作者：Nathaniel Dziomba , Bitmob

我坐在办公椅上，手里玩着独立游戏，顺便思考关于最新的《Bitmob Wants You》有哪些不同的话题可以写，我的思绪慢慢转向了摩托车。我立马过滤了这一想法，我告诉自己它们是不相关的话题，我应该思考的是独立游戏。但是当我开始剖析隐藏在独立游戏背后的核心理念时，我震惊了。这些游戏都是建立在自由与友情的文化之上，如同摩托车的理念一样。

indie game(from venturebeat)

第二次世界大战之后，军人们发现难以重返社会，不是因为社会变了而是因为他们自己变了。他们在战争期间目睹过惨不忍睹的场面，而这些只有他们的同伴可以理解。军人之间的友谊密切（无论过去还是现在），这是常人所无法理解的，而这也是摩托车俱乐部盛行的原因。摩托车给军人提供一种极限的享受，是他们在战场上热血杀敌的替代品，同时俱乐部也为军人带来了友谊情感，这也是社会所无法给予的。整个俱乐部就好像一个大家庭一样。他们为退役的军人提供了聚会的地方，也使他们的团体再次壮大起来。

摩托车给军人带来了自由的感觉，独立游戏也为玩家带来了自由。无论你是否认同，当今的主流游戏确实都较为温和并且随大流。似乎极少有开发者真正关心交互性娱乐方式的发展，大多数的开发者更倾向于发行同种类型的动作游戏。

这就是独立游戏兴起的原因。

与游戏产业中的其它种类完全相反，独立游戏领域一直游离于大众市场之外，我行我素地做自己最擅长的事。独立游戏关注的不是游戏盈利情况（虽然这也很重要）或者游戏续集的发行速度，它看重的是游戏的品质。它或是推出独特的游戏机制、引人入胜的故事情节或者带有一丝邪恶的幽默感，总之它为玩家带来了其它游戏所无法给予的感受。

无论何时我和摩托车手谈起他们骑摩托车的原由，以及他们对这种坐骑的喜爱程度时，我发现自己总是处于兴奋状态。我自己也开过一阶段的摩托车，我完全理解那种感受。开小轿车是一项如此单调且令人厌恶的任务，但是开着摩托车缓缓地行驶在高速公路上的感觉却完全不一样。你可以呼吸到新鲜的空气，感受到温和的微风，然后随着车辆的前行慢慢移动。这是一种经历。是小轿车所无法给予的享受。在小轿车上只能欣赏自己看到的美景，但是在摩托车上，你却会想要伸出双手去拥抱它。

最近的游戏让我有种开小轿车的感觉，游戏中的大部分情节很无聊，只有一些事情值得我注意。我看了所有最近发布的游戏后，我只是坐在那，完全提不起兴趣。我看到自己喜爱的游戏出了续集总会很兴奋，但是看到新产品发行更让我高兴。它甚至不需要那么好。我只是希望一些主流开发商可以尝试一些不同的元素。

当我观察独立游戏领域时，我发现它因数字发行渠道和更见多识广的用户而获得了新生。自从《Minecraft》和《Braid》这类独立游戏展示了它们的惊人成果后，玩家开始积极地探索这种体验，寻找下一款闪光的独立游戏。

但也许我在这一话题上谈论得过多了，可能我还没有足够有力的证据将独立游戏比作摩托车。我所知道的是我在户外骑摩托车感受到的自由和玩独立游戏时的自由一模一样。因为这种游戏打动了我，我没打算再去玩一流的零售游戏。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Indie titles are the motorcycles of the gaming world

By Nathaniel Dziomba , Bitmob

As I was sitting in my office chair, playing an indie game while simultaneously mulling over different topics to write about for the latest Bitmob Wants You, my mind began drifting to motorcycles. I pushed them out at first, claiming they were irrelevant and that I should be thinking about indie games. But as I began dissecting the core ideas behind indie games, something struck me. These titles are built on a culture of freedom and fellowship, just like motorbikes.

After World War II, servicemen found difficulty reintegrating into society, not necessarily because it had changed but because they had changed as people. They had witnessed awful things during the war, things that no one but a fellow soldier could understand. The bond between soldiers was (and is) so strong that few outside of the military can possibly understand, and that’s why motorcycle clubs became so appealing. Motorcycles provided something extreme, a replacement for the adrenaline rush of war, and clubs provided the camaraderie that society could not provide. These groups were a brotherhood. They provided former GIs with a chance to gather and be part of something bigger once again.

Motorcycles provided GIs with freedom, and as ludicrous as it sounds, indie games are providing the same for players. Like it or not, today’s mainstream titles are mild and impersonal conformists. Few developers seem to really care about advancing interactive entertainment, and most are more than happy pumping out the same kind of action titles.

That’s where indie games come in.

In complete contrast to the rest of the industry, the indie scene is all about being on the outside, doing what it loves and only giving its best while doing it. It’s not about how much a game sells (though that’s still important) or how quickly the sequel can be released, it’s about how great a game is. Be it because of unique mechanics, a captivating story, or a wicked sense of humor, it’s all about providing something that can’t be found elsewhere.

I find myself amazed whenever I talk to bikers about why they ride and how much they love it. Having ridden a few motorcycles myself, I understand completely. Driving a car is such a mundane task. It’s a chore really, but cruising along the highway in a motorcycle isn’t. You can smell the air, feel the wind, and flow with the movement of the vehicle. It’s an experience. Things are taken for granted when in a car. A pretty view is barely worth admiring while driving a car, but on a bike, you feel like you could just reach out and touch it.

Lately, gaming has felt like driving in a car for me, mundane for the most part with only a few things worth noticing. I look at all the titles releasing soon, and I just sit there completely indifferent. I’m always excited to see a sequel for a game I like, but I’m even more ecstatic when I see something new coming along. It doesn’t even have to be all that good. I just want major developers to try something different.

Yet, when I look over at the indie scene, I see it finding new life through digital distribution and a more-informed audience. Ever since titles like Minecraft and Braid showed how amazing indie offerings can be, gamers have started actively searching for these experiences, just looking to find that next piece of independent gold.

But perhaps I’m putting too much into this, and maybe I don’t have a valid reason to compare indie games and motorcycles. All I know is that I can feel the same type of freedom while playing indie games as I do when riding out on the open road. And now that I’ve felt the sensation, I’m not going back to just playing big-time retail releases.(source:venturebeat)