1UP: “The Indie Kids Are Alright!”

By: Derek Yu

On: March 17th, 2008

Scott Sharkey wrote a nice little round-up for the all the indie video interviews 1UP did at GDC last month. The feature has links to the developers’ interviews, and their websites, along with a nice photo of each one (which I’ve collected in the image above). Always great to see the beautiful faces behind the games!

No matter where they’re coming from, there’s one thing you hear over and over again: “It’d be nice to make money from this, but I’ll keep doing it anyway.” If they have anything in common, it’s a simple love of the art and a compulsion to make their ideas real.

Also, check out this great clip from DL.TV, where 1UP’S Garnett Lee expresses his admiration for Crayon Physics Deluxe and Fez (starting around 1:30):

His descriptions of the games are pretty spot-on, in my opinion!

Posted in Community, Developers, IGF / GDC, Interviews

Susan

<3 Kelly
Petri Purho

<3 Cactus
Derek

<3 Petri!
Lim-Dul

I can’t say it often enough: Dylan looks like Jesus. :-D
ChevyRay

I can’t say how much of that video I skipped through. Jeez that was annoying.

Cool pics, though.
dmitri_kavestoriripoff

Too much pathos.
kthxbye.
konjak

Haha, Jonotan
the real J-C

@Lim-Dul :
They all look like some sort of nerdy version of Jesus (probably think they are too)
Susan

Still think Crayon Physics is highly over-rated…
Sherlock

Hmm.

One of them is wearing a scarf.

This leads me to the conclusion that it must have been cold on the day the pictures were taken.
MrBig

Crayon Physics highly over-rated? Wha?? yes, you mean in comparison to Crayon Physics Deluxe right? I can’t wait for this game! Most imaginative and original game in a long time… aside from Super Limp-Dick Mario that is… Anyway, I’ll be buying Crayon Physics Deluxe the day it comes out… or pre-order it if the option becomes available *ahem*Petri*ahem*… Besides, there are a lot of great games to look forward to this year with Fez, World O’ Goo, Noitu Love 2, (sorry but fuck Audio Surf cuz it’s Steam exclusive), oh and Super-Mondo-Nipple-Twisty, oh and definitely can’t forget Aquaria 2 *jk*…

Gonna be a hella-good games this year mon!
MrBig

Actually there are far too many games coming out within the next year so I propose that everyone enters the name of a title that hasn’t been mentioned in this thread yet, that way we can make this thread the longer than any other thread so far… while giving these games more exposure… and turning you into my puppets. :-D
Lim-Dul

This impersonation “gag” is getting old…
Lim-Dul

This impersonation â€œgagâ€ is getting oldâ€¦

See what I mean!
Mrs.Wow

Wow, Cactus is quite shy! Cute+2 ^o^
gustav

what a handsome lot!
Tantan

This is like one huge mancrushfest for me.
Scott Sharkey and cactus!? This is madness.
Tantan

And fish.
JTR

Wow. They really look indie.
MrBig

@JTR,

What the hell does that mean!?!? You sound like they should all be wearing turbans or something. ;-P

To be honest they look like normal folk that don’t think they’re the next best thing since sliced pizza.

Some of the mainstream devs think there shit don’t stink… Except Cliff Bleszinski though, I mean that guy just rocks! He’s about as cool as falling from a 10 story building onto a 12-foot barb-wired fence and impaling your scrotum while you’re at it… Well you could sorta say he used to be indie anyway… sorta… I think he’s lost something along the way though.
PHeMoX

*Still think Crayon Physics is highly over-ratedâ€¦*

I agree, if I had to choose between Crayon Physics and for example Fez I’d choose Fez. I think Crayon Physics is a great game and I am definitely interested in seeing where they’ve taken the concept with Crayon Physics Deluxe, but it’s easy to forget it started out as (“just”) a tiny prototype game that obviously didn’t reach it’s full potential yet.
500 bananas and a three fiddy

minivan

@mr big:
1-cliffyB is just one giant, balding, idiot with an overinflated ego. His greatest artistic achievement is Gears of war , which is the artistic equivalent of Battlefield earth.

2-none of these kids up there looks “cool” or “awesome”. They might be great designers, but I come here for the games, not to watch day after day, endless sloppy blow jobs on 20-something nerds who tell about their juvenile philosophy or their childhood and how super mario influenced their artistic abilities (sic). Or how all their view on life is centered around videogames…
I’m not saying it’s derek’s fault , because it’s a general tendency in the videogame media to idolize the “indie rockstars” and it’s becoming tiresome.
More on the games, less on the devs PLEASE.
MrBig

@500 bananas and a three fiddy,

1) You’re wrong! CliffyB is no balding! He uses Rogaine — and Viagra! Rogaine to fight the balding, and Viagra to fight the impotency caused by Rogaine! So there!

2) You take this stuff way to seriously man! Chillax for a minute dude. Or go play some Xbox 360 with some real cool kids! “Hey man, lets jump into Halo 3 with the rest of the 420 clan homie!” – As said by some dumbass pasty faced white kid with more virtual friends than Bill Gates and less real friends than a leper.

Anyway, if all you’re looking for is games then hit up gamehippo.com or reflexive arcade, or arcade town, or GameTunnel. Everyone else here seems to be fine with the indie dev orgy that’s going on… or just suck it up. Quite simple really. Just don’t slit your wrists over the whole situation okay? If you need help just call… somebody.
500 bananas and a three fiddy

Wow you just so zinged me.
Mr.Big

Yeah but don’t worry, I have nothing against big juicy bananas. I love how they taste in my mouth.
Lim-Dul

As do I!
Phasma Felis

So this “Fez” thing, is it actually possible to play it? Because I’m not finding that anywhere.