People mock indies, but it's where the next set of big game designers are going to come from.
The great thing about indie development is that it allows game designers/coders to make stuff without the need to try and get it through a publisher or trying to move up the AAA game industry first (if they are even able to get in). The AAA market is a no/little risk structure, so if you want something different then its mainly going to come from that market.
Indies have been around since the dawn of time, it's a shame people still mock this great industry, while the film and music industry, its "perfect" to be indie. Double standards.