23 presents: 23 and indie games

Seeing how this is my first review I see it suitable to introduce myself. I’m 23, as you can see, and although 20cc did a pretty good job of telling you who I am, he left out a few things. Firstly I will probably also be reviewing webcomics and tech (mostly open source), because, like indie games, I am addicted to them. I spend a lot of time searching the internet for indie games, webcomics, and general cool stuff (mostly science-y, because, well, I am a geek). I also am still a student, so, posts may become less frequent when I get a lot of work, (or more frequent, depending on how much I procrastinate =P). We are not professional here at anyButton, so don't expect regular updates, stellar writing, or exclusive reviews. What you can expect is some interesting insights, a place to get some cool reviews and info, and a little bit of humor. But enough about me and the blog, I'll now explain what an indie game is, for any of the noobs (that means newbie in gamer talk).

An indie game is a game developed by an independent company with no publisher, and usually very little funding or man power (see the Wikipedia entry for more information) (20cc says: "indie=independant, if you didn't get that yet."). If you didn't know that (or even if you did) you’re probably in the right place, I will be introducing even the most famous and well known of indie games, so veterans and noobs alike can enjoy, and no one is left out. Even if you're a veteran indie gamer who's played all the big (and small) names out there, or someone who's never even heard the term before, you are welcome here.

Now you might be wondering why you would want something which isn’t supported by a multi million dollar business, but made by your average person (well, as average as game makers get). The most simple answer for that is this; because they don't have limitations. And the little longer answer I have; because the game is then made for the sake of having fun/whatever objective the author has, and is not necessarily appealing to mass audience, and is not conforming to the standards, but rather made for the sole purpose of the game. The author doesn't have to worry about the game bombing, because they usually make little to no money on it, they just are making the game, well, to make the game, compared to all major games which have to sell, and aren't necessarily unique, creative, and fun.

If your wondering where you can get these magical games, they’re mostly (if not exclusively) downloadable from the internet. A lot of indie games are also freeware/shareware games, which means they are absolutely and completely FREE, that's right, all you need is a computer (usually one running windows, but a lot of the games I'll be presenting also work on mac and/or linux) and an internet connection to download them. Thats right, a game that is completely free and legal, all you have to do is click the link! Some other indie games are sold for moneys, usually to support the author and cover the production costs, and they tend to be very cheap, and usually have free demos (usually under $30 for the whole game).

In the following posts I will be talking mostly about indie games. But, calling these “reviews” is not completely accurate, because a review tells you whether something is bad or good and what makes them that way, but these first reviews will only be of good games (to give you something to play). Later on, once I get a good list on here, I'll venture into some of the potentially less enjoyable games, but that doesn't mean it's all downhill from here, oh no sir, I'm going to deliver everything, including more obscure titles and maybe some flash games, a little something for everyone... well... eventually, so, stick around, we've got tons to offer!