A week later

It has now been a week and a day since Aware Games officially began operations. I feel there is a need to provide an update on the current status since there is very little information on what is happening within the company.

As I mentioned in my first post we are currently working on our first game “Stupid Survivor” and are so far progressing according to plan. The early prototypes have been developed and now more emphasis is being put on the actual game design, meaning more details about levels, game flow, characters and other game elements are being worked out. Since game design is something that is pretty much an ongoing task throughout the whole production process, it is by no means close to being finalized at this stage. Quite contrary, the current design plans are what you could describe as Proof of concept.

So what does that mean in terms of actual progress? I feel it can be quite a daunting task to try to explain exactly how much is done and how much is left. Unless you are a game developer yourself, you’re probably not very familiar with the different tasks that makes up game development. Since we’re what is known as indie game developers, meaning even less regulated working methodologies, it could be hard to understand our current situation even if you’re a developer yourself. So maybe I’ll just use my standard answer when answering these types of question: “We’re moving forward” 🙂

Speaking of indie game development, did you know that more than 50% of the game developers that visited last year’s GDC (2013) are identifying themselves as indie developers[1]? Yes, I know, they could be lying. So could the other half. Anyway, I think it’s quite an astonishing number. Considering that the indie game developers are a relatively new movement it’s fascinating that so many already have gone on to join what is most likely to become the main driving force of future game development[2][3]. Would you have believed that ten years ago? I know I wouldn’t.

Sources:

[1] http://www.gdconf.com/news/gdc_state_of_the_industry_rese.html

[2] http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-indies-crucial-to-future-of-gaming/1100-6416682/

[3] http://gamasutra.com/blogs/SarahWoodrow/20140102/206583/7_truths_about_indie_game_development.php