Back in the day, when one wanted to buy a game to play on one's computer, one had to go to a computer store and purchase it or order it by mail. Games came with packaging and the physical medium it was stored in. As the years went by, the game industry had to adapt to the changing times and the accessibility of the Internet. Games started to be sold instead on-line. No more packaging, delivery, or trip to the store, just an electronic transaction payment then download and play. Also, with the advent of the Free2Play business model and platform of distribution, accessing the games market became a lot easier.

With this development came the mobile gaming industry as more games were developed and released to fill the needs of cell phone and tablet gamers worldwide. Whether they were played casually or spent with commitment and time, a lot of people started playing them on a regular basis. In all this, the market for games and gaming started growing immensely on a yearly basis. As this was all happening, small to medium-sized developers started to churn out games and due to the on-line nature of selling and distributing games, they started to rely less and less on big game companies and publishers to get their games into the market.

Dealing with the AAA game companies has proven to be very difficult so developers usually opted to get their games out on their own. From development all the way to marketing, these game developers started to take the risks and churn out games distributing or selling them on-line and thus starting the Indie games market which has exponentially grown. Many game developers have had tremendous success in going Indie or Independent with their endeavors and end up becoming big companies on their own. It doesn't hurt to start small and end up big then start big and end up nothing. In what seems like just a couple of decades from when the Internet first became a mass medium to the current gaming market, the Indie game industry has reached a point that could be called as the renaissance or Golden Age of the Indie Game Industry.

To begin with, if you plan to get into Indie game development you have a way lot more chances of getting your game out as compared to back in the '80s or '90s. For one, you don't have to rely on those big publishers who will likely turn you down anyway which thru time, led to a lot of developers striking it on their own in the first place and ended up proving themselves several times over. A game endeavors success will now depend on how well the game has been made, if it captures the hearts and minds of a target audience and whether it is properly monetized and marketed. The risk of failure will always be there but for an aspiring Indie developer, the adage "No Pain No Gain" applies pretty well.

Secondly, the market is widely accessible. Should a developer (even all alone by himself) be able to come up with a good and interesting game, there is always a way for him/her to market or sell it on-line. There are game companies with platforms that cater to the marketing of independently produces games. Sites like Steam or Desura among others cater to the sales and distribution of Indie games giving the independent developer(s) a shot at the market. Whether the game be sold outright or through some monetization schemes like the usually Ad based Free2Play model, developers now have the means to make their games available to the general populace. Now whether the pips will snub or go for the game is a chance the maker(s) will have to take.

Should the developer be a game development team, many have found that working with fewer people in a small group setting affords a far better teamwork environment with less red-tape in getting things done. The one dept.- one or two-person concept may not really be that difficult at all. Communication between the team is a lot quicker, clearer, and personal and thus makes the entire game development to marketing process a much simpler undertaking as compared to that of the larger companies.

Making a game today though beset with lots of challenges is not as complicated as game development in the '80s and early '90s where one had to take great pains in coding in the computer’s proprietary machine or assembly language to get a figure to jump around on the screen. The standardization of the PC game platform and the development of the program routines and resources that came along with the advancement of the GPU's and audio capabilities has made it a lot easier for game programmers and artists to get their work done. Resource tools are very important to making a game whether it be Photoshop to Acid Pro to 3D Studio Max the tools needed to make a game abound today.

There are even apps that make the game themselves (although with less flexibility) but of course, a game developer has to utilize it. Game engines are also available for use whether for 3D or 2D development. These engines usually come with the tools and resources needed to program them to execute the game. A developer no longer has to start from scratch like mentioned as in the old days, the tools are already there. One just has to wade through and find them.

The gaming industry has changed a lot to the point of giving Tom, Jane, or Harry the chance to make his or her own game and hopefully earn from it. The games market is open to those who have the perseverance, commitment, and talent to make their own name in the industry and Indie Games is where most of these people shine. These games have this unique personal feel to them that can usually be found in games made by small teams or a one-man-operation. The graphics and sounds may not be as up to par with those of the big AAA games but many are really awesome in delivering an exciting, interesting, and wonderful experience not only in looks but in gameplay as well.