Independent video game development

Independent video game development is the creation of games outside the largest corporate publishing structures, often by small teams with greater control over design, financing, and release.

Video game development: The process of designing, producing, testing, and releasing video games. Independent production is one organizational form of game development.
Shareware: Software distributed for trial use, with payment requested for continued use or registration. Its direct-to-player model anticipated some routes independent developers use to find audiences.
Jonathan Blow: An American game designer known for creating Braid and The Witness. Braid demonstrated the reach and commercial potential of a small, creator-led project.
AAA video game: A high-budget video game produced by a large studio, usually with major publisher backing. AAA production contrasts with the smaller budgets and teams common in independent development.
Game accessibility: The design of games so people with varied abilities can play them. Smaller teams can make accessibility a deliberate design priority, though resources may constrain implementation.
Crowdfunding: Raising project funds from many people, usually through online platforms. Campaigns can finance independent games while building an early audience.
Indie game: A video game made with substantial creative or financial independence from major publishers. The development practice produces games commonly described as indie games.
Edmund McMillen: An American game designer known for Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac. His collaborations and self-directed work exemplify distinctive independent production paths.
Indie publishing: Publishing games through companies focused on supporting independent developers. A specialist publisher can fund and market a game without making its studio a major corporate developer.
Procedural generation: The use of algorithms to create game content rather than specifying every element manually. It lets some small teams create large or varied worlds with limited content budgets.

Linked from 7 pages