10k games filtered +GAs + a question

Congrats on the 10K filtered! That must've taken a while! My favorite indie games seem to be the nostalgic 16-bit style or 8-Bit style platform/action games with the old-school gameplay. I didn't put gameplay however because I usually don't spend too much time on them so I feel like nostalgia is really important. Either way, I need to give them more playtime. :)

Gameplay for sure, and maybe atmosphere/design too. Depending on the type of game, I guess the narrative will be more or less relevant. I love indies, nowadays I prefer them to a lot of AAA out there, but I really like playing a bit of everything.
Thanks for the GAs! :D

I go for gameplay all day!
Congrats on the milestone, szabe!

I love indies, though there's a lot of chaff to sort through to find the golden wheat. I think, generally, the most important thing in an indie game is the thing they're best at: Presenting innovation to the world of gaming. Every other aspect is something that non-indie titles can do very well (and better, though that's far from the norm). But non-indie games are incredibly risk-averse, especially in the AAA tier. Innovation is pretty rare at that level, or at least innovation on any scale that matters.

When I look at an indie game, I have to ask myself "Why is this worth my time? What can this give me that some other game can't?" Sometimes the answer is just that it has a killer narrative, or that it's a very solid representation of well-known and familiar types of gameplay that chooses to be a masterwork in that area rather than treading new ground through innovation, or the atmosphere is something powerfully evocative. But when an indie presents something new, that immediately makes it a shoe-in for my consideration (though I still might not play it).

bump

Gameplay is core. So I'm not surprised by its leading. Secondarily I wait for innovations, because if not indie, then who?

View attached image.

Different games attract me with different things, but the gameplay is the most important thing.
Cheers!

I can't confidently choose one decisive factor for me, I think it depends on the game - for example, some might be without something innovative in gameplay (what is probably most appreciated in indie games), but with nice art and soundtrack, or interesting story. And I agree with one person above, indie it's not a game genre, but approach to work.
Congratulations on the milestone, and thank you for the great giveaways.

I like games heavy with plot, so I don't mind if gameplay is limited... But still I think its all about balance. And this goes both to indie games and non-indie ones.
Even best story can be destroyed by annoying mechanics. Great ideas and innovations are interesting on paper, but if you wont support them with other elements - they're wasted. No mention tons and tons of wasted art and music... because creator couldnt give anyting other than art and music.