One of the great things about traditional fine art is its the most accessible of creative industries. Films require money and crews, writing relies on somebody willing to publish your work (and your ability to get it to them). To be an artist, meanwhile, all you need is some paper and pencils. It means that, in theory, more diverse voices can be heard than simply the ruling class who can afford it. To the same token, the wealth of cheap-as-free resources for indie game developers has opened the door for all sorts of titles which explore ideas and themes you'd never get in a mainstream title. Many of these come in the form of Twine games, or basic platformers made in the likes of Game Maker. Anna Anthropy has developed titles with both pieces of software. Arguably her most famous work is Dys4ia, an experimental game with graphics not unlike the Atari 2600's Adventure, which explores the dizzying, sometimes terrifying and alienating experience of being a trans woman, gender dysphoria and hormone replacement therapy. It allows players to experience such feelings previously unfamiliar to them.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
