Editing Video game development (section)

== Indie development ==
{{Main|Independent video game development}}

[[Indie game|Independent games]] or ''indie games''{{sfn|McGuire|Jenkins|2009|p=27}} are produced by individuals and small teams with no large-scale developer or publisher affiliations.{{sfn|McGuire|Jenkins|2009|p=27}}{{sfn|Moore|Novak|2010|p=272}}{{sfn|Bates|2004|p=252}} Indie developers generally rely on Internet distribution schemes.<!--27--> Many hobbyist indie developers create [[Mod (computer gaming)|mods]] of existing games.<!--27--> Indie developers are credited for creative game ideas (for example, ''[[Darwinia (video game)|Darwinia]]'', ''[[Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space|Weird Worlds]]'', ''[[World of Goo]]'').<!--27--> Current economic viability of indie development is questionable, however in recent years internet delivery platforms, such as, [[Xbox Live Arcade]] and [[Steam (service)|Steam]] have improved indie game success.{{sfn|McGuire|Jenkins|2009|p=27}} In fact, some indie games have become very successful, such as ''[[Braid (video game)|Braid]]'',<ref name="BraidPop">{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94025221 |title=Xbox's 'Braid' A Surprise Hit, For Surprising Reasons |first=Heather |last=Chaplin |date=August 27, 2008 |work=NPR |access-date=February 4, 2011}}</ref> ''[[World of Goo]]'',<ref name="GooPop">{{cite web |url=https://venturebeat.com/2009/01/02/the-world-of-goo-became-one-of-the-indie-hits-of-2008/ |title=How the World of Goo became one of the indie video game hits of 2008 |date=January 2, 2009 |first=Sahana |last=Mysore |work=Venturebeat |access-date=February 4, 2011}}</ref> and ''[[Minecraft]]''.<ref name="MinePop">{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/5724989/why-minecraft-is-so-damn-popular |title=Why Minecraft Is So Damn Popular |work=[[Kotaku]] |first=Luke |last=Plunkett |date=January 4, 2011 |access-date=February 4, 2011}}</ref> In recent years many communities have emerged in support of indie games such as the popular indie game marketplace [[Itch.io]], indie game [[YouTube]] channels and a large indie community on [[Steam (service)|Steam]]. It is common for indie game developers to release games for free and generate revenue through other means such as [[microtransactions]] (in-game transactions), in-game advertisements and [[crowd-funding]] services like [[Patreon]] and [[Kickstarter]].{{Cn|date=January 2021}}