Related Research Articles
Strange Adventures In Infinite Space is a roguelike video game created by the indie developer Digital Eel and released for Windows and Mac on March 15, 2002, by boardgame developer-publisher, Cheapass Games. Releases for Pocket PC and Palm by British developer-publisher Astraware followed. In 2020, the game was updated to run on current computer operating systems of the day. It remains free to download and share.
Garry's Mod is a 2006 sandbox game developed by Facepunch Studios and published by Valve. The base game mode of Garry's Mod has no set objectives and provides the player with a world in which to freely manipulate objects. Other game modes, notably Trouble in Terrorist Town and Prop Hunt, are created by other developers as mods and are installed separately, by means such as the Steam Workshop. Garry's Mod was created by Garry Newman as a mod for Valve's Source game engine and released in December 2004, before being expanded into a standalone release that was published by Valve in November 2006. Ports of the original Windows version for Mac OS X and Linux followed in September 2010 and June 2013, respectively. As of September 2021, Garry's Mod has sold more than 20 million copies. A successor, Sandbox, has been in development since 2015.
Zachtronics LLC is an American video game developer, best known for engineering-oriented puzzle video games and programming games. Zachtronics was founded by Zach Barth in 2000, who serves as its lead designer. Some of their games include SpaceChem, Infinifactory, TIS-100, and Shenzhen I/O. Infiniminer (2009) inspired the creation of Minecraft.
Philippe Poisson, better known as Phil Fish, is a French Canadian former indie game designer best known for his work on the 2012 platform game Fez. He was born and raised in Quebec, where his experiences with Nintendo games in his youth would later influence his game design. He studied game design at the Montreal National Animation and Design Centre, and worked at Ubisoft and Artificial Mind and Movement before starting Polytron in 2008.
itch.io is a website for users to host, sell and download indie video games, indie role-playing games, game assets, comics, zines and music. Launched in March 2013 by Leaf Corcoran, the service hosts over 700,000 products as of April 2023.
Kitty Horrorshow is the pseudonym of an independent video game developer. Releasing her games on the distribution platform itch.io, she specializes in the psychological horror genre, with her games focusing on surreal and atmospheric horror in the aesthetic style of early 3D videogames.
Shenzhen I/O is a puzzle video game and programming game developed by Zachtronics for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS-based personal computers. The game was released in November 2016.
All the Delicate Duplicates is a single player first-person psychological/exploration game co-developed by Mez Breeze and Andy Campbell. Produced by The Space, One to One Development Trust - Dreaming Methods, and Mez Breeze Design, the game was published for Microsoft Windows in February 2017. It contains a non-linear story that's discovered through interactive elements and a text-based backstory.
Rat Chaos is a 2012 stream of consciousness art and browser game created by Winter Lake.
Space Funeral is an independently created role-playing video game and art game by Irish developer thecatamites, Stephen Gillmurphy. The short game was created using RPG Maker 2003, and centers around a boy named Phillip, who leaves home to save his world from a mysterious corruption.
50 Short Games is a 2014 video game by Irish independent developer Stephen Gillmurphy, under the name thecatamites. As described by the title, 50 Short Games is a compilation of short-form interactive games, often experimental and avant-garde in nature. Gillmurphy produced one game per day for the compilation for several months in late 2013. 50 Short Games received positive attention from critics for its unusual format and novel method of creation, and was showcased at Apexart as part of an exhibition in 2019.
Strange Horticulture is a 2022 video game by British independent developer Bad Viking, published by Iceberg Interactive for Windows, Nintendo Switch, macOS and Xbox One. Described as an "occult puzzle game", Strange Horticulture involves the discovery and identification of a fictitious herbarium of plants for sale to a range of mysterious and unscrupulous customers. Gameplay involves the completion of puzzles by matching the details of customer requests of plants to their descriptions, opening up access to more plants and identifying information.
Murder Dog IV: Trial of the Murder Dog is a 2011 video game by Irish independent developer Stephen Gillmurphy, under the name thecatamites. Murder Dog is an adventure game which involves the player in a courtroom defense of the titular Murder Dog, a canine with a comically obvious penchant for murder. Whilst Murder Dog was satirical in nature, the game received recognition from many critics for its subversive commentary on the justice system.
Bernband is a 2014 video game by Dutch independent developer Tom van den Boogaart, a member of the Dutch independent studio Sokpop Collective. The game is an open-ended walking simulator set in an alien city, with no objectives or milestones. Critics praised the design of Bernband for its immersive setting, with the game inspiring the parallel development of Hernhand by Australian independent developer Jake Clover in 2015.
Im Null is a 2014 video game by Austin-based independent developer Zak Ayles. Described as a "virtual horror art gallery", Im null is an experimental multiplayer game in which players explore wireframe environments. Im null received praise from critics for its experimental gameplay and themes of isolation and connection. After a period of incompatibility of Unity Web Player games on modern web browsers, Ayles restored the game on his personal website in August 2022 with the help of Ryder Cutler.
Chasing Static is a video game released by Headware Games, the studio of independent developer Nathan Hamley. Described as a "psychological horror short story", the game is an exploration-based horror adventure game set in an open-ended Welsh countryside. A demo of the game was released as part of the 2021 horror game compilation Haunted PS1 Demo Disc, curated by independent developer Breogán Hackett. Chasing Static received a mixed reception from reviewers, with praise directed to the game's presentation, writing and atmosphere, and criticism of its short length and ending. In January 2023, the game was ported by publisher Ratalaika Games to consoles.
The Hex is a 2018 video game by Canadian independent developer Daniel Mullins. Its narrative takes place in a bar with six different characters the player controls; through the usage of flashbacks, the game encompasses different gameplay genres, each of which is associated with a player character. Mullins created the game as a follow-up to the success Pony Island, his previous game. The Hex was well-received by critics.
Tetrageddon Games is an online compilation of video games and digital art by alienmelon, the pseudonym of independent developer and net artist Nathalie Lawhead. First published as a website titled Tetrageddon, hosting web games designed by Lawhead from 2008. Lawhead combined the releases into a compiled form on the website from 2012, receiving several iterations and revisions over time, and released a downloadable desktop release titled ARMAGAD in 2016. Following release, critics praised Tetrageddon Games for its eclectic mixture of aesthetics and gameplay styles. The project received several awards and nominations, including a Webby Award for the website version and a Nuovo Award at the Independent Games Festival.
Essays on Empathy is a 2021 video game compilation by Spanish independent developer Deconstructeam and published by Devolver Digital. The game contains ten short "interactive stories", including one new title, De Tres al Cuarto, developed specifically for the compilation. Following the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, which negatively impacted the development team, the compilation was created as a side project to provide greater focus for the studio's previous shorter titles, many created for game jams. Upon release, Essays on Empathy received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising the game's ambitious narrative approach, treatment of complex themes, and additional making-of features, whilst critiquing the short duration of games and the absence of bugfixes and quality of life features.
Anthology of the Killer is a series of comedy-horror video games developed by Irish independent developer Stephen Gillmurphy under the pseudonym "garmentdistrict". The games were released for free on Game Jolt between 4 December 2020 and 5 March 2024; a paid compilation, including all nine games and bonus content, was released on Game Jolt and itch.io on 28 May 2024.
References
- ↑ Carroll, Nilson (2021). "thecatamites' Magic Wand". Fence Digital.
- 1 2 3 Rose, Mike (January 28, 2014). "Just who is 'thecatamites' anyway?". Game Developer.
- 1 2 3 "Interview - The Catamites". GameJolt. June 5, 2013. Archived from the original on May 7, 2013.
- ↑ Cox, James Earl (January 14, 2018). "Game Jams with James: A Fireside with thecatamites". Game Curator.
- ↑ Gillmurphy, Stephen (2010). "Games 4 Schools dot com". Games 4 Schools.
- ↑ Gillmurphy, Stephen (2011). "Games". Mystery Zone.
- ↑ Gillmurphy, Stephen (2013). "Harmony Zone". Harmony Zone.
- ↑ Gillmurphy, Stephen. "My Friend Pokey". Tumblr.
- ↑ "Anthology of the Killer by thecatamites". itch.io. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ↑ Caldwell, Brendan (June 14, 2016). "The Indie Devs You Won't Hear About At E3". Rock Paper Shotgun.
- ↑ "2024 Independent Games Festival Winners & Finalists". Independent Games Festival . United States: UBM Tech.
- 1 2 Hardy, Igor (January 16, 2011). "I was lying in bed with my catamite... - Interview with thecatamites". A Hardy Developer's Journal. Archived from the original on January 20, 2011.