The holidays are almost here and the influx of gift ideas has flooded our minds and poked at our wallets. Now I am going to safely assume that video games will probably be among the favored purchases. Unfortunately, quite similarly to the movie industry, the greatest hits in games are the big budget, profit-generating, plug-and-play joyrides. Most blockbuster game titles seem hard to detach from safe stereotypes like oversimplified tasks, repetitive game-play and meaningless rewards because they are profitable and recyclable. Maybe it's just me, but I bet that a lot of people are getting fed up of dishing out the standard $60 for the next “it” game just to find out it’s the same style of game that has been marketed for the past decade. That's our cue to start viewing video games under a different light and to start opening our eyes to the little players in the business. Independent developers are currently challenging mainstream games and introducing newer and more creative designs into their games. Luckily for me, I have witnessed firsthand what this looks like. Here is how these independently developed games kept me thoroughly entertained and, as a bonus, cut down the cost of my hobby to an average of $30.

Let's start off with a little game called Minecraft. This game has brought about a great deal of discussion to players and game developers alike due to its overwhelming success. Just in case you haven't heard about it, let me give you a quick overview. You punch/chop/mine your way through various "natural" (we are, after all, in a game) resources in order to craft/build items, structures and just about anything you can think of. The game's crafting mechanics and endless exploration have won over the heart of millions of players (including myself). It features an infinite amount of replay value and offers players the chance to express their creativity in a beautifully pixelated world. Mojang studios, the creators of Minecraft, now boast of a spectacular 500 million copies sold (well-deserved success for an expertly crafted video game). Minecraft captures the very essence of a good game by basically providing you with an oversized sandbox full of rich, creative content and depth, allowing the player to thrive in the game world. What's best is that the studio keeps working on it to maintain and provide additional content through free patches and updates.

Thomas Was Alone is another short form game that has caught my attention. It's a 2D platformer where you play as Thomas, who is just a cube. You progress through the story and solve puzzles by leaping through levels and finding your way to the end. Thomas ends up meeting other blocks of different sizes, each with their own unique platforming abilities. Together you must use them to overcome more complicated obstacles as you play the game. The game combines perfect platforming mechanics and tight controls, building upon what made classics like Super Mario Bros. and Mega Man the hits that they are today. The developer also uses the game mechanics and clever narration to breathe life into an otherwise extremely simplistic world of flat, monochromatic colors and shapes. The narrator in the game, crafts a beautiful story of friendship and the importance of teamwork by personifying the different cubes you role-play. What struck me most was that the narrator builds human-like characteristics around the platforming mechanics used for each cube. As you get further into the game, you get introduced to one character whose only purpose seems to be weighing you down. The cube is slow and excessively big making it hard to get around the levels. You are forced to use the others as leverage to make it hop over some of the obstacles. In the story, the cube is introduced as an embarrassed and introverted person. As you're playing, you can actually see and feel the link between the clumsiness of the square and the narration going on in the background. I found it absolutely amazing that this developer chose the simplest of visuals (squares hoping over stuff) to use as a canvas for his story. It's practically a statement that given, we can see visual interaction on a screen, creativity and story-telling emerging solely through the use of game mechanics.

For our last indie game, let's take the game called Antichamber. Whatever you think you know about physics and reality, gets lost within the walls of this mind-warping game. Developer Alexander Bruce takes players on an adventure that I'm not quite sure how to explain, even after "finishing" the game. Dropped into what seems to be a white, corridor-filled environment, where sometimes backwards or upside down is the only way forward through the game. The game engine and level design powering Antichamber translates into the most flattering use of the first person perceptive I've ever experienced in any game of that genre. Not to mention the puzzles in the game also had me sitting in my computer chair for what seemed like an eternity. All in good spirit of course! There’s nothing like treating the mind to a meticulously designed puzzle system, forcing oneself to think beyond conventional perception.

That being said, I am definitely more excited that the newer generation of game devs are trying something a little more daring this time around. What's better is that bigger companies are opening their doors to independent developers. For instance, Sony and Nintendo are maintaining a healthy relationship with indie devs by letting them publish their own games on their consoles. Everyone enjoys the entertainment and technology behind the bigger games, of course, and I'm not saying that indie games are the end-all, be-all video game paragons. I’m only stating that it's the simple and effective game mechanics alongside the creative direction of the designers that make way for fantastic gaming experiences.