It's funny because a few years ago Gabler volunteered at DICE--handing out T-shirts and making sure people didn't sneak into the show--and now he's taking the podium to talk about the indie spirit in front of an audience comprised of the likes of Todd Howard, Cliff Bleszinski and Rob Pardo.
2D Boy's goo-based physics puzzler is the third highest rated game on the Wii, according to Metacritic.com. It cost $10,000. One month, says Gabler, he ran out of soap and was forced to wash his body with his cat's flea shampoo. Gabler jokes that World of Goo was such a success because of 2D Boy's desperation.
In 2005, the heads of two major studios told Gabler not to start an indie game company. The future, they said was big blockbuster games. Now the industry is on the cusp of a renaissance thanks to the "indie explosion."
The reason: Independent developers can't make a first-person shooter and compete with big studios. So instead, they avoid competition by creating different kinds of games that never existed before.
"We're playing the same games we were playing 17 years ago," says Gabler, pointing to first-person shooters. Thankfully, an amazing thing is happening. Technology is no longer the bottle neck. "We are entering a new area of art." The Internet, he says, is the new Florence.
"It's becoming easier and easier for anyone with a small team and no money to make stuff," says Gabler. "It's just a little indicator signaling a really fun time ahead."