decent RAM (about 32 GB), a good processor (preferably a Ryzen 7 3700X), and an average video card (about 6GB to 8GB of VRAM). The motherboard and the monitor can be low-end since you’re not going to start using Unreal Engine or anything higher to develop your first game. But make sure that your motherboard can support your processor and video card, so check which cheap motherboards can support them.
Next up is going to be your design choice.
Pixel Art
If you have limited skills in animation and design, you don’t have to worry because you can still make games! Your best choice is pixel art. Minecraft and Undertale have this kind of design choice, and it’s the easiest to get into, given the modern software we have today.
Your best choice for a pixel art program is Aseprite. It’s around $10 on Steam, so it’s just pocket change even if you’re not working. It’s a simple enough program to help you make your games since it comes with a built-in game developer tool. Although the developer tool is bare-bones, you can start making platformers with it. Combine it with RPG maker, another software on Steam, and you can start making RPG games yourself, similar to the first Dragon Quest games.
Make a Ton of Games
From here on, it’s all about making games. You have many choices for video game design, and it’s all about choosing what you are familiar with. Base your games on mechanics you’ve learned from other games, create your video game world, and get started. Once you’ve finished your first game, you can put it on Steam Direct and get people to play your video game and vote whether it should go on sale.
Another path is to go into Kickstarter or Patreon. In there, you can have decent followers who can pay for your game through subscription or funding. It is a harder path, but one that’s worth it if they find your game worth the investment.
Alternatives
Instead of pixel art, you can go with a free version of Unity Engine. It’s a much-complicated system, but the variety of games you can make out of it can be pretty complex. It might take you a year or so to make a good game out of it, but it’s certainly worth doing if you want to put yourself out in the market.
So here is a short guide that’ll get you started in the world of indie games. There are still a couple of things left out of this guide, but it’s more or less the essentials. Remember that it’s all about practice and transitioning to high-end game development systems in the future. But right now, test the waters and see if the video game developer path is made for you.
