Possibilities of Sustainable Small-Scale Game Development

Qualitative Data Analysis of Development of Doujin and Indie Games

Abstract

This study attempts to elucidate the characteristics of the Doujin and Indie Games and its productivity in Japan through qualitative data analysis. It was clarified that the development of Doujin and Indie games has six characteristics: 1) value, 2) autonomy, 3) flexibility, 4) development speed, 5) sales and income, and 6) distance between developers and users. We also clarified that business units and ecosystems enabling small-scale game development are formed, and that challenging games reflecting the personality of the producers can be easily created. These results suggest the possibility of sustaining small-scale game development in Japan.