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Here are the current most-hated game genres in F*ck This Jam

Jessica Conditt — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 13:45:00 EST

F*ck This Jam is all about anarchy on the indie scene, challenging developers to pick their most hated genre and create a brilliant game within it. Founder Rami Ismail isn't doing this because he's a sadist; he believes in the possibility for beauty in resentment. So far the top three most-hated genres submitted to F*ck This Jam are social, sports and racing games.

As Ismail sees it, some of the best indie games are borne out of a disdain for a particular genre: Alexander Bruce's Antichamber is a study in aversion to puzzle games. Ramiro Corbetta's Hokra, on the other hand, is a minimalist take on a sports game that similarly blurs the genre's definition.

"The idea is to get people to challenge established rules and conventions," Ismail says. Even the jam itself is an anomaly: It lasts an entire week, where standard jams last two days or so. Ismail and co-founder Fernando Ramallo are setting up a transparent website for all the developers to post updates, live stream their games-in-progress and share their creations with the world, every step of the way.

"Traditionally jams are an introverted thing," Ismail says. "But jams are supposed to force people to do things differently, and F*ck This Jam will challenge the notion that jams are introverted."

Continue reading Here are the current most-hated game genres in F*ck This Jam

Here are the current most-hated game genres in F*ck This Jam originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Great Little War Game heading to PS Vita via loaner dev kits

Jordan Mallory — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 21:30:00 EST

Sony certainly seems to be putting its money where its mouth is over this whole "we have to support indie devs" thing. In a recent NeoGAF thread, Rubicon Development Managing Editor Paul Johnson revealed that the studio has received 4 PS Vita development kits from Sony, free of charge.

"I can confirm that Sony was generous enough to loan us some kit," Johnson said, telling Gamasutra that those kits are being used to port the indie's iOS strategy title Great Little War Game to the Vita. "They really do seem to have gotten behind smaller developers, based on my own experience and from talking with other small devs, and I think they should be saluted for it."

Sony seems to be pretty aggressively courting indie developers, and if they can continue to entice small studios with loaner dev kits and the Vita's capacitive touch screen, we doubt Rubicon Development will be the only ones extending themselves from Apple's ecosphere to Sony's.

Great Little War Game heading to PS Vita via loaner dev kits originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony must support indie developers, says Yoshida

Jordan Mallory — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 15:40:00 EST

Speaking to Develop Online, Sony Computer Entertainment's Worldwide Studio President Shuhei Yoshida said that the gaming megalith sees value in the continuously expanding world of indie development, and that supporting those developers is the key to industry growth.

"We have to support those smaller teams," he said. "Without doing so, the whole industry will stall, in terms of innovation." Yoshida thinks Sony's forthcoming PS Vita will serve as a good platform for indie developers currently subsisting in the mobile-phone universe, citing the handheld's capacitive touch-screen and AR capabilities as an entry-level gateway for development on the platform.

He also added that the Vita's development kit has been specifically engineered with affordability in mind, and that the system is "small and light and easy for developers to handle." With smartphones gobbling up increasingly larger slices of the mobile gaming pie, Sony seems to be positioning itself as the indie-friendly option for mobile developers looking to enter the world of dedicated gaming devices.

Sony must support indie developers, says Yoshida originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Jul 2011 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Humble Indie Bundle: Pay what you want for World of Goo and four others

Mike Schramm — Tue, 04 May 2010 20:30:00 EST

You've commented on Joystiq posts about oppressive DRM many times before. You dutifully wear your Target-purchased indie game t-shirt every week without fail. And you read every Joystiq Indie Pitch we post. But if you want to put some money towards supporting indie games, you won't find a better way to do it than this. Wolfire Games and a few other indie developers have put together the "Humble Indie Bundle" sale, offering five terrific award-winning indie games (World of Goo, Aquaria, Gish, Lugaru and Penumbra Overture) for the low, low price of ... whatever you want.

That's right -- they're asking you to pay what you feel is right for these bundled, non-DRM, developer-owned Mac, Linux or PC games. And that's not all: You can even specify part or all of your donation to go to a charity, either Child's Play or the Electronic Frontier Foundation. That's about as selfless as it gets in gaming -- pay what you think it's worth, to charity or the people who made it.

The average donation so far is about $8.00, but individuals have donated as much as $500 to the effort. You get lots of chances to say you support indie gaming, but fewer great chances like this to put your money where your mouth is. And walking away with five great indie titles to play doesn't hurt, either.

Humble Indie Bundle: Pay what you want for World of Goo and four others originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 04 May 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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