Flow

Attendees at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco said the $30 billion dollar videogame industry is shifting from big budget games that take years to develop to creative, low-budget games, according to CNET.

For example, a deceptively simple video game called Flow, in which players control the feeding and evolution of an aquatic organism, has become an instant hit. Independent creator of Flow, 25-year-old Xinghan "Jenova" Chen, now runs an independent company from Sony's offices in Los Angeles.

The success of Microsoft's console-connected Xbox Live Arcade download service, Nintendo's Wii motion-sensing console controller and new online information-sharing and game-distribution technologies has emboldened game makers to stretch their wings.

Attendees said during the first few years of a console war, which is where the industry now finds itself, is the best time for maverick developers to launch new games. Ultimately, the time is ripe to take gaming back to where it originated: in the hands of developers.