According to Innersloth's official Twitter account, the mafia indie game "Among Us" has surpassed 1.5 million simultaneous users. According to the Weekly Active Users (WAU) trend ranking released by mobile market analysis service app AP, for the third week of August, “Among Us” showed an increase of more than 600% users. It ranked No. 1 not only in the Google Play Store's free game category but also in the overall action category as of August 26th. Due to its popularity, the developers confirmed that the next episode will be released. Park So-Jung (20, Dept. of Business Administration), said, "I've been playing a lot of Among Us game with my friends recently. Unlike the games produced by large companies, this game was easily accessible through mobile devices. Also, it was nice to be able to enjoy it together through online when we could not go to PC Cafes and meet friends due to social distancing.” Then, what are indie games, and why are they so popular?

An “indie game” is a game created by a small company at a low cost and is free from interference from distribution or sponsorship. It freely selects materials while excluding interference from external capital and allows the developer's personal story to permeate into the game, leaving the possibility of communication with the player open. As the examples of indie games with this feature, “Minecraft” is the best example, which sold more than 18 million units in 2011, and four years later it became one of the best-selling video games in the world. "Stardew Valley" which is also an indie game produced by a single developer also sold 10 million copies in January 2019. In addition, "Undertail" won eight “Game Of The Year (GOTY) in 2015, which is difficult for even one indie game to win. It also scored 92 points, higher than games produced by big companies such as “Call of Duty” and “Final Fantasy.”

The first reason why indie games became popular is that they are fresher than ordinary games, due to creative ideas and unique design elements. Unlike ordinary games produced by major companies, developers' intentions can be melted into the game without anyone's interference. There are also retro-style indie games that use retro-style pixel graphics to make them look like old games while having a modern gaming system. For example, "The Binding of Issac”, "Dungreed" and "Braid" are indie games that have appeared in homage to some famous classic games. Nam Hyun-Gu (24, Korea University) said, "In Undertale, the intuitive and attractive graphics and the original sound track of the developer were impressive. Also, I enjoyed playing an indie game called Minecraft and I was attracted by simple controls, unlike high-end games with complicated controls."

Second, easier accessibility due to the technology development leading to the expansion of platforms is also another reason. Today, the platform of indie games extends beyond personal computers to consoles such as Play Station, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox, as well as mobile devices such as IOS and Android. For example, in the PlayStation, indie games such as "The Missing: J.J. Mayfield and the Island of Memories", "Journey", "ABZÛ", and "Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night " will be available to play. Also, new indie games such as “CELESTE" and "Battle Princess MADELYN" were released on Nintendo Switch. Besides, thanks to the development of technology, various games that can be enjoyed with smartphones are being released. Lee Tae-Hui (24, one-man game developer) said, “The expansion of online platforms has increased opportunities to introduce indie games to the public. In particular, as the company expanded to mobile devices, it introduced simple and original games, giving it an opportunity to diversify user ages and gender.” In the past, high-level technology was required to produce games, but the game engines were developed to enable small groups or a single person to create. Game software is developed with a well-converged source code of graphic engine, physical engine, audio engine, and U system based on the development of the game, combined with the tools available to designers. Due to these characteristics, the development cost has been lowered and indie games are being developed a lot.

Lee Dong-hoon (Prof. of Dept. of Games, Dongseo University) said, "The prospects are bright as technology continues to develop and the working environment improves. This lowered the threshold for non-professionals to develop and to improve accessibility. For indie game development to be activated, I think we need to recognize games as artistic genres such as movies, art, and music and provide administrative and financial support for creation."

By Suh Ji-Won, Reporter

adela6193@pusan.ac.kr