GameLoading: Rise of the Indies

GameLoading: Rise of the Indies, a Kickstarter-funded documentary that explores the rapidly growing indie community, was released a few days ago. I know, I know. Where was I a few days ago? Well, erm, I was…. Shut up alright. I was doing really important stuff.

Anyway, Gameloading: Rise of the Indies is a film that introduces you to a few of those brave Indie Games Developers, who consistently push the boundaries of video gaming, and lets them tell you about the industry.

The film is the product of three years of shooting and interviews with John Romero (Doom, Quake), Davey Wreden (The Stanley Parable), Rami Ismail (studio Vlambeer), Zoe Quinn (Depression Quest) and many more.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of the film, and now for absolutely no cost what-so-ever, I will now impart my near-limitless wisdom to anyone lucky enough or resourceful enough to get here and read it. But first, before we get in to all that, have yourself a look at the trailer.

To be honest, at first I figured that I would be fairly bored watching this. After all, it’s a documentary right? No-one gets blown up, or shot or, as it turns out gets their kit-off for rather specious reasons. Yet, I was asked to watch it and so watch it I did.

I was wrong, very wrong. I found the whole thing not only enjoyable but pretty damn interesting to boot. Sure, if you don’t like video games there’s very little there for you, but honestly if you don’t like video-games, you’re not really the demographic I’m reaching out to, so off you pop.

What I liked most about watching these game designers and developers taking about their work was the obvious enthusiasm and enjoyment they had in doing it. There aren’t many people on this planet that can claim to love their job as much as they obviously do.

Many of them had their own internal reasons for going into the industry, whether they were experimenting with ideas, exploring their creativity, boredom of the mainstream big budget games, and as they explained them I found myself agreeing, certainly with the latter.

Don’t get me wrong, there will always be the big budget, graphically, awesome, software giants, that release games with such gusto that it can be difficult to see any others, but if you want my advice, paddle in the waters of Indie Games, there is some really nice and original gaming to be found there, my personal favourites are Machinarium and The Stanley Parable, the l;atter being one of the first games mentioned in Gameloading.

So, there we have it, just a tiny review but it is worth a download.

The film is available to buy from Steam, PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, and Humble Store.

GameLoading Gives Intimate Look at the Explosion of Indie Game Development

Now available via Steam, iTunes, Xbox, Sony Playstation Network, Humble Store and More

Released today through Steam and www.gameloading.tv, feature-length documentary GameLoading: Rise of the Indies explores the spirited global community of independent (‘indie’) game creators that has exploded in the last few years.

In the spirit of movements like the French New Wave, Punk and Grunge, hundreds of independent game auteurs are emerging with their own unique voices and artistic visions. Independent games include a breadth of cultural issues-morality, gender identity, narrative choice, family and humor- that are broadening the types of experience a game can offer. GameLoading captures this uniquemoment in time as independent games development blew up from an underground scene into a powerful and disruptive force.

Australian filmmakers Lester and Anna spent three years travelling to 10 countries, couchsurfing and filming leading players within the indie game scene. The resulting documentary, GameLoading, gives an intimate and honest portrait of a diverse group of game makers as they seek to create new experiences and find a place within this evolving art form.

Producer Lester Francois described capturing this moment in the independent games movement as “catching lightning in a bottle”, explaining that “…The film is not a retrospective like most documentaries about subcultures – it’s a snapshot of what is happening now”.  Mark Serrels, Editor of Kotaku Australia urged viewers “…you are going to want to see this film.”

Notable industry leaders and developers interviewed include John Romero (Doom, Quake), Davey Wreden (The Stanley Parable), Rami Ismail (studio Vlambeer) and Zoe Quinn (Depression Quest).

International documentary GameLoading is localised in 12 languages and will be digitally distributed via Steam, iTunes, Xbox Video, Playstation Network, The Humble Store, VHX and Playism in addition to global screening events. GameLoading: Rise of the Indies is available for purchase online now at www.gameloading.tv. Please visit here for current information on upcoming screening dates and locations. Further information about arranging a screening in your area can be found here. A limited collection of DVD and Blu-ray copies will be available for sale at www.gameloading.tv from May 2015.