The Countless Choices Provided by Downloadable Games

What are the first things that come to mind when the words “downloadable games” are mentioned? Some people may say that those are pirated copies of commercial games, while others may think of those as games that non-gamers play to simply pass time. Some people might even include downloadable content (DLC) to the term. However, DLC products are only add-ons to an existing game and not independent software. Majority of the people, even the users, don’t understand that there are more downloadable games out there, and not just those categories listed above.

For one, there are games available through Steam and other software download services. These are typically developed by small-time game studios. Instead of tying up with an established game publisher to get their products in the market, they opt to sell directing to gamers through the Internet. Some of the big hits that these indie game developers have produced include the delightfully cartoonish “Torchlight” and the enormously compelling “Minecraft.”

Another type of game that one might find freely downloadable is games made using a commercial design suite. Software like Game Maker and RPG Maker VX are available that allow the average person to design their own game, taking away the hassle of developing a game engine - something that the software already provides. These games tend towards simpler graphics, usually having nothing flashier than a few sprites and some really well-drawn backgrounds or animations. Technically part of the indie gaming industry, these are more fan-made products that are typically distributed for free. The various games can cover nearly every genre imaginable, from simple point-and-click puzzle pieces to 40-hour long RPG epics.

Downloadable games have actually become a bastion for independent game developers, providing an alternative to the old way of getting games into the market. The Internet has also become a way for aspiring game designers to make an impact without having to go into the more complicated arena of game development.

The key difference between the two lies in the nature of the work. Game development requires making the game from scratch to design a functioning engine. Think of it as the basic structure of a house; without one, the house would not stand. Game design is taking an existing engine and adding to it and modifying some of it to suit the needs of a specific game. It is actually a fairly common practice for smaller game studios to license a pre-made game engine to design a game on, because of the cost involved in developing one in-house on top of designing the game.