I’ve joined the Great Games Experiment. It’s like a MySpace* for gamers meets a Wiki dedicated to videogames, with some flash games, YouTube videos, and game demos mixed in. What I find interesting is that developers and gamers are encouraged to contribute, and it seems to be creating a dynamic similar to the way bands and fans connect on MySpace.

It’s interesting. The database of games is maintained by users, which means it isn’t just what’s hot right now. Many users have gone in and added very old or obcsure favorites to the list. For example, the list contained Excite Bike (1984), but not Roller Coaster Tycoon 3. They don’t list a game you like? No problem. Add it yourself.

(I added RCT 3 myself. It really is an incredible game and I do mean to write about it here eventually.)

I have many nitpicks with the interface, but the idea of connecting gamers with developers is pretty interesting. The site just went into open beta, so it’s a bit too soon to judge how well this will work. Anyone can join at this point, and a quick glance at the user lists reveals that developers are a very large portion of the population. They might even be the majority. I’m sure this will change as new users file in.

I do notice that lots of indie developers are using this as a chance to get their games in front of gamers. That makes a lot of sense. Without a gaming press and major publishers in the way, a small-time homebrew game is more or less on the same footing as Half-Life 2.

Pretty interesting site so far, and it will be more interesting to see where it goes. Feel free to friend me if you like.

* “MySpace” isn’t intended as an insult in this contex. You aren’t going to find pages with orange text on a floral background with a smattering of banal animated gifs. I just mean it has the ability for users to friend one another and leave messages.

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.