Casually Hardcore devlog

Why start an indie game studio?

May 28th, 2007

I seriously asked that myself that before I founded Casually Hardcore. The hours are long and the salary is pitiful – negative to be honest and even worse when factoring in opportunity costs. Your games might get rejected in the marketplace or nobody plays them because of the lack of distribution. The honest answer is ego. The lie that tell everybody else is “I want to create great games for other people to enjoy and there is a need for the types of games I can make.” This lie is true, but I’m not that altrustic in life to make games solely for greater good of mankind.

Artists are inheritently egotistical. Programmers are no different. They want their name attached to something that is THEIRS. This is mine. I created this. See, the critics hate it, but it’s still mine. That’s the honest answer.

Now, why should anybody CARE about Casually Hardcore games? Because you will WANT to play them. Big game studios won’t make satirical games for fear of lawsuits. They will continue to choose the path of the least-offensive. Choosing safe over fun. If Leisure Suit Larry was created today, it would not be funded by a major publisher. Grand Theft Auto III was an exception to my rule, but it was a sequel to a well-known 2D franchise. Postal and Carmeddegon are other exceptions.

Currently, most satirical games are simple one-off Flash title with little depth and longevity. I am for what Kingdom of Loathing has done. Extended gameplay in a not so normal world…

Entry Filed under: Game Development