IndieCade: A History — The Interdependence of Independents

IndieCade: A History — The Interdependence of Independents
by Celia Pearce, with Photos by Scott Chamberlin & Friends
Published by Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press

IndieCade, dubbed the “Sundance of games,” launched in 2007 as an alternative
to the mainstream video game industry. Since its inaugural festival in 2008, it has
grown exponentially to become an integral part of today’s vibrant indie game
scene. IndieCade: A History — The Interdependence of Independents chronicles
the story of IndieCade as told by one of its three co-founders—from its modest
beginnings through its evolving role in the larger independent games ecosystem
over its decade-plus history. More broadly, it situates IndieCade within a sociotechnical
and historical context, investigating various factors of the indie
ecosystem that have contributed to making independent games writ large a
major force in today’s video game industry. Lushly illustrated with photographs
and archival material, IndieCade: A History captures the experience of being part
of a blossoming and resilient “community of play and practice.” Building on the
growing body of “indie game studies” scholarship, it argues that independence
is ultimately sustainable only through interdependence.