ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
More than 18,000 video games were released last year. So to stand out, independent developers are giving people a glimpse into their creative process. NPR's Vincent Acovino has more.
VINCENT ACOVINO, BYLINE: More than three years ago, Swedish game developer Kevin Andersson started working on a new video game.
KEVIN ANDERSSON: It takes place in a world that's made out of paper and cardboard, and you rotate the world. You unfold it with all this paper mechanics.
ACOVINO: He shared that idea and eventually his quest to develop that game in a video on YouTube called a devlog (ph), or developer's log, where game makers share updates on their projects. Over those years, he shared his trials and tribulations...
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ANDERSSON: I have been stuck for a while, feeling uninspired about my projects. Some might call it a burnout.
ACOVINO: ...His little victories along the way...
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ANDERSSON: Remember the last devlog where it showed this area. Now, this is how it turned out.
ACOVINO: ...And finally, the release of his video game, PaperKlay.
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ANDERSSON: But PaperKlay is out now. It's released out in the world.
ACOVINO: By taking viewers and potential customers along on the ride, he built an audience of people who were waiting for this game to come out. And that's important, especially when you're up against a lot of other video games all vying for space on the same digital storefronts.
ANDERSSON: You need to play the game to feed algorithm in the beginning. And hopefully you make a good game along the way.
ACOVINO: Developers are making more ambitious games and are now sometimes doing it as a team of one, like Emily Pitcher, who is currently working on a horror game called lily's world XD.
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EMILY PITCHER: I'm making a horror game where I'm the main character.
ACOVINO: When Pitcher first posted on Instagram about her development process, it got 2 million views. She says this kind of personal interaction with an audience can be more than just a promotional tool.
PITCHER: I'm making a horror game about my teenage self, and thus, my teenage self is in the game. So I think that is a real treat for my audience to see maybe a more perfect version of me online, but to really get to know me, my story, my thoughts, my insecurities through my game.
ACOVINO: Mark Brown, who publishes videos as Game Maker's Toolkit on YouTube, says these kind of devlogs also have a larger purpose.
MARK BROWN: Video games feel like something that is more alive and interesting to kind of find out how it works under the hood.
ACOVINO: These videos have become a window into a hugely profitable and technologically ambitious art form, one that could level the playing field for big studios and indie developers.
Vincent Acovino, NPR News.
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