Ever wonder why software costs so danged much? Well, it’s because not only is there the cost of paying developers to code the software, you also need to pay lawyers, and finance departments, and marketing departments, and packaging departments, and logistics departments, and operations departments, and a gazillion of other departments. Oh yes, and the cost to develop new and horrifically complex copy protection schemes, because everyone knows you’re not to be trusted with not copying software. All that, and still show a profit for shareholders.
This is why I really admire indie software companies. These are individual software developers who produce software that huge software companies would love to sell, but they decide to bypass the overhead and pass the savings to you.
Each year, something called the “Humble Indie Bundle” is released. It’s a collection of games for Mac and Windows that are truly fun.
The game “Crayon Physics Deluxe” is my personal favorite. You have to see it to believe it.
Other games include Cogs (a beautiful puzzle game), VVVVVV (a puzzle game), Hammerfight (a fighting game), And Yet it Moves (another cool physics game).
There are a couple great things about the Humble Indie Package. First, you NAME YOUR OWN PRICE. If you want to pay $0.01 you can (be prepared for some tongue-in-cheek ribbing, though). If you want to pay $300 you can as well. The games at retail would cost upwards of $50.00, and they are worth it.
I definitely encourage you to give more, as you can designate part of your payment to go to some great charities. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is a not-for-profit organization defending free speech on the Internet, particularly against deep-pocketed lawyers in big corporations and the government who would sooner shut down a blogger than hear something bad said about them. For something less “controversial” that everyone can agree on, there’s also Child’s Play, a great charity that has provided over 7 million dollars in donations of toys, games, books and cash for sick kids in children’s hospitals across North America and the world have been collected since our inception.
Hurry, there are only a few days left before this bundle is gone forever! I’m still kicking myself for missing out on “World of Goo” three years ago during the first bundle!
