indie dev

Why Indie Developers Need a Little Help

Suppose you’re one of the thousands upon thousands of indie developers looking to make, share, and monetize your game.

If you try to do it on your own, you’ll be taking the place of quite a few different professionals, including:

  • Developer
  • Designer
  • Composer 
  • Sound Effects Master
  • Accountant
  • Blogger
  • Social Media Manager
  • Creative Director for Advertising
  • Head of Marketing
  • Head of Public Relations 

… just to name a few.

Clearly, this is not a one-person job, especially if you have a day job.

But we’re not just boasting the benefit of our services.

If you’re not a good designer, you should invest in some graphics, even if you have to settle for free clipart. Once you become more successful, you can splurge on a designer.

Indie developers are notoriously… independent.

Usually, that’s a great quality, but don’t let your pride (or stinginess) keep you from making the best and most successful game you can.

How Indie Developers Can Overcome Their Small Size

There are a lot of benefits to being an indie developer: you get to make the games you want, you don’t have a set schedule, and you have cool stuff to show people at parties.

But there are problems faced by indie game developers because of their small size.

Of course, when you do succeed, the payout is huge, but the vast majority of indie games get little or no attention.

Here are tips for overcoming your small size as an indie game developer.

1. Master Social Media

Social media is one area in which indie game developers have the edge over large corporations. Unlike bigger companies, you (could) have a personal relationship with your fans.

For a full-length guide to social media marketing, you can check out our free guide.

2. Acknowledge Your Size.

One of the fastest ways to fail as an indie developer is to try to emulate the larger corporations with hundreds of people making a single game.

You’ll never be able to match those man-or-woman-hours.

Instead, figure out the best use of your time. What can you do better than anyone else?

Once you play to your strengths, being an indie developer is no longer a problem, but a benefit.

3. Take Risks.

One thing indie developers can do that big companies (usually) won’t is take risks.

Unlike EA, you don’t have hundreds of employees and stock holders relying on the success of your next release. If you make something and it flops, it will suck, but it won’t ruin your life (hopefully).

Take risks, and make things that the big companies can’t. 

4. Follow Your Heart.

Last, and most importantly, follow your heart.

As an individual, you have a unique set of ideas, passions, and goals. The more people involved in a project, the more these things need to be shared.

With huge companies, games become the result of the lowest common denominator.

As an indie developer, you can do what’s right for you — and hopefully a good number of fans.