Wow, today is becoming Celebrate the Independent Developer Day. Lest we forget, there's also a burgeoning indie market on non-traditional platforms, (not just the big ones Keith spoke about in an earlier post) and lots of new arenas to try out new game ideas on.
For example, a new game formulated in Massively Multiplayer Online Game Second Life is about to get real. For financial skeptics, it was developed for only the cost of a monthly subscription to the virtual world service. Yes, that's the SL my last post suggested you turn a blind eye to...
The DIY virtual world, which stresses creativity and user-generated content - from JM Barrie theme parks to Schizophrenia simulations - has served as a workspace for a variety of real-world results. Early last year we read about Mrs. Jones Digital Couture. Her marketing company had set up a place where SL residents could purchase designer gear for their online persona. The UK fashion queen later challenged SL residents to create clothing she could transform into physical items.
Now, it appears that an in-game game has been purchased for publication for the equivalent of US$4,000 by out-of-world Donnerwood Media. The company plans to release the cross-between bingo and Tetris on web and mobile phone platforms.
For Terra Nova coverage, head here. Alternatively, head to Wonderland for in-depth coverage of the details of this and other SL bits unveiled at the GDC Serious Games Summit by VP of Product Development, Cory Ondrejka.
