Earlier this year I developed an interest in the idea of creating my own indie game which led to me purchasing a license from Microsoft to develop for their platforms. Ever since then I’ve paid close attention to the issues developers have had with developing for the Xbox Live Indie Marketplace. A lot of people complain about how little exposure Microsoft gives to those developers, instead choosing to feature only those games released through Xbox Live Arcade. Others complain about the amount of throw-away titles cluttering up the space, not allowing the best and brightest to shine through.
Different people have come up with different solutions. Some developers have left and gone to other platforms, while others have chosen to support multiple platforms. However, not everyone is ready to give up on the Indie Marketplace. A group of developers have banded together in attempt to garner attention for those titles they feel showcase the best the Marketplace has to offer.
They’re calling the event the Indie Game Summer Uprising. As as a community they’ve selected eight titles that they’ll promote and release from August 22nd-September 2nd. They’re also opening up fan voting to select two additional titles. Voting is scheduled to run from August 1st-16th. The eight titles selected are showcased in the video below.
On a personal level, I think this is an amazing idea. It’s a shame that the community has had to step up to perform the duties that I feel Microsoft should, but they’re doing it. As a game player and reviewer, I find it difficult to pick through the garbage in the Indie Marketplace to find something worth posting about. I think this will be a great help. I think I’d like it a little better if they gave each game a week’s worth of promotion before moving on to the next, but for me at least this is a good place to start in terms of being able to go straight to a game that’s more than likely worth playing.
It probably goes without saying to stay tuned to The Indie Mine for coverage of all of these games. The poll for the final two game selections is open to everyone and will be made available through the site’s Facebook page. Help do your part by spreading the word and checking out these games.
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