An Open Letter to the Xbox Live Indie Game Community
September 10, 2012 17 Comments
Ours is the old, old story of every uprising race or class or order. The work of elevation must be wrought by ourselves or not at all.
Frances Power Cobbe was talking about women’s suffrage when she wrote the above quote, but her message can apply towards any movement that’s worthwhile. Even something as trivial as Xbox Live Indie Games. The third Indies Games Uprising has begun. Over the next two weeks, nine games will be showcased in the promotion. Now, while I can’t prematurely vouch for the quality of these games, we should all stand up and cheer for the potential they represent. The XBLIG scene has struggled to gain an audience since its inception in 2008. This has been a source of great frustration for some. Personally, I feel like I’m witness to the beginning of something special.
Xbox Live Indie Games has potential without limits. I have no doubt about that. This is a scene that is waiting to explode. And I feel privileged. I’ve witnessed the raw enthusiasm of a new generation of game creators as their labors of love are unleashed on a world-wide audience of eager gamers. Maybe sales figures or press or admiration don’t always live up to their highest dreams or expectations. But, for the vast majority of them, the satisfaction of a journey completed is a reward they’ve found worth it all.
In my 437 days of being Indie Gamer Chick, I’ve encountered, chatted with, and even befriended dozens of developers. They’ve all made a hypocrite out of me. In the early days of my site, I used the slogan “She ain’t no cheerleader.” But I am. I cheer for your potential, just as I hurt when it goes unrealized. Developers have claimed I inspire them to be better, but that’s true of them for me. We’re on different sides of this community, but on the same page. We’re in this together.
There is no ceiling in sight for Xbox Live Indie Games. Our fullest of potential has not yet been realized. But, like Frances Power Cobbe said, we’ll realize it ourselves or we won’t at all. It’s up to us to grow together. Developers, writers, and fans. It’s all on us, but there’s nothing stopping us. The time for our community is now. Let’s come together and, as Alter Bridge said, rise today and change this world.
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook for updates on the Uprising. You can also follow all my site partners: The Indie Ocean, Armless Octopus, Indie Theory, TheXBLIG.com, The Indie Mine, VVGTV, Clearance Bin Review, and Indie-Love. If my partners don’t all get a ton of new followers, I’ll be forced to unleash the Puppy of Sadness upon you. Don’t make me go there.
Indie Gamer Chick 
“Great works of art are only great because they are accessible and comprehensible to everyone.” Tolstoy
i wish you reviewed all games not just indie .
your actually intelligent.
any chance you will be stepping up to the non indie game desk ? 😀
I do the occasional XBLA and PSN review, but I’ve carved out my little niche and I’m sticking with it. Thanks for the encouragement though 🙂
I fully agree, well said.
can’t actually understand you, from one side you seem to do the right things and from the other side the wrong things, for example you still haven’t change your “No. Seriously, fuck Windows Phone.” which makes you look totally unprofessional, that’s something Simon (one of your idols) would never say in public , because who knows if he gets a business with Microsoft.
You may get some hits but fans of any platform are going to hit you hard and bashing you if you start bashing it, backfire.
I think most people are smart enough to get the Windows Phone thing is a joke. I put faith in my readers.
LOL… smartphone of the year is not a joke, and that’s what smart people said
http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/20/winners-2012-engadget-awards-readers-choice/
And that’s one of the things lowers your reputation value on reviews, you should maintain quality standards in all places, and not bring great comments and great reviews and then ruined with comments like that, sounds like Amy Bakery Company IMHO
So keep your faith in your readers and hope they don’t switch because statistically talking they will, sorry that I am going hard on you, but judging how hard you talk about the good/new tech, makes me thing you may not review or see things like a pro.
And I like your blog.
I’m pretty sure you lose any merit as a critic when you have to shovel out the most recent Reddit trend as a reference and means to insult someone’s work and choice in sense of humor… especially when it’s as misguided and ludicrous as comparing “fuck Windows Phones” to people going on tangents about doing’s God’s work and large groups of people being threatened with legal actions and beyond. So um… an opinion is an opinion. A professional opinion is just an opinion from someone who’s word is paid more attention than your own.
In other words: you’re a tool. Bugger off back to Youtube with your comment nonsense. K thx bye.
So some other random critic named a device something of the year and that’s supposed to change everything from my end? I own a Samsung Galaxy, an iPhone 5, and an iPad. I have no need, nor any want, for a Windows Phone. I had a previous generation one. I never used it. It was a waste of money for me to own.
At one point, the “Fuck Windows Phone” stuff wasn’t there. People wouldn’t stop bugging me for Windows Phone reviews despite my insistence that I didn’t want to play games on Windows Phone. So I tongue-in-cheek said “Fuck Windows Phone” because saying “no” over and over again gets old.
And no, I don’t review or see things like a pro, on account of not being a professional game critic. I’m a hobbyist. This is not my career. I have no aspirations for it to be one.
One last thought: perhaps I’m building a following because I don’t act like a professional game critic. Those guys are boring. Their reviews are all the same. They’re homogenized and safe, so as not to offend sponsors or get cut off from review copies. I would never want to be a professional game critic for that reason.
All I can offer readers is my true and honest opinion, in as entertaining a way I can possibly write. When you asked me to review Steel Champions, I gave you that true and honest opinion. I thought the game was terrible. You’ve since had success on Windows Phone, and I’m happy for you on that front. But I don’t enjoy games just because they’re popular. I give no regard to popular opinion. If I like something, it’s because I like it, not because everyone else does. If I don’t, it’s because I don’t, not because everyone else doesn’t.
Oh, and I think the Amy’s Baking Company thing is hilarious because I’m not the one who created a paid product that got a bad critical review and am now throwing a temper tantrum over it. That would be you.
Ok here are the things that would create positive feedback, instead of “Fuck Windows Phone” you can say I won’t review windows phone games at this time, that will make you have respect from the Windows Phone community which is growing, and that’s the point I am making.
Now that you mention Steel Champions, yes the game sucked big balls at first and I admit it, however thanks to your review, and I am honestly appreciated and you might saw on my tweets that I did respect your point of view, we changed the game play drastically with majors updates and after that I got the success on Windows Phone and was featured in the market even game of the day, and also starting to get good rating on the Xbox and that’s thanks to you and others, that’s one of the things I respect about you and your blog and I am thankful for that.
About the Amy’s Baking Company its to point out the “F bombs” not the tantrum, even tho, if I were Amy Baking Company, I would throw F Bombs all over the blogs and you will not see one from me, even tho I gladly take criticism, and redo my work and that’s what I did.
Still like your blog I think you are doing great for the community but I encourage you to maybe change the way you approach to my windows phone community because I do work hard like hell to make it great. (btw we support the best Sports Apps on the Platform), and also I work harder to convince the MSFT guys, yes talking about internal MSFT guys to keep alive the indie channel on the new Xbox infin…cough cough
I hope I was clear, can we be friends now?
Thanks
“… you can say I won’t review windows phone games at this time”
Did you miss the part where she tried that and people still wouldn’t drop it? Also, that might give people the idea that at some point in the future she might, when she’s already said she won’t. Why is this such a big deal? She is not going to do WP reviews, end of story.
Seriously dude, you’re way out of line here. A bad review on one platform has no meaning on another. Get on with your life.
“Did you miss the part where she tried that and people still wouldn’t drop it?”
– that’s not an excuse, dear MVP
Of course it’s not an excuse, it’s an explanation. I thought that was obvious.
By your logic I should be making iPhone games even though I don’t have an iPhone nor have any desire or use for one (I have a WP7 device and am waiting for Sprint to come out with their WP8 device!)
Luis. I have altered my FAQ to note that I will not ever buy a Windows Phone, unless it changes drastically to fit the type of activities I like to do. I’m certainly not trying to piss off an entire community of WP owners. They have it bad enough as it is, being Windows Phone owners 😛 (note, that was a joke)
Oh, and FYI, I also own a Blackberry, but it’s hardly suited for gaming.
Windows Phone is just not something I want, need, or have the time for. Every review at this site is done by me. That’s 400+ reviews over two years. For every game review I do, there’s two games I don’t get to. I wasn’t expecting to be this popular or have this many people want me to cover their games. You have to remember, when I’m not Indie Gamer Chick, I work full time and I’m building a relationship that is leading into marriage.
I appreciate your kind words and hope your game is better. Next time, make a game that doesn’t suck and I’ll gladly give it my seal of approval. If you feel the XBLIG port is improved, you can issue your Second Chance with the Chick request.
Wow!!! now that is CLASS +1, +1, +1, take my commentaries as a recommendation and not as an attack, I know it is hard sometimes, trust me I know it, but this is the kind of behaviors that put you on TOP of the others demonstrating quality, values and professionalism.
I always understand that even if you are upset about something, you have to maintain class, and that’s what you show it here, of course I do defend the platform, WP and now Win8 and hopefully I can get something on Xbox one, now that is running the windows 8 kernel as one of the OS.
Of course I can’t force you to get a Windows Phone or any MSFT product, and that’s up to us to make it more appeal.
If you are curious who I am?, I am a Microsoft Development Hero, different award than Jim Perry got, he is an MVP, and I got some write ups this is an old one but one of the best so far.
http://www.windowsobserver.com/2011/12/09/meet-windows-phone-7-developers-neuralnet-systems/
Thanks for the second chance, but Steel Champions was mostly an experiment on the Xbox to understand reactions and how this xna community works and to open the ground of our most popular game that is on another platform and I did learn A LOT from Steel Champions and not regret it, and not talking code wise but on marketing, PR and visibility of the game, however I am going to try marketing with Google spend some money on it to redirect to the game site., lets see how that works, it is always testing and failure, over and over, and of course I always share my leanings with the Local community , even tho I should do it online as well.