Indie Exposure Addendum: Virality

Thanks to game developer Bateleur (FastRam Design) for recommending this video - it's well worth a watch. The video is a talk about how viral videos get popular, and I think there's strong parallels with the indie and iPhone games markets.



When I posted links to these articles on the TIGSource forums, a few points were raised. I'd casually mentioned a "mass gatekeeper" created by the consumer audience in my first article. This is to reference the point that the consumer network has replaced the gatekeeper that used to be publishers and platform holders. Developer Paul Eres suggested that the mass gatekeeper was less potent than the tastemakers: games press and gaming voices that inform large swathes of followers.

I think that both of these are true. Fortunately, I think that both of these gatekeepers are very similar to what they see as remarkable.

Video: Story of a Game Engine

The second instalment of my video series, Indie Developer Notebook is now available to watch online. It looks back on a platformer engine I developed at various stages from 2002 to 2010, how it developed, and why I ultimately put the project on the shelf.

The video also looks at platformer physics, and how breaking the accepted rules of physics can lead to exciting gameplay.



The first in the video series, Designing Greedy Bankers (Complexity from Simplicity) is also available to watch online.