Abstract: In this chapter, Braid is examined as a game that deliberately foregrounds its design as an independent (or “indie”) game created in direct opposition to mainstream game titles. Jesper Juul argues that there is a close loop between independent game design strategies and new game reading strategies, strategies that borrow tropes from mainstream “highbrow” cultural criticism where the ability to correctly read such games offers ways for players to demonstrate both their cultural knowledge and their knowledge of video game history.