Pixelated Indie Games

Justin Tsang

HSS 371- Vinsel

Blog 7-Pixelated Games

12/13/15

The Rising Popularity of Pixelated Games

            We have all in one way or another played or heard of Super Mario Bros. as children. Back in the 1990s, 8-bit pixel art games was the only art form video game designers could use because of the limited hardware of the consoles. However, it is now 2015 and video game consoles have exponentially advanced since then. You would expect that the graphically expensive and aesthetic 3-D video games would dominate the video game industry. Surprisingly, the highest-rate and fan favorite game currently is Super Time Force, on the Xbox One, and Undertale; both of which are pixel art games. Unlike 3-D polished games, pixel art games visual art form allows the developers to become creative. With 3-D games, developers create the games such that the users have a what-you-see-is-what-you-get mindset. Pixelated games, on the other hand, allow the developers to create layers within the video games such that there can be hidden shortcuts and Easter eggs that are hidden outside the console screen (Byford). As a result, users enjoy pixelated games because it provides a replay value such that there will always be more unknowns that can be found in the game. Therefore, we are not dictated by the game on how we play the game; instead, we have complete control on how we want to enjoy and decide how we want the game to be played.

            However, how are these indie games so popular when the hardware on our current consoles can run more powerful and complex video games? Why is Minecraft more successful than some AAA video games, such as Call of Duty and Madden 16? The reason is the non-linear story plot that pixelated games offer to the audience. Minecraft gives the users the power to destroy and build up their worlds and ability to randomize the layout of the world, such as the mountains and villages (Plunkett). The greater reason for its success is the simplicity of the game that allows the game to be played by a wider range of audience. In addition to its simplicity, another reason to pixelated games recent success is that it is not restricted by the AAA video game industries. Unfortunately, AAA companies sole goal is to make money, and this has been increasingly obvious as the quality of their games have exponentially dropped; such as $30 early access to video games that are broken to the point of being unplayable, paying more money on top of the $60 retail price to get the complete video game through downloadable contents (DLCs), and the same video games distributed every year with the same graphics and gameplay. Therefore, pixelated games, created mainly by indie companies, have grown in popularity because of their originality. Users feel as though the developers are creating the games for the sake of their passion for video games as well as the willingness to listen to feedbacks from the community built around their games. Therefore, users are receiving higher quality video games that are much cheaper; making the users feel like they are not being ripped off.

            Not surprisingly, more blockbuster gaming companies have learned from these indie games are learned how their users favor the ability to modify how they want to experience the game. As a result, big video games companies, such as Nintendo and Bungie, have learned from the non-linearity of these pixelated indie games and have adopted this concept and created a development environment for its users to create their own custom map and game modes. Nintendo’s Super Mario Maker allows its users to create their own custom maps and Bungie’s Halo also created a development environment with tools to allow its users the ability to create their own custom game modes and maps. Therefore, pixelated games will always remain iconic to this day and is essential to driving ideation in the video game industry. Plus, these pixelated indie games are a great retro-change to the bunch of FPS and MMORPG junk we have now. Instead of pushing for more realistic video games trying to copy the physics of reality (boring…), 8-bit pixel games allow the oldest of adults to the youngest of kids to allow their creative mindset to roam free and get a throwback to their childhood.

Works Cited

Byford, Sam. "Pixel Art Games Aren't Retro, They're the Future." The Verge. n.p., 03 July 2014. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.

Plunkett, Luke. "Why Minecraft Is So Damn Popular." Kotaku. n.p., 5 Jan. 2011. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.