The best thing about indie games nowadays though is the way they are spreading to other systems and are being encouraged by some of the major developers, like Microsoft.

Microsoft in particular is going crazy for indie developers and cheaply giving away support and assets to indie game makers who want to sign up to the XNA Creators Club. Doing so allows designers to create their own games, with the hope of distributing them on Xbox Live and becoming the next Geometry Wars.

But Microsoft isn't alone in the way it is encouraging indie developers.

Nintendo too is eager to entice bedroom-based game designers to the Wii and is encouraging developers to make 'WiiWare' games which will build on the unique and lower-end appeal of the Wii as a console.