I have conducted yet another Q&A with fellow games blogger, Dean Noakes. Dean has been blogging and making YouTube videos since 2012, and has most recently been reviewing a plethora of different indie games, and so I wanted to get his own personal take on the importance and impact of what indie games are currently having on the industry; as well as a couple of trivial questions thrown in for good measure.
How have you found blogging, and how happy have you been with the reception that you and your website have received?
Blogging has been quite fun. However, I have not been able to give it the attention I have wanted to, due to my “real” full-time job. I have been stunned and overwhelmed at times by the reaction I have received. However, I still have a long way to go to truly realize my want of doing this full-time.
Where do you see the gaming industry in five to ten years’ time?
The gaming industry is always growing and developing. In five years’ time, I guess that VR will be more affordable and that we as gamers will have more control over the games we are playing. This is already the case in some cases, with the growth of Kickstarter games and feedback-driven development focus games like Final Fantasy XV have been undertaking recently.
How important do you think the indie gaming scene will prove to be in later years?
The indie gaming scene has never been not important. This is where the new lifeblood of the gaming industry comes from. In some way or another, every person in the gaming industry has been involved in an indie project at one point or another. I just see indie becoming its own force and genre; even though this isn’t what the word has meant to the larger part of the community. I for one see another group of developers splitting away from “indie” at that time, and calling themselves 2true indie”, or something similar.
What are you playing at the moment?
I am currently playing Tri: Of Friendship and Madness, Dust: An Elysian Tail, and Standpoint.
What games are you most looking forward to in 2015?
I am looking forward to I Want to be a Human, Volume and Super Rude Bear Resurrection, to name but a few.
Do you think there is a danger of mainstream developers concentrating more on making games as much of a cinematic experience as possible as opposed to putting gameplay above all else?
The mainstream developers will do exactly what the market wants them to do. This is why indie is growing; because an indie developer will make a game they want to play, whereas a mainstream team will make a game based on the games you bought before. Why else are there so many recycled games like Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto?
What is your position on Virtual Reality gaming?
I think there are pros and cons to everything in the gaming industry. I think it is all about how the technology is being used, and if it is being used correctly. Take Esper by Coatsink; this game is a great example of using VR technology correctly. However, there is still a large number of other games that are giving you the choice still, and allow you to use VR tech if you want. Until more games are released for VR, and VR becomes more affordable, I’m not 100% sure where I sit with it still.
What has been among the most exciting video game expos you have attended?
I get excited about all the events I go to. EGX, Rezzed, Insomnia; they’re all great.
What do you love most about video games?
An impossible question to answer without being cliché; let’s just say, I love it.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dean for submitting his answers for this week’s unique article, and would also like to wish him a very happy birthday, and hope he enjoys himself. If any readers want to visit Dean’s blogging site, go to:
You can also follow him through social media via:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NoakseyV1
Twitter – https://twitter.com/noakseyv1