As someone who has been writing within the gaming sphere for a while now, I can safely say that, most of the time, I really enjoy my work. However, one thing has become glaringly obvious to me: Indie games and their developers do not get the coverage they deserve. 

Indies are the heart of the gaming industry

Look, I get it. AAA games and their publishers have the funds and the authority to get every single gaming website snapping at their heels, fighting over the right to cover their releases. SEO trends always spike for AAA games, because everyone and their aunt seems to be playing them and looking for hints. Those SEO numbers are what sites, for the most part, chase, and the smaller indie games get left behind. 

June 2025 saw Summer Games Fest, and most of the “exciting” reveals were sequels for established franchises or remakes of games that originally did well. The heart of Summer Games Fest was the indie streams – Women Led Showcase, Day of the Devs, and Wholesome Direct presented so many beautiful and underappreciated indies to watch. 

I’ve always been passionate about indie games, and the disappointment in AAA studios has been building in me for some time. So I got to thinking… How can I, with my limited platform, help indie developers get the coverage they deserve? 

Well… I’m a writer, so I can do what I do best. 

It started with a Twitter post

On June 16, 2025, I made a post on Twitter asking indie developers to share their creations with me, with the promise that I would try it and then write about it somewhere. I was expecting perhaps three replies, if that, considering the fact that I only had 140 followers at the time. 

The response I got floored me. 

Within a day, the post had reached 30,000 sets of eyes, been shared by some big names in the indie gaming space, and I woke up the next day to over 100 comments from developers and other gamers, recommending their games. I gained over 400 followers in under two days.

I have to admit, it was all a bit daunting, and for a second there I wanted to hide under a rock and pretend that I hadn’t unleashed an avalanche of promises to hundreds of people. But, after a brief existential crisis and a not small amount of panic, I dusted myself off and realized “damn, I might just have started something good, here.”

That’s when The Nerdy Type changed. Well, that’s when I got the idea. The changes took a few days to implement, considering the number of demos I was throwing myself into, but we’re getting there. 

A pledge to indie developers

Look, I’m not going to pretend that if I write about your game, I’m going to make it go viral and earn you millions. I’m not that delusional or sure of myself. But what I can promise is that I will write about your game in some fashion. It may not be a full feature (although if you want that, then we can work towards it), but I can categorically promise that I can at least fit your game into a list of upcoming indies to watch. 

What I want, above anything else, is to bring some recognition to indie developers and to create a space where you can share your efforts with someone who will invariably feel as strongly about them as you do. I don’t care if you have absolutely no PR budget, if your game is an early build, or if the larger sites have ignored your emails. I will play it and I will find somewhere for it to belong. 

Even though I’ve never made a game myself, I know what it’s like to pour your heart and soul into something, and watch as it gets ignored for the most part. You don’t deserve that. Even if I’m the only person who writes about your game, then that is my way of giving back to you, proving that your creation has a place in the world and has reached at least one gamer out there. 

And, if we’re lucky, maybe my writing something about your game, and sharing that for the world to see, will draw more people to it.

Here’s my pledge to any indie developers:

• If you have a game that you’ve created, I want to see it
• I will find some way to write about your game, in one of the following ways:
  • A standalone feature
  • A review in conjunction with release, scored or otherwise
  • A dev interview to follow progress
  • As part of a compilation list of upcoming games
•  Those articles will then be shared on my socials

All that I ask in return? 

• Give me some time to play and write. I’m only one person!
• Be open to communication. I might have questions!
• If I write about your game, or one that you love, share those links

You do not need to send me a key to get me to write about your game. If your game has a demo, I can play that and write from my experience with it. If you do want to send a key, I obviously cannot stop you and I am always immensely grateful to receive them. However, to make it clear, that is not something I expect, nor is it something I will ever ask of you.