Best known as the co-founder of Game Oven, I interviewed Adriaan de Jongh about his ambitions, the predicament of the indies, and his mission to make the video gaming industry a better place for developers.
How do you feel about the evolution of Game Oven throughout its existence?
What aspects of the game industry would you like to delve into, and what types of games are you currently working on?
What impact would you like to make as a professional game developer?
Do efforts such as contract( ) and playdev.club serve to tackle the foundational problems behind independent game development, and how important are these issues in the games industry?
How do you feel about events such as the Game Developers Conference (GDC) as avenues to inform developers about new tools?
Is being weird/different a necessity as an independent game developer, or are they just games that you love to make and play?
Do you feel that balance is a deciding factor in independent game development, considering everyone’s input matters in indie studios, whereas AAA studios have hundreds of employees that go unheard?
What are the biggest issues you see preventing indie games from having the same exposure and popularity as AAA games?
Is it difficult because indie games can’t compete with AAA games in their own genres, and have no choice but to fill in a niche market, or are the genres of AAA games just over-saturated?
What do you think needs to be done to make it easier for indies to gather the money and people required to approach audiences?
To find out if Adriaan ever finds the answer, follow him on Twitter @AdriaandeJongh and on his official website, adriaandejongh.nl.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
