The Evolution of the Term «Indie Game»: From Class to Genre

This work is devoted to the analysis of stages of formation and transformation of term «indie game». The aim of the work is an attempt to systematize the term «indie game» in the context of historical changes in its perception in the industrial field. Based on the analysis of information from open sources, periodization of the development of the indie segment and its characteristics at different stages is presented. Results of the study showed that at different stages of the development of gaming industry, the term «indie game» had different meanings. At the time of the industry's inception, all games were independent, as they were created by small groups of people as an experiment. The concept of «indie» arose around the mid-1990s during the console wars between Sony and Microsoft, as these and similar giant companies began to put production of video games on mass production in pursuit of increased sales, while attaching less importance to meanings. At the same time, concepts such as «AAA-level projects» and «indie projects» began to appear in the media field, which made «indie» synonymous with independent development and opposed it to the mainstream. The noughties were the heyday of indie games, when such landmark projects as Braid (2008) and Gish (2005) came out, which defined the main external characteristics of indie games. After 2010, major studios started using this term, calling their projects «indie» because of their visual style. This is how the concept of «indie-like» games arose, which had the characteristic features of the indie segment, but were not inherently independent. Later, the concept of «indie» became even more multifaceted, such categories as true indie, «indie-AAA», «indie bubble», etc. appeared. Thus, indie games today are not just synonymous with independent development. They include many different directions related to the historical development of this segment.