Can Indie Games Save Gaming?
Indie games are going to save the gaming industry.
The gaming industry has been in trouble for some time now, but I believe that indie games are here to save the day. As Alan loves to state we are witnessing an indie game renaissance that is taking place before our very eyes and if we are serious about this industry we all love so much, then we need to start putting our support behind those of us brave enough to be the change we have all wanted to see.
The reason why the industry is in trouble is because the heavy weights who lead the charge when it comes to steering the direction of the industry have of late been churning out one too many remakes / remasters and sequels, and whiles I love a good remastered, when that is all we ever see then it feels as though we aren’t treading new ground. The indie scene seems like the only one’s brave enough to take a gamble on new IP’s just looks at how groundbreaking titles like Balatro or Clair Obscur: 33 Expedition, had has all in, when we consider the games that really left lasting impressions we aren’t looking at multi-million-dollar AAA blockbusters. We’re looking at indie developers who actually have something to say.
Such as Serina Lopez. Serina is a game director, 2D artist, illustrator, producer, and one of the creative visionaries behind Eternal Toll Studios.
Her debut title, Enter Her Paracosm, is a psychological horror PC game that is as haunting as it is visually striking. You play as a shut-in who becomes consumed by her past as a ballerina, watched over by a sinister presence in her room as the fragile line between reality and delusion completely erodes. It strikes a great balance between being creepy and also cute. At its absolute core I would say its focus is a soft, complex, feminine Black woman.
Which should come as no surprise since the narrative is deeply personal. Serina shared a very heartfelt story with me as to the origins of her idea for this game. A decade ago, right after finishing her first degree in illustration, a car crash left her incapacitated and unable to use her arm.
“I couldn’t do what I wanted to do, and essentially I felt like I had to rely on everyone around me,” Serina explained. “So, I took the hurt and pain from that event, and I thought, ‘Let me make a game.’ That’s where the horror story starts.”
She channelled her experience directly into Enter Her Paracosm, blending psychological horror with a unique “creepy-cute” aesthetic. But Serina’s vision went deeper than processing personal trauma it was a direct counter-attack against the industry’s failure to represent Black women with nuance.
“When I play games, I don’t really see Black women being portrayed as we are: feminine, soft, and sweet,” Serina stated. “I wanted to have the juxtaposition between the softness, beauty, and elegance of Black women and ballet with a dark subject. It’s for the people who identify and want to feel softness and feel a Black woman’s story.”
That commitment to authentic representation is why Serina and her sister, an animator who graduated alongside her from the National Film and Television School, co-founded Eternal Toll Studios. Named in honour of her sister, Belle (“like when you toll a bell”), the studio’s mission is clear: For us and by us!
A saying we have heard time and time again, to quote Thanos; ‘fine I will do it myself’, it is unfair that as black women we always have to be the pioneers when it comes to every space we enter and Serina’s journey was not without its challenges. Serina had to lead up 13 different collaborators. She faced issues with late night software crashes and had to get everything ready to exhibit at Comic-Con.
But all her efforts were not for naught. The overwhelmingly positive reception she received at Comic-Con and Ebonix’s Blacklinesofcode exhibition proved what players already know: there is a massive, untapped audience starving for fresh experiences.
The argument that there isn’t a viable market for diverse creators or unconventional ideas misses the bigger picture. The reality is that traditional decision-makers don’t know what the modern player wants anymore. As much as we love Greek mythology, we have seen enough and we are more than ready for other stories and mythologies from around the globe to be explored.
Serina isn’t waiting around for corporate gatekeepers to catch up, either.
“There’s no point in going to a room full of white men and saying, ‘You need to do this,’ because they don’t know how to do it,” Serina said bluntly. “We’ve seen the examples that they’ve made… More of us need to be in the room to make the changes.”
The real soul of gaming lives with creators like Serina Lopez and studios like Eternal Toll, developers who prove that indie games aren’t just an alternative to the status quo, but the future of the entire medium.
Keep an eye out for Enter Her Paracosm as it continues development, and stay tuned for updates from Eternal Toll Studios.
I am Annabel or creativelyanzy as I’m known online! I am the founder of Melanin Gamers: a gaming community that promotes diversity and inclusivity in the video games industry, with a special focus on content creators; whiles also providing a safe space for people of colour to come together and game
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I am Annabel or creativelyanzy as I’m known online! I am the founder of Melanin Gamers: a gaming community that promotes diversity and inclusivity in the video games industry, with a special focus on content creators; whiles also providing a safe space for people of colour to come together and game