How many games ARE there?

So the Independent Games Festival for 2009 has just released their entrants, and it made me wonder: how many games really exist?

Not just your big named “Left4Dead” or “World of Warcraft” games, but those small independent games that have a niche market. I’ve heard of games about characters like Rainbow Brite and Fraggle Rock. I guess they want to get us thinking about our childhood.

I know I’ve heard other people philsophize about books and movies; there can only be a certain number of story ideas that exist. If that’s the case, if we look at the incredibly large number of choices we already have – how many do we have left?

I for one think this is a really silly thought and that there are an infinite number of stories, movies, games and other media out there just waiting to happen. For every creative person that exists there is a new idea just waiting to happen.

While you can often group people into large types or social circles, each individual is still just that. We all have unique ideas and perspectives that allow us to create new and interesting thoughts.

Mine may be jumbled and random sometimes, but they’re not the same as another gamer girl who exists. I’m not a tomboy, as many of us are, nor am I a stylista. I’m a programmer who enjoys gaming, cooking, sewing, writing, and playing with gadgets and toys.

I’d hate to think there was a physical limit to the number of possibilities out there, but even if there is – that would be like trying to imagine having a million ideas all at once. It’s still an amazing thought, and makes me wonder how many of the games from the Festival I’ll see in stores and online.