Online games have gained traction over the years, opening opportunities for indie games to flourish.
Being human is an eternal balancing act between work and play. Sure, the work thing is common especially for adults, but we also shouldn’t underestimate the ability of the human race to have fun! Human intelligence has opened doors for many video game genres to flourish. There are games centered on shooting (first-person shooting and third-person shooting), real-time strategy, sports, multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), action-adventure, horror games, and many other genres. With their own loyal followings and their ability to cater to the diverse interests of people, it is very common for us to have at least played or downloaded a video game.
Did you know that about 3 billion people worldwide play video games? With the many different forms of video games out there waiting to be downloaded to our gadgets, the accessibility for play is very easy. It’s even projected that by 2024, the 3 billion number will rise to 3.32 billion especially with the amount of games and access that we have to PCs, consoles, smartphones, and tablets!
In the US alone, there are roughly more than 227 million people playing video games from one to several hours per week. Video game statistics show that an estimated 76% of Americans below 18 years old and 67% of adults are into video games, with an average age of a gamer being 31 years. But, don’t count the senior citizens out, as numbers show that 7% of people above 65 years old still play video games!
Outside the US, the numbers are just as impressive, especially in Asia. South Korea, China, and Japan lead the pack in terms of number of gamers, composing the highest segment of the entire gaming population. Especially with the rise of MMO, or multiplayer online games, the Asia Pacific region is predicted to dominate the gaming market share when the year 2027 comes.
Indie Games
When we hear the word ‘indie,’ we usually associate it with either indie films, or indie music. However, indie can also be applicable to games, anchored in the same definition of it being ‘independent’ or not being attached to a big funding or a big corporation to finance it.
Indie video games are starting to gain traction in the US, with a 4% increase of players playing them in March 2022 compared to the same month in 2021. Moreover, as per data on Steam, the majority of games on the platform are from independent developers. Out of the over 60,000 games in it, only about 2,000 of these were from large studios with their manpower and marketing machinery.
40% of sales in Steam are also from indie games, with the highest paid indie developers earning over $7,000,000 in a year! Based on data from VG Insights, strategy, simulation, and RPG rank as the most successful among all the indie game genres.
So what basically is an indie video game, or simply, an indie game?
The best way to understand where indie games come from is to look at what it takes to successfully create a video game (that you want to release and market). Initial steps of course start with developing the game–creating a concept and bringing it into fruition using design, corresponding visual elements, music and sound effects, and other components to bring it into a cohesive piece for gamers to enjoy.
This process can take years without manpower given its complexity. However, more hands can expedite the process. With the external support of musicians, programmers, and graphics and 3D artists joining the team, the amount of time can be reduced significantly. The tricky part comes with money matters since these people you will tap have their corresponding professional fees. Unfortunately, this makes it more challenging if you plan to make a living out of your video game. To add, factor into the equation finances allotted to legal support, marketing, and accounting. In short, translating a game from your vision to reality takes a village, and involves a lot of money.
Publishers make a video game not ‘indie’
Enter the publishers! They can save you from this dilemma by financing the project and all the work that comes to bring your game into fruition. Their support includes promotion, marketing, linking your game to professional reviewers and journalists, and even legal issues so you won’t get into trouble. However, their involvement comes with a price. Since they essentially funded the project, they now own the copyright of the game.
Another thing that publishers can do once they own the copyright of the franchise. This happens once they hire a different studio with their own developers, in case the game finds success and gets a new franchise. Some publishers will even eventually create their own development studios to produce the next editions or spinoffs of the game. For some people and budding game developers, this is something they aren’t comfortable with, especially if they greatly value their intellectual property.
The ‘indie’ part enters
If you’re a developer just starting out, there’s a slim chance that publishers won’t have confidence in you just yet. This makes it harder to fund the game. Also, once it’s already created and ready for release, you’ll also have to do the marketing. Promotion gets even harder especially if it’s not attached to a big name in the industry, which can also release their games in the same time frame as you!
On the bright side, you do get to keep the copyright of the game, and you can do whatever you want in case you want sequels, a spin-off, or remake. In short, going indie means you get to OWN it no matter what happens. Owning it also means if it succeeds, you get to enjoy the bulk of the money.
Indie game support is essential especially as the game becomes a hit among players.
Marketing and support – not impossible!
As mentioned earlier, one of the biggest challenges an indie game developer has to face is marketing. Promoting your game to garner sales is an entirely different monster of its own. With over 831,000 video games currently in the market, it can be quite intimidating–but not impossible!
A solution you can lean into is tapping a marketing agency to help you devise strategies to promote your game. They can be the one to create blogs, tap the press, and help you design (and even promote) web pages and promotional banners. However, one of the smartest business moves you can do today is outsource a team that will take care of your social media, business process, and back office needs.
Why Focus on Social Media?
Businesses nowadays can gain leverage with social media platforms–free advertising, a place for your following, and an endless potential to reach people even across the globe. As long as you are consistent, responsive, and are actively engaging with your followers and other pages, you are on your way to gaining a better presence in the virtual realm. Here are some popular social media platforms where you can start:
Twitch
Twitch has now grown into a platform with over 30 million visitors daily! This video live streaming platform has become a staple for gamers, so it’s also advised that you make your game Twitch-friendly and optimize it in your game development stage. Once your game is ready, you can tap some prominent gamers on the platform to review it. These influencers can also engage with their audiences using your game using campaigns, merch, and in-game incentives.
Youtube
More than 2 billion use Youtube worldwide, and its loyal following has launched many careers and businesses, including games. The platform has also become a staple for many gamers, and you can also start building a presence here. Similar to Twitch, make sure to optimize your game for Youtube during development stages so you won’t run into future problems when using the platform.
With its character limit, you might think Twitter isn’t the best place to market your game, but you can use it to gain attention. In 2020 alone, there have been more than 2 billion tweets about gaming. You can join this space to post updates and unique things about your game to game attention. In terms of indie gaming, GIFs are the way to go. Make GIFs encapsulating your gameplay to show your audience what it’s about, and wait for the reactions. Don’t forget to engage!
Discord
Discord is a platform that allows you to create small communities for your following, and easily interact with them. Constant interaction with your fans creates loyalty, which allows for your game and potential releases/updates to gain traction and word-of-mouth advertising.
Through either voice or chat, you can communicate with your devoted fans, which of course requires you to be as present as possible. You can even integrate Youtube and Twitch with this platform to allow video streaming.
Posts, reels, stories, you name it! Instagram has 1.4 billion followers, and you can take advantage of this and create your own following on this platform. Visuals are the highlight on instagram, so make sure to create visually stimulating banners,and short but memorable stories and reels. You can even be creative on Instagram live to talk about your game or tap influencers that can promote it. Of course, comments and DMs are also key, so give time and attention to that as well. Lastly, make sure to get an Instagram business account so you can access your analytics. This allows you to recalibrate or adjust your strategies according to the data you gather.
Tiktok
Did you know that more than half of Tiktok’s entire population watch gaming-related video content on a daily basis? This is a promising indication that indie gamers can also use this platform for promotion and brand awareness. From gameplay, tutorials, cosplay, and other game-related content, Tiktok is definitely an avenue you can use as an indie gamer, especially with its users reaching 1 billion this year!
An outsourced game support team can help you and your indie game maintain a good relationship with your players.
Outsourcing Back Office and Customer Support
Once your marketing needs are taken care of, other aspects of managing your indie game as it finds success are your back office and customer support needs. This is a good challenge to have though, as it means your game is gaining attention! This prompts a need for dedicated people to answer DMs, comments, emails, and manage a dedicated fandom. This can also lead to you expanding your team to handle finances, schedules, and other concerns that do not necessarily relate to your game, but are important in the management aspect.
Some FAQs about back office and customer support functions:
- What are back office jobs?
Back office jobs are simply jobs that are not client-facing. This category includes record maintenance, accounting, IT, and virtual assistants. They are essentially administrative and support personnel who play an important role in keeping your business processes intact.
- Why is customer support important?
As an indie gamer who plans to market their game in the near future, the best indicator is the number of players. However, it’s unavoidable that there will be questions, concerns, feedback, and other messages from your players. A dedicated customer support personnel (or team) ensures that these queries are answered properly and promptly. Otherwise, it can lead to negative feedback that can endanger your progress.
- How can outsourcing help indie games?
As an indie game developer who is just starting, you might be financing a lot of the moving parts on your own. Outsourcing allows you to hire world-class talent at an affordable cost, without compromising quality. Recommended outsourced skills can range from virtual assistants, customer support, social media and community managers, and even IT support and graphic and web designers!
- What is a good outsourcing company I can tap if I’m an indie game developer?
Process Ninjas is an outsourcing company in Asia which welcomes indie game developers. They support their efforts by sending their employees, or ‘ninjas,’ to serve as their outsourced game support personnel. They do this by providing email and chat support for your indie game, or if you have other needs, they can even help build your own team! The awesome thing about their game support ninjas is that they are gamers themselves, so they understand the potential challenges in online gaming and speak the ‘language’ of gamers comfortably. You can also tap them if you need virtual assistants, content moderators, customer support personnel, and community managers.
Being an indie game developer can be challenging. It takes a lot of hard work to create a game, finetune it, and release it to the world. But, don’t let these challenges discourage you or blur your vision, as the promise of success is always just around the corner! Once you are ready, there are many ways to build a team that can support you in marketing, promotion, and admin work. Just keep hustling, and companies like Process Ninjas are ready to foster a long-term partnership with you.
To learn more, visit www.processninjas.com