It's Important for Brands To Understand Why Indie Developers Make Games

Earlier this summer, I conducted a DSI (Developer Sentiment Index) Survey, which asked a broad developer network specific questions to get a pulse on developers both personally and professionally. I did this to help gauge where developers are at in today’s landscape and better-inform how we curate opportunities for them.

Brands that don’t often intersect with games need to understand WHY devs make games if they are to successfully work with developers. Game development is both a technical and artistic medium that is incredibly nuanced. To successfully and appropriately work with developers, you need to understand them.

Let’s start by addressing what drove them to start developing games. Nearly everyone in our survey started making games because they love playing games. Makes sense, right? Game developers are players first. Here are some select quotes from our DSI on how they were inspired:

“I had so much fun playing them [games] with my family. Also, the first time a game made me cry, I knew I had to be a part of it.”

“Because I had stories to tell that couldn’t just be in books.”

“I enjoy the creative aspects of building games, and like to find new ways to entertain fellow gamers.”

Developers understand the importance of making games because, as gamers themselves, they have been touched by it. When we asked developers to pinpoint their inspiration into game making, these were the top responses:

Representation:

“I didn’t see myself represented” was one of the most common responses. Historically, media has not been known for its copious diversity. It’s proven difficult to find stories and experiences for many developers to relate to. The wonderful thing about indie game development is how developers can seize the opportunity to create and execute their own stories without being beholden to agencies, studios or investor opinion or censorship.

The diversity of game developers has changed the media landscape as a whole; creating a more diverse, creative and inclusive landscape for the games' industry (and improving entertainment media as a whole). Playcrafting helps fund and uplift underrepresented developers with paid opportunities to help tell their stories.

Nostalgia:

Video games really entered the scene in the 70s, ramping up through the 80s and becoming a childhood staple for many kids in the 90s – so it's no surprise that the industry is ripe with gamers who, well, grew up gaming. Video games are a core memory for many, and nostalgia is a powerful aspect of the human experience. All this to say that it is likely no surprise that nostalgia is a huge influence on why developers pursue games as a career.

Many of the developers responded to the Developer Sentiment Index that nostalgia and making their passion their job were the drivers for their career in games. This may seem like a simple and obvious reason to get into game development, but it is a personal and emotional one that should remain front of mind for anyone that wants to work with developers.

Artistic Expression:

Video games of the current-generation vaunt true-to-life graphics that often surpass any visual effects present in movies -- but this is not the only aspect of games that define them as an artistic medium. In fact, graphics only scratch the surface.

While life-like graphics are impressive, indie developers have the artistic freedom to experiment with unique art styles outside what the mainstream may view as the norm for game graphics. Outside of graphics, there is art to be made through music composition, audio engineering, narrative design, cinematography and directing. Brands should approach developers with the same regard as talent that come together to create film media.

Developers cited to us that their motivator to tell stories through their preferred artistic medium, combined with their understanding of tech and nostalgia for games, is what landed them to pursue game development. Much like indie films, indie games give developers more freedom to tell their story as they envision it.

Cross-Section of Art + Tech:

Game developers are both artists and masters of the technical realm, needing a working knowledge of how their contribution to game development can be implemented successfully. In our Developer Sentiment Index survey, devs told us another reason they wanted to work in games was the cross-section of art + tech.

In short, this gave their artistic interest and ability an application that was both fulfilling to them and provides them the comfort of doing what they love as a career. The tech industry is growing rapidly - with new tech, SDK’s (software development kits) game engines, AR, XR, VR…the Metaverse — etc., etc. becoming more and more prevalent and available to developers, thus creating endless opportunities for developers to express themselves and make a living.

I asked game developers to rank what’s most important to them in a project. We listed the following options to choose from:

• subject matter

• social good

• career growth

• good team

• income

• learning new skills

When it comes to projects, it was clear that game developers primarily care about 2 things: subject matter & team.

More than half of developers listed their #1 criterion for evaluating a new project as either the subject matter of the game (36%) or the team (27%). Subject matter and team are more than 60% likely to appear in the top 3 most important criteria overall.

It bears repeating, that if you are a brand looking to work with developers to keep this data top of mind. Developers are artists, technologists and experts that are contributing to a billion dollar media industry. They’re thoughtful about the projects they work on, and who they work with matters. Developers deserve to be respected, heard and compensated fairly for their work, vision and expertise in an evolving, complex industry.