> A) Why could you say that the “Indie” game scene is not a new thing and explain, give examples ?

Modern released indie games tend to be experimental, unpopular or weird. However this is not new, many well-known companies such as Ubisoft and Nintendo started off their game development in very small studios, releasing games that were experimental and limited due to the technology available during those time periods. More people are now creating games as a hobby in their personal studios and more independent studios have evolved from this in the modern day. Programs such as Unity, Unreal Engine and Stencyl that are used by prominent game studios have been made free for personal use to the public encouraging game development for individuals. Web sites such as itch.io and Steampowered.com have communities where individual game developers can share their work and receive feedback. Such communities are largely visited by gamers and other developers so the indie game scene is something that the gaming community is aware of. In popular game store websites such as steam store indie games are being considered as a genre, although they tend to be multi-genres. This is because indie games have been recognised as games that are strange, quirky or unpopular to mainstream gamers.  The level of anticipation for some indie games are becoming competitive with triple A title games, this is because of the hype created through social media and funding sites such as Patreon and Kickstarter where the developers will showcase their game and receive support from the gaming community   

> B) Has the term indie become meaningless ?

The term indie has not become completely meaningless as the popularity of the development of indie games has given the word a different imagery. When using the term indie to describe a game typically a gamer would think of weird, experimental and unpopular themes. Referring to a game as indie creates the imagery of a game emulating the 90’s and 80’s experimental styles and keeping its flaws as aesthetic to induce nostalgia. The term Indie also communicates the idea of an individual or group who create work catered to people similar to themselves or to people who have interest in investigating personal work.

However, the term indie has different stereotypes attached to it. Using the term can be uplifting to describe a hard working individual’s product, but it could also paint such products with one brush as trying hard to be quirky, unique or clever. When a product has the word indie associated with it, the consumer may feel like an initiate to the creator’s work as the product is not popular in mainstream media, news or advertisement.   

In conclusion, the term indie has not become meaningless, but it has rather become a word that can depict work made by an individual similarly to every other creator trying to strive in a field, or a word that cultivates the sense of innovation to create a trend.

What does the term Avant-Garde mean?

Avant-Garde means to be innovative and original; to challenge existing ideas and to push the boundaries of creativity. It praises exploration and experimentation, and promotes the belief that art should be primarily judged on the originality of the artist’s visions and ideas. Works that take an Avant-Garde approach can sometimes cause controversy as they often express radical ideas by going against widely accepted existing ones, Cubism for example, a revolutionary approach to portraying reality in the 20th century.

Is it still possible to be truly ‘avant garde’? and if so provide game examples

I believe it is very possible, as there is plenty of space left for new and innovative ideas, especially with the technological advancement that allows some of these ideas to be developed. An example is the third-person game Waco Resurrection, created by designers at c-level in 2004, designed to be exhibited in a gallery setting. It takes the subject of the 1993 Waco siege, in which government agents were sent into the Branch Davidian cult compound. Controversially you play as the cult leader, David Koresh, with your aim being to defend the compound against the government agents using the weaponry at your disposal. Players are also required to wear custom helmets designed for the experience, which are modelled to look like low-polygon versions of David Koresh. The purpose of this is to increase the immersion for the player but also to hide the identity of the player for spectators, which add mysterious and disturbing elements to the experience. Players are also equipped with a microphone to voice commands in the game for special abilities.
As can be expected due to the shocking nature of the game, there were criticisms directed towards the game, mainly to point out that the game was in bad taste and exploitative. A reason for this could be that some people fail to consider that games can be used to teach about serious issues, or that perhaps they are used to the protagonist in a game being a hero. These criticisms show that this game was successful in defying the normal conventions of games.

Another example is The Witness, a 3D puzzle game released by Jonathon Blow in 2016. Set on a remote island with no other living humans around, the player progresses by completing puzzles on a grid and finding secret paths hidden in the environment. The game is not for everyone as there are absolutely no instructions; the player must understand what they have to do through working it out themselves through either trial and error or piecing together subtle hints in the environment. To solve the majority of the puzzles it helps considerably to use pen and paper or other similar tools; the suggested use of external materials shows that this is not a typical game. The game challenges conventions of modern gaming as in the past couple decades there has been an increasing reliance on tutorials and “helping hands” to help players understand game mechanics.

Isbister, K. (2016). How Games Move Us. London: The MIT Press, pg 13-17.

Tate. (n.d.). Avant-Garde. Retrieved from Tate: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/a/avant-garde

Tate. (n.d). Cubism. Retrieved from Tate: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/c/cubism

Widewalls. (2016). Understanding the Significance of Avant-garde. Retrieved from Widewalls: https://www.widewalls.ch/avant-garde-movement-theater-music-photography-contemporary-art/

Image 1: https://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/cubism.htm

Image 2: http://eddostern.com/works/waco-resurrection/

The first book that I looked at was by Alan Kennedy and it was published in 1990, its interesting as it shows the culture and understanding traditional aspect of Japanese’s fashion back in the days, the book focused more on the women but kimonos was worn by all genders. I was captivated by the patterns and history by the garments. I love the gold appliqué by one of the textile artist, it was very simple yet affective. Woman in the 18^th century was not about showing a specific silhouette to look sexy but showing the humility and pureness of the colours and patterns in the garment, as they were about class and status back then.

There is an exhibition about Japanese kimonos in Victoria and Albert museum, the museum showcase illustrations and garments created in the ages. The museum definitely has a variety of Japanese’s heritage of different people with different stories and meaning. Such as social backgrounds whether they work for the royal family or in the royal family. It is exciting to see that these garments have been through as it teaches us about how far we have come after centuries of modernising the world.

The second book I choose was about Mexican costume by Chloe Sayer and published in 1985 was about the Mexican cultures and traditions. I chose this because of the vibrant colours and different weave pattern produced throughout the history of their ‘Sarape’ which is a traditional poncho worn by men and ‘Huipil’ which is a traditional dress worn by women, the women in Mexico had some of the most awesome and lively dress styles back then. I was attracted to the colour and simple designs and it was a very outstanding way of Mexican heritage.

There’s an exhibition in The Royal Ontario museum in Toronto about Mexican culture. The museum offers a range of textile design produced traditionally by people using traditional equipment’s back in the days and from today. They first draw their inspiration by their Aztec ancestors by incorporating loose fitting and colourful garments; from time to time their clothing has become refined and more elegant. Especially we used the technique that they use to create their ponchos such as weaving. It is what we used on our clothing these days. The Mexican people showcase vibrant and exiting ways of how people incorporate and draw inspirations by their surrounding such as the colours and different landscapes.

Overall I choose to dip into the culture and tradition by two different countries, because they both offer exciting colours and silhouette back in the days and with limited resources like fabric and colours both countries have showed how to still work with what they’ve got. With both they are different in some ways as the Japanese’s fabric are finer and more elegant to show their status back in the days, whilst Mexican fashion offers and cater to all the people, they draw in consideration of the people.

book 1 – Kennedy, Alan (1990), Japanese Costume: History and Tradition

book 2 – Sayer, Chloe (1984), Costume of Mexico

website –

https://www.vam.ac.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvLSb0o341wIVhpPtCh2EPADDEAAYASAAEgLbCfD_BwE

http://www.rom.on.ca/en/exhibitions-galleries/exhibitions/viva-mexico-clothing-and-culture