Cultural Waves: How Shifts In Culture Sell More Indie Video Games Than Marketing Does

There is a fundamental principle that nobody talks about that is the real reason why people buy certain indie games and not others.

And it has nothing to do with whether it's a quality game or not. It has nothing to do with it being fun. And it has nothing to do with marketing.

You see, when learning about marketing your indie game and building a successful studio, you'll often get techniques. Techniques like build a community, create hype, get a press kit, get a trailer, collaborate with influencers, join Steam Festivals.

And yet, hundreds and even thousands of indie game devs follow these marketing techniques, and still barely get any attention -- let alone get game sales or wishlists.

In fact, even companies that spend millions on branding and marketing still fail.

That's because there is an even bigger force than marketing that shapes why people play and buy indie games.

Let me explain...

A Force Larger Than Marketing: Cultural Waves

In 2012, Hotline Miami came out. It was a high-quality, fun, indie game. It got a lot of buzz through influencers. And people who normally never played top-down shooters, were now into this genre.

And on the surface, you would think that it's because of all these factors (quality game, fun, influencers influencing) that made this game successful. And yeah, these techniques helped.

But below the surface, there was an even bigger force at play that helped this game become successful. And I call this force the "Cultural Wave".

You see, there was a wave that was already building before this game came out...

The early 2010s were a turning point in indie games. Games like Braid, Limbo, Bastion, Trine, Terraria, The Binding of Isaac revolutionized the indie game scene. And players started seeing indie games just as valuable as AAA titles.

But there was also another Cultural Wave. By 2012, Neo-80s, and synthwave nostalgia was peaking. Neon pinks and blues, VHS filters, synth-heavy music — was part of a growing retro-futuristic revival in pop culture. And Movies like 'Drive' popularized this 80s hyper violence.

What made Hotline Miami successful wasn't the marketing. It was because this game tapped into these two Cultural Waves: 1) strong indie game scene, and 2) 80s retro-futuristic, hype violent revival). All marketing did was it resonated with people who identified and liked all this retro 80 pop culture that was already riding high when the game came out.

Think about it this way: If the Netflix show 'Stranger Things' were to be released in the 1990s, would it be popular? No. The 90s were full of "slacker" films like Clerks, Reality Bites, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, and Airheads. Now flip it around: would a film like Clerks be popular if it was released in 2016 during the 80s retro revival? No. Because that "slacker" Cultural Slacker wave has come and gone.

Ok, back to video games...

Let's look at the Undertale. This game was released in 2014. What was the Cultural Wave that was riding high when Undertale was released? Well, in the mid 2010's, Tumblr fandom culture was at its peak. And Undertale exploded on Tumblr because the game tapped into the culture of Tumblr. The game had quirky, lovable characters, themes of identity, and focused on diversity. All elements that tapped into the cultural wave that was Tumblr.

Yes, marketing techniques got this game in front of players. But that marketing worked because it resonated with people who identified with Tumblr culture. And then that wave of popularity spread into mainstream game media and found fans outside of Tumblr.

Now let's look at a Cultural Wave that is building up right now. It's June 18, 2025 as I write this. And I was on Steam checking out the most downloaded demos during Steam Next Fest that just finished.

And I noticed a certain game: CloverPit. It's a rogue-lite slot machine nightmare.

And on the surface, you'd think that the popularity of this game is due to Balatro. This combination of gambling games + rogue-lite seems like it's a new genre.

But again, there is a bigger force that is pushing this "new" genre. Think about it. What's a cultural shift that's happening right now as we speak that relates to these gambling -- and is giving momentum to these indie gambling-type games?

Well, online sports gambling is becoming more and more mainstream. Even companies like Disney are going all in with sports betting with a deal with ESPN.

This new gambling Cultural Wave is picking up because a lot of factors are contributing to making gambling a common thing. So when a game that calls itself "a rogue-lite slot machine" is going to get attention because it resonates very well with this new wave of mainstream gambling.

Market Momentum Comes From Cultural Waves And Not Marketing

You see, it's not the marketing that pushes certain games to the top of the pile. Yes, marketing helps get the games in front of people. But what drives popularity and success to be seen isn't marketing. It's when an indie game can tap into the current Cultural Wave that gives it its market momentum.

But here's an important insight: There is no dominant Cultural Wave. For example, in the 1990's "slacker" movies were popular. But so were disaster movies, and rom coms. Different Cultural Waves occur at the same time.

It's the same with indie games.

There are so many different types of players that new Cultural Waves are popping up all the time. Sometimes these waves die fast. Some take a long time to build. And sometimes these waves last for years.

For example, cozy games started getting popular in 2016 when Stardew Valley came out. During that time, there was a huge interest in "mindfulness" and taking mental health seriously. And people who resonated with this "mindfulness" movement were attracted to cozy games. And then cozy games got another big wave starting in 2020 during the pandemic. And today, there is a strong push against hyper productivity and grinding... and so cozy games get another wave they can ride. Yes, this genre is getting over-saturated. But it's not dying down because this Cultural Wave just keeps on going... and the market momentum continues.

On the other hand, look at VR and its short-lived wave. On the surface it seems that the lack of games, lack of money, lack of investments is what caused this wave to die down.

But beneath the surface, market momentum slowed down because new technology is propped up by the culture of early adapters. But early adaptors are fickle. Once new technology is no longer "new" and it doesn't deliver the promises, these early adapters go onto the new thing. Just look how all the crypto bros are now all into AI.

Again, it's not marketing. No amount of marketing will convince people to play VR. VR was new and novel. And once that novelty died down, all that is left now are customers who have a lot of money and just want to play sim VR games.

My point is, there are hundreds of Cultural Waves building up right now. As a game dev, it's important to understand what sort of wave your game is on. Because if you can clearly identify what Cultural Wave you're on, then you can start taking steps into getting some of that momentum that a wave can give you.

Let me show you exactly how...

How To Get Market Momentum From A Cultural Wave And Find Success For Your Indie Game

This principle isn't something I learned from a book or from school. I learned this idea from my own personal experience.

Around 2001, I wanted to be a graphic designer and make web apps. For 4 years I failed at all my ideas. That's because when the wave is riding high, and you try to jump on, it's going to kick you right out. What I mean is, around 2001 EVERYBODY was a graphic designer and making websites. And no matter how hard I tried to enter that market, I got spit out. The wave was already roaring... I had no chance to jump on because I had no momentum.

But then in 2004-ish, people in my generation were starting to scan their parents' old photos, slides, and negatives. I heard people talk about this at work. And I read about this idea in blogs. So I took my graphic design and programming knowledge and started a scanning company that fixed scans in Photoshop, and I developed a web portal so people can share their digital photos with family.

There was a cultural wave that was forming in 2004. And I got my surfboard, and I waited for that wave to get bigger and bigger. And I rode that wave for over 12+ years.

It wasn't my marketing. It wasn't my brilliant graphic design and programming skills. Yes, those were all important. But it was a bit of luck and a bit of my awareness about the current cultural shift that was happening that led to my success.

I also took the same principle, and built two other startups. I knew that if I kept my "ear to the ground", I could hear a new wave coming. And it's the same approach I take with my indie game dev clients.

So let me show you exactly how you can do this with your indie game, and grab momentum so that your game resonates with players and you find success...

Step 1: Analyze Your Market

How many other games like yours have players seen already? This is very simple to find out. A quick look on Steam will tell you how saturated your market is.

This is important, because if there are a lot of games in your market doing what you're doing then that wave is already riding high. And you won't be able to jump on that wave because you don't have enough momentum to catch a fast moving wave already in motion.

So analyzing your market is NOT about finding a big wave. The idea is to look around and see if a big wave is coming -- so catch that wave early on and let the momentum take you.

So if you look around, and see a lot of games doing what you're doing, then you need to figure out how to catch a new wave. And we'll work on that in the next step.

But if you look around, and you don't see a lot of competition, that tells you two things: 1) There is no market for this game idea. Or 2) You might be catching a new wave that can lead you to success.

So let's keep going and figure this out...

Step 2: Analyze Your Game To Find Your Game's Unique Appeal

Let's say that in Step 1, you looked around and saw that there are a lot of games doing what you're doing. So the idea is to try to avoid riding a wave where there's a lot of competition. In fact, if you're trying to compete, you've already lost. It's far better to find your own wave. How? Well you gotta study your game. And you need to see what makes your game different from all the other games.

So I highly recommend that you go through at least 5 - 10 games that are similar to yours, and to note down all the different ways your game is different and unique.

Here's what I want you to watch out for:

How is your game different in:

1. main feature
2. theme
3. setting
4. art
5. story
6. combat

So look at your game's main feature, theme, setting, art, story, and combat, and contrast it with at least 5 other games.

By doing this, you'll find what makes your game unique and different. This is important because new and different is very appealing to gamers. And having a "unique hook" is the first step into grabbing attention. And in Step 3, I'll show you how to take your game's unique appeal so that your game gets attention.

Now, let's say you did Step 1, and found there are NOT a lot of games in your market doing what you're doing. That's great. You're In a unique position because you MIGHT be one of the first to ride a new wave that is building up. But it's still important to understand your game, and to clearly figure out your game's unique concept. If you don't know what your game is trying to do or be, then your potential customer is going to be just as confused. And if your potential customer is confused in any way, then you're going to lose their attention. So let's work on this in Step 3 as well...

Step 3: Analyze Your Potential Customers To See If Your Game Is Resonating With The Current Cultural Wave

Remember, a bigger force than marketing is the culture that supports your game idea. And no amount of marketing is going to work if you get the market wrong.

So it's your responsibility to figure out how your game taps into the current culture so that that culture gives you momentum -- and makes it easier for your game to be seen.

And the best way to tap into a Cultural Wave is to reach out to potential customers.

And it's very simple...

Say for example I'm making a top down shooter. I'd then go join Discords servers like Hotline Miami or Door Kickers.

Now, I am NOT self promoting. What I'll do is start asking questions to gauge interest. How? Well, remember in Step 2, you came up with games with a unique hook or appeal? I'd use my game's appeal to form a question to gauge interest.

For instance, say my unique appeal to my top down shooter is that it's a one shot / one kill tactical game. So then I'd simply ask,

"hey what do you think about top down shooters that use one shot, one kill combat?".

Again, I'm not self promoting. I'm taking my games' unique hook, and seeing how people react to it. I'm trying to see if there is a possible wave that is building or not.

The reason reaching out to potential customers like this is so important is because often game devs make a game they want -- and then go off and learn marketing techniques. Techniques like building a community, creating hype, getting a press kit, getting a trailer, collaborating with influencers, joining Steam Festivals. But because they never "put their ear to the ground" and tried to listen to what the market wants, none of these marketing techniques worked. And that's because these techniques didn't resonate with people.

To make sure your marketing techniques work, you first need to understand what Cultural Wave your game is riding on. And you need to gauge if your game idea will resonate with that culture. And the only way to figure this out, is to reach out and talk to potential customers to gauge their interest.

Again, a bigger force than marketing is the culture. Culture gives you momentum. Culture is what creates markets. Culture is what influences people to play certain games and not others. If a game dev can't tap into this culture with their game, then no amount of marketing is going to help them get momentum. Market momentum only comes from the culture.

Thanks for reading. I hope you got at least one idea to help you find players for your indie game. Good luck with game dev, and talk to you soon!

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Dariusz Konrad
My Entrepreneurial Story
Work: Game devs I've helped so far