Good Practices for Indie and Solo Game Developers: A Survey Based on Online Videos

• Authors: Ferreira Andrée Burlamaqui , de Albuquerque Rafael Marques
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Although the most established model of digital game development is through funding from publishers, there has been a major boost to independent game development, especially after the 2000s. This production context has specific challenges, particularly for lone developers. Some indie developers share their experiences and tips with the community using videos, and these videos illustrate the challenges and mindset around indie development of their time. This article presents a survey of good practices for lone (solo) indie developers compiled from twenty-nine YouTube videos. There are thirteen content creators who shared various tips about tools to use; ways to improve the game design of a product; ways to improve production process management and how to avoid pipeline failures during the development; recommendations on how to handle and how to manage marketing, focusing on fanbase management; advice on how to stay healthy during the process and mindset changes that are required for the development of games. The tips are compiled and a discussion is made on how they outline a dimension of the indie context and mentality of their time, and how they illustrate what are considered good practices among community members.

Keywords

EN

game development; good practices; indie community; indie game; solo developers

• Publisher: Univerzita sv. Cyrila a Metoda (Trnava)
• Journal: Acta Ludologica
• Year: 2021
• Volume: 4
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 52-71
• Physical description: Media and Communication, Game studies, Theory of digital games
• Document type: Article

Contributors

author

Ferreira Andrée Burlamaqui

• University of Vale do Itajaí, Game Design and Digital Entertainment

author

de Albuquerque Rafael Marques

• University of Vale do Itajaí, School of Arts, Communication and Hospitality