Indie and casual dev: how serious is serious?

[Ricardo Vladimiro]

Hi

I've been stumbling on some opinions about indie and casual development. I would like to hear your opinion about this.

I've been confronted with opinions that making a serious game is to make an RTS, FPS, MMO, et cetera. Making a puzzle is somewhat a lower standard. Having great graphics, sound and whatnot is the main thing... not a fun gameplay. In fact, I think that gameplay is being somewhat confused with a media over-filled package. When I was dwelling in megalomaniac ideas with only papers and sketchs (nothing to show really), there was a certain excitment in other people... now a screenshot deserves a sentence like "ah... a puzzle... nice..."

What worries me is that these opinions have been vented from people that want to make games or participate in game projects.

Indie, be it casual game development or not, is to me as serious as any AAA project and very viable and professional route to follow.

What do you think?

[PoV]

Depending on whom you are, I'd say Indie is *more* serious than AAA development. Anyone that's previously done the work for hire game developent thang would probably agree, that it really doesn't seem as serious until your own ass is on the line by running your own business. You're spending you're own money to get the job done, and if you screw up or fail, it's you that's going to suffer. Now that's motivating.

I guess in a way it's a similar mindset to back when you start the work for hire thang. You're the new guy, and you want to be all you can be, prove your worth and all that. But eventually as time goes on, you notice or hunger to be even more than that. Then you quit your job to make your dream game(s). "Wow, you're crazy!" they say. And that's true, until you prove them all wrong. :)

[Ricardo Vladimiro]

Depending on whom you are, I'd say Indie is *more* serious than AAA development. Anyone that's previously done the work for hire game developent thang would probably agree, that it really doesn't seem as serious until your own ass is on the line by running your own business. You're spending you're own money to get the job done, and if you screw up or fail, it's you that's going to suffer. Now that's motivating.

You are the second person that tells me that. I don't have experience in hiring or being hired has a programmer, but I've just hired a artist for the first time (actually it's the first time I've ever hired someone) and now I'm working on this game, like I do with all project-management works I do in my day job.

Maybe that's why the opinions I said above tick me off a bit. I am working a lot, basically having two jobs at the same time. This project has project management, has costs, has a lot of work, has a goal... heck! It's as complex as any other project... so why should it be less serious because it's not a FPS or MMO or something like that?...

I guess in a way it's a similar mindset to back when you start the work for hire thang. You're the new guy, and you want to be all you can be, prove your worth and all that. But eventually as time goes on, you notice or hunger to be even more than that. Then you quit your job to make your dream game(s). "Wow, you're crazy!" they say. And that's true, until you prove them all wrong. :)

PoV, this is most inspiring. Because it's true I guess...

I have run my business in the past, although not related to game development. Money was not bad, but I needed some more security. Now I am on the other extreme... I don't have a level of tolerance for an office job and I'm absolutely sure some people think I'm crazy and they don't believe that the casual market generates any revenue.

I'll show them! :D I'm getting off-topic here. Thank you for your answer.