For any of you who have made or are making an indie game, you know that this is one tough as hell job. Working a 10 hour day and coming home with hardly any energy left at all is hard enough as it is, but then to have to use those last little drops of energy to create a game that you hope will be high quality, fun to play, and fulfilling to the gamers you hope will find their way to your title at some point, can feel almost impossible sometimes.
That’s why it’s so important to filter out the naysayers and appreciate those people, places, and resources who have not only been supportive, but have actually helped to make the job a little easier.
Ghost Mantis Games LLC wanted to take this time to say thanks to those forums and other such websites that have been such a support. For those of you who are working on your own stuff, or love indie games, these sites are must visits. They’re full of great advice, great artists, are staffed by great people, and offer a lot of exposure and all around positive vibes to us noobs and seasoned indie game companies alike.
So in no particular order our deepest gratitude to:
1) tigsource.com : Tigsource is a killer site. It’s well organized, has great forums, and offers all different kinds of insights into the world of indie gaming. From interviewing the creators of the latest and greatest, to exposing potential fans to work-in-progress games with tons of potential, this has become one of my mandatory daily visits. In fact all of the rest of the sites on this post have become a daily source of inspiration and good advice.
2) indiegamemag.com : Again, this is a killer site. These guys take indie gaming as seriously as the hard working people creating indie games. They genuinely seem interested in the indie gaming experience as well as offering guidance to those of us working on making our mark on the world. News, reviews, artwork, and the latest trailers await you here. Seriously, check out this great site. You won’t be disappointed.
3) indiedb.com : This site has a similar format to the above mentioned sites. It’s all things indie and always a good source for information. While not as user friendly as the other sites I’ve mentioned, it still manages to pack quite a punch and showcases some of the most awesome new projects coming down the pipeline. Definitely worth a click.
4) unity3d.com : Meridian Core Online is a browser based game that utilizes the awesome Unity3d engine. Where would we be without unity3d.com? Probably still scratching our heads trying to figure out coroutines or how to get networking implemented without our character jumping into outer space (true story. That was our first glitch). This site has been invaluable to our journey. There are plenty of experienced members in the forums that can get you out of a serious bind, or even just answer those not so serious questions that maybe won’t change the entire game, but dammit if not knowing the answer won’t ruin your day. For anyone developing a game in Unity, and we highly recommend Unity, their site is a much welcome and much needed resource.
5) deviantart.com : Ok Ok Ok, I know deviantart.com doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with video games without even getting into the indie scene, but as the concept artist on this project this place has proven itself time and time again as site that offers insight, community, and excellent feedback from a large community of users who have helped my art mature over the few short years that I’ve been a member of the site. They also serve as a great place to find inspiration as well as good photos to practice from. All you cosplay people are perfect for practicing my character design skills.
6) cghub.com : Ok this is another one of those sites that isn’t necessarily as valuable as the first few on this list, but again it’s a great place to go to find tips and tricks for all of the mostly used software packages out there and plenty of inspiration can be found by browsing the plethora of amazing images the artists of the site have contributed.
7) kotaku.com/ : Alright, Kotaku is a badass sight. It’s as simple as that. Not only do they manage to cover everything from gaming’s biggest companies, the somehow manage to always make time for the little guy. This website has humor, drama, screenshots, dramatic screenshots, humorous screenshots, and a buttload of good art. This is another one of those sites that somehow always seems to find the next big thing before the people responsible for said next big thing were even aware themselves how much potential their product has. This site is a little less niche than the rest of the sites mentioned on this list in that it has a lot more pop culture content. It’s always nice to stop by Kotaku and see what’s what in the world of gaming.
8) imgur.com/ : Imgur is the ultimate time-wasting website. An offshoot of reddit that somehow manages to suck me in like facebook on crack. At first glance it might seem like nothing more than a place to waste your day away on, but after I became an active member of the imgur community a few years ago I was able to take advantage of the friendly environment it presents you with. The other members of the site have offered great feedback and advice for the concept pieces that I’ve posted there. It’s also nice to have access to a group of internetters who aren’t actually looking for indie games or other video game related content. They’re literally just your run of the mill web browsers and as such are valuable in that they’re the type of people someone making an indie game would hope to reach one day. At imgur.com they’re only one click away.
9) polycount.com : Last but certainly not least we have Polycount. This is another one of those sites that just has a library of information, inspiration, and an overall great user community. They do contests, interviews, and showcases that bring in the best talent from all over the web to create an environment that’s truly unique.
Well that’s it for now. Thanks again to the people who have all contributed to and made possible the continuing presence and relevance of the above mentioned sites. We might be able to get this game done without you, but it wouldn’t be nearly as fun or inspiring.
Keep on keepin’ on.
Pastywhite