Against [blockbuster games], the only creative counterweight comes from the indie programmers, since at the opposite scale of development the market is open solely to those who program, and any artists they choose to bring along for the ride. Incredible games for geeks are made in this space, but geek design, ultimately, is a limited form of game design, one that is ultimately self serving. Geeks themselves have great respect for those who program the kinds of games geeks want to play – but this kind of respect is simply fandom in another guise.
Excellent rant by iHobo's Chris Bateman, arguing that all game design has turned into addiction design. Including most indie game design, which he calls "geek design" and as such just another way of pleasing the addicts. He also recognizes that in the latter category the centrality of programming is a major issue, because artists don't program.
It’s a shame that geek design always tends towards addiction design. If anything might avoid commercialism, it should be these small projects, but the centrality of the programmer seems to allow compulsive play to trump artistry every time.
