Documentary Corner: Indie Game: The Movie

In the last decade or so, the video game industry has seen a meteoric rise in success. Previously seen as a pastime for nerds alone, the medium is now as mainstream and popular as any other. A relatively new phenomenon is the concept of the ‘indie developer’; while game production was previously reserved for big-budget, AAA developers, the emergence of platforms such as Steam, as well as the downloadable stores on PlayStation and Xbox, now afford independents a shot at the market.

Indie Game: The Movie is a fantastic Kickstarter-funded film that follows the development cycle for three such developers, going down the surprising route of describing the real hardships these creatives go through to get their games out. I went into this movie expecting a fairly broad look at the industry – what I got was an in-depth character study of some truly dedicated and burdened men. It’s genuinely hard to watch this film at times, as we see what these men have sacrificed to produce their game: we see them cut off from their family, experiencing depression, and even breaking down in parts.

First we are introduced to Edward McMillen and Tommy Refenes, the men behind _Super Meat Boy _– an intensely difficult 2D platformer which went on to sell one million copies. These men – charismatic and enthusiastic – the people we can best empathise with in the film, but we begin to see them deteriorate as deadlines close in. We can also see what their project means to them – “I made it for myself” Edmund explains at one point.

Indie Game: The Movie is an in-depth character study of some truly dedicated men

In direct contrast we have Phil Fish, who, when we first meet him, has been working on his game Fez for countless years. Somewhat of an unlikable character, Fish spends the majority of his time angrily defending his game from ‘haters’, and complaining angrily about an ex-business partner; he remains a controversial figure following the release of this film and even cancelled Fez 2 after an online argument with journalist who called him a ‘bitter hipster’.

The character we sadly spend the least time with is Johnathan Blow, whose game Braid is the only of the three featured I have properly played. It’s an incredibly popular and intelligent time-twisting puzzle game, and a critical darling. Yet Blow could well be the most pretentious man you will ever meet – he is in equal parts hilarious and totally insufferable. One of best moments in any documentary I’ve seen involves him dramatically lamenting over reviewers and YouTubers who are enjoying his game, but not grasping the depth of his artistic vision. Despite all this though, Blow is still a deeply intelligent creative, who is genuinely fascinating to listen to.

What all these stories amount to is a fantastically well put-together and honestly quite emotional film. We really begin to feel for these developers, as we see some of the things they had to sacrifice for success. Even if you’re not a particular fan of video games, Indie Game: The Movie raises sad questions about whether the appeal of artistic freedom and chance of success in this medium are even worth the struggle – I wholeheartedly recommend it.