In the case of indies, much like other artistic medium, we have a glut of devs who are only able to focus on the surface and craft of video games, without making anything that goes too much deeper. They don't conceptualize ideas that speak to anything deeper than what is presented at first blush: they make their pixel platformers because they like Mario, not because there's any care or thought to ensuring the game itself has anything resembling consistency of theme. Their games can be crisp, can run smooth, can have pleasing music or visuals, but if there isn't an underlying core that the developer is trying to convey, the experience will feel hollow and empty.

Indie games in a nutshell