The ascent of
indie gaming is proof positive that gamers are hungry for titles born outside the established studio system. Now, there’s a new movement brewing in the games sector that’s celebrating an even more underdog approach to game creation and distribution. Indeed,
crowdsourcing has hit the gaming industry, allowing fans to weigh in on everything from art design to soundtracks and publishing schemes.
Steam Greenlight: Valve’s Steam platform was an early innovator in the now-established online game marketplace. Seeking to preserve its leadership status in the industry, the company launched
Steam Greenlight, a new system that empowers the Steam community by
enabling them to help select the games they wish to see released on the platform. The initiative, which is sort of like an online focus group, allows developers to post game information, screenshots and videos. Gamers then vote on their favorites, with their most oft-picked concepts rising to the top. Developers can also submit preview snapshots during the creation process, a strategic tactic that recalls
Modcloth’s successful Be the Buyer program.
Puzzle Clubhouse: Schell Games CEO Jesse Schell launched his company’s latest title,
Puzzle Clubhouse, with
the intent of doing for videogame creation what YouTube has done for filmmaking. The story-driven online game consists of monthly installments, each of which features puzzles that must be solved by players in order to get to the next one. But in a user-generated twist, players are also given the opportunity to vote on the direction of the game, as well as contribute their own stories, art, music, and even jokes. In creating the game, Schell, a former street performer, was
inspired in part by the audience interaction inherent in improv comedy.
