It's often said that gaming is an expensive hobby. Major new releases retail for as much as £50, and with dozens of supposedly 'must-play' titles launching every year, the pennies can be quick to add up.
But brewing away beneath the surface of the industry - beneath the main bulk of the indie scene, even - is a world where money appears meaningless. It's a world in which developers pour their talents and their time into the creation of fantastic computer games, for which they ask nothing in return.
It's true that many of these free games are throwaway Flash efforts. But there are some gems: free releases that offer hours of play time, intricate stories, and fascinating game mechanics. Many developers working within this scene could easily justify demanding a few pounds in return for a copy of their latest masterpiece - so what compels them to say 'put your wallet away'?
I asked people what their personal favorite indie game releases of 2011 were in the forums; this is a compiled list. Each mention got one vote per person. This is a sequel to last year’s list. There were a lot of ties, so don’t comment asking what’s up with the numbers, like everyone did last year. See the full list under the jump.
1. Bastion
3. Terraria
4. Spacechem
5. Jamestown
6. Escape from Puppy Death Factory
7. Gemini Rue
8. Viriax
8. Murder Dog IV: Trial of the Murder Dog
8. Don’t Take it Personally, Babe, it Just Ain’t Your Story
9. Voxatron
9. Trauma
9. 0Space
10. [Honorable mentions]: The Iconoclasts, Stealth Bastard, Scoregasm, Running with Rifles, Rock of Ages, Proun, Nightsky, Koya Rift, Inside a Star-Filled Sky, Infested Planet, Impasse, Hydra Castle Labyrinth, Girp, E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy, Capsized, Ace of Spades, 100th
