http://www.the-underdogs.org/scratch.php here is an extract: The Scratchware Manifesto Phase One: Prelude To Revolution The machinery of gaming has run amok. Instead of serving creative vision, it suppresses it. Instead of encouraging innovation, it represses it. Instead of taking its cue from our most imaginative minds, it takes its cue from the latest month''s PC Data list. Instead of rewarding those who succeed, it penalizes them with development budgets so high and royalties so low that there can be no reward for creators. Instead of ascribing credit to those who deserve it, it seeks to associate success with the corporate machine. It is time for revolution. Walk into your local bookstore; you''ll find tens of thousands of titles. Walk into your local record store; you''ll find thousands of albums. Walk into your local software store; you''ll find perhaps 40 games. Yet thousands of games are released each year.

Two words came outta my mouth as I read this.

Damn straight.

Hundreds of thousands of books are published annually, and only about 5% of manuscripts sent to publishers get published.

I doubt thousands of games worth selling are made every year.

(Gamedev.net has a forum on The business of Game development)!

Further exerpts:


What is scratchware?

The phrase scratchware game essentially means a computer game, created by a microteam, with pro quality art, game design, programming and sound to be sold at paperback book store prices.

A scratchware game can be played by virtually anyone who can reach a keyboard and read. Scratchware games are brief (possibly fifteen minutes to an hour or so), extremely replayable, satisfying, challenging, and entertaining.


Who distributes scratchware?

Nobody. Currently no distribution models or systems exist outside of the shareware model. When shareware is readmeware and not responsible enough to remind the customer of its price up front, it might as well be freeware. A slightly more aggressive approach is needed.

Scratchware needs very creative distribution methods. Solutions to this problem will vary but innovations in how we communicate and do commerce on the internet seem to offer the best possibilities at this time.

Creating a distribution system for indie games and scratchware should be very attractive to the more business minded entrepreneurs among us. Such a thing could be very profitable.

With the right kinds of creative online placement, spotlights and reviews at game oriented web sites, and a fair bit of guerilla marketing, these hurdles could be overcome...at least until scratchware distribution networks, which are inevitable, come to be.

end of quote

So, could "scratchware" be profitable (even if the corporate aspect of the game industry is something that it tries to avoid)? What are the main issues to be addressed?

some qs
customer trust: will the customer trust a random internet site with their credit-card details?

word of mouth / press. Do indie games get reviewed or considered in Monthly publications like PC Zone, and PC Gamer?

[edited by - Ketchaval on June 16, 2003 2:22:37 PM]

quote: Original post by Ketchaval
So, could "scratchware" be profitable (even if the corporate aspect of the game industry is something that it tries to avoid)? What are the main issues to be addressed?

Cost of production != probable profits.

Sorry. Having great art, game, sound, etc etc come at a price. This is the way of most things.

/end my personal views

interesting article by Brad Wardell in this one.

http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/topic.asp?topic_id=84920


It does seem like a very unlikely way of making a profit.



Did you know that Valve software used the profits from Half-Life to give themselves independence from publisher deadlines etc.

quote: Original post by Ketchaval
customer trust: will the customer trust a random internet site with their credit-card details?

No.

quote: word of mouth / press. Do indie games get reviewed or considered in Monthly publications like PC Zone, and PC Gamer?

No. Well, I should say rarely. Like once in 3 months there will be a little sidebar that reviews some indie title or personal project, usually negatively. Mods get much better coverage from these publications. I mean, there''s no possibility of kickbacks and free product of value from indie projects, so it''s not fiscally profitable.

quote: Did you know that Valve software used the profits from Half-Life to give themselves independence from publisher deadlines etc?

I didn''t know that. However, they are still fully entrenched in the traditional market structure, and they achieved independence through traditional means. It''s like id Software.

Consumers want to be able to go to a store, talk to a clerk, check the game out, perhaps try it out, have a definite and accessible place for returns... The web doesn''t afford all this yet, plus there''s the very legitimate fear of being defrauded.

I''m with Critical_Waste on this one. There''s (still) an established way of doing things.

Hmm. I think there''s already a sort of ''scratchware'' section at larger stores; it''s that jewel-cases-only hodgepodge of shareware collections, cheap puzzlers, and the occasional hit past its prime like Descent 3 and Diablo. I browse it once in a while, but I can imagine most people never even give it a second glance.

quote: Original post by Sakuranbo
Hmm. I think there''s already a sort of ''scratchware'' section at larger stores...

Nah, that''s the bargain bin. The games in there are either not very good or past prime. Scratchware is suggesting releasing prime, A-list titles in this fashion, which is not a tenable fiscal proposition.

Scratchware could be possible with episodic titles, that is make lots of different games with the same technology and artwork. One of the things that could make the games profitible is the amount of content. If the game can be finished in 15 minutes to 1 hour then you could in theory just have a few character models, a few environments and make a game out of it, although chances are you still want to reuse your technology for a lot of different projects. It would be cool to see something like the Reality on the Norm games done with better art an technology. A bunch of short games with similar (although not exactly the same) gameplay and a semi-unified theme.

Indie games get praise sometimes. In the last issue of CGW I picked up Jeff Green was talking about how great of a game Bookworm is, and I''m sure there have been other situations where indie games get good press. The thing is, really high quality indie games can get a publisher, and chances are if developers can get a publishing deal they''ll go for it.