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LFTE: Gaming's Secret Weapon: Passion (May 12)
The last few months I have been lucky enough to spend more time than an editor-in-chief like myself normally gets to spend listening to and hanging around a number of independent game developers. It was glorious.
In particular, I sat and played Spy Party with creator Chris Hecker, who walked away from EA after working on Spore for six years to create a game by himself (and a contracted artist). At its core, Spy Party is a game of spy vs. sniper where one player takes on the role of a spy and tries to complete objectives in a group of partying artificial intelligences, while the other player is a sniper who must pick the spy out of the crowd and assassinate him. You only get one shot, so you need to make it count.
Hecker is committed to making it both easy to pick up and play by someone with little game experience and as deep and complex as Counter-Strike so that experienced players can compete at another level for years to come. Players can use lots of small details and tricks on both sides of the scenario to subtly trick the other player into tripping up.
That goal, as you have already guessed, is not easy, and he may never reach the gaming nirvana he chases. But the important lesson here is the fact that he chases. Many accuse today's established publishers of not chasing the rabbit down the hole to find and foster true innovation.
That statement is both true and false. Game innovation does happen, but in a world where business rules, oftentimes the quick and easy path to success is the preferred choice for the average publisher. One man in his apartment can take significantly more chances, as he is seeking nothing more than his own approval (and if he is lucky, gaining his investment back so he can do it again).
Hecker is not the first independent developer, nor will he be the last. But I sense a similar unwavering passion from one indie developer after another. It's not always what they say, it is how they say it. Their voices drip with a want - a need - to adventure down the path they believe is right. This passion from both established players in the indie market and young students gives me hope for gaming's future. I have no doubt these "small" games will create giant reverberations that will shake and change gaming now and in the future.
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