I was exploring the stands of BCN Games Fest ’25 here in Barcelona and trying out a couple of indie games. Then I asked “WHY?” to almost all of their creators. The answers generally landed between:
“I think that the visuals are good, nostalgic, bla bla,”
and
“It’s something simple I can do in a small amount of time.”
Well, to me, neither answer is a good one, and I’m sorry to say it. For me, visuals are very important, but they cannot be the hook for a game. You need a fantasy to fulfill as the very first thing, in my opinion. That fantasy can be taken from the real world, from other forms of entertainment, or even from other games, but only if you genuinely think you can improve something.
Regarding the second answer, you need to be very ambitious if you want to make games. It’s good and necessary to put a time limit on your craft. But to me, that shouldn’t be the driver of your creative choices. As an indie developer, you should aim to deliver something meaningful out there.