The indie games sector is a section of games developed by small companies or small individual groups of people, and don’t receive any kind of funding from a publisher. Examples of some indie games include Super Meat Boy, Fez, Cave Story, Braid, Etc. AAA games are the opposite, and are created by a larger company/multiple teams of people with a large budget and are funded by large publishers such as EA. There are benefits that come from working in this sector, such as having freedom over the design, mechanics, and any other aspects of the game. Also, you don’t get put under any pressure from publishers creating a deadline. However, there are also drawbacks to this sector. Creating a game using a small team, or individually depending on circumstances, is considerably stressful over a long period of time and can have some strong effects on the mental state of those working on it. These problems often come from the absence of funding from a publisher, meaning all funding for the game comes from the team itself. Also, because of the size of the team making the game, its final product can take many years to create. For example, FEZ was developed for 5 years before its release in 2012. Early on in these 5 years, the original programmer of the team, Shawn McGrath, left due to ‘creative differences’ between him and the Phil Fish, the other leading member of the team. After this split, Phil worked on the game in his spare time. Because of this, the game was in development for 5 years. Indie games are a popular section of the games industry, as they introduce new and unique concepts or mechanics into the gaming industry, as well as distinguishable and original aesthetics. Once again, FEZ is a good example to show these positives. In FEZ, you play the game as a 2D platformer, however, it is set in a 3D world. In the game, you gain the ability to rotate between four 2D views of the 3D world, these 2D views being around a cube-like space. FEZ is the first game to utilise and explore the possibilities of unique mechanics like this, and because of this, rose in popularity very quickly. Furthermore, indie games also act as a means of letting smaller, lesser known groups or individuals enter the gaming industry at their own pace, and with freedom over what they make and how they make it. But once again, because of this, these groups or individuals can become stressed due to the difficulty in finishing the game or funding it. Over all, I believe that the indie games sector has nearly endless potential in the games industry, and that despite the discouraging negatives that may come with being a part of it, the positives can out-weigh them. Where ever that be due to the financial benefit of selling the games, or the achievement you feel after finishing the games development and finally delivering it to the world.