Donations cover costs for start-up developers strapped for cash.
CROWDFUNDING has proven an effective way of raising money as far back as televised telethons, where a sizeable total is collected through small donation by a large number of people.
In today's online connected world, websites including kickstarter.com and pozible.com .au have adopted a similar formula, where start-up companies and businesses that are strapped for cash can seek funding from individuals for a wide range of projects.
DIYgamer.com owner and founder Geoff Gibson, who is based in Portland, Oregon, has been reporting on the global independent game development scene for several years.
While Gibson initially recommended game developers try using the popular Kickstarter service as a means of raising funds, video game projects generally haven't been as successful as the film, music, or design projects on the site.
So Gibson this year launched 8-Bit Funding, the world's first website that aims to raise money exclusively for video game development.
"I figured gamers tend to support gaming-specific sites already, [so] why not a gaming-specific crowdfunding site?" he says.
Similar to other crowdfunding sites, individuals and companies can create an 8-Bit Funding project by supplying as little as a video, description and images of the game.
It's then up to them to promote the project among friends, family and fans to raise contributions in exchange for perks.
"The perks are really the driving force behind the project contributions," Gibson says.
"Through them, a developer can offer up a pre-order, a physical item or anything else in order to get some initial funding from the community."
One advantage 8-Bit Funding has over Kickstarter is that it is open to developers from all over world, not just the US.
Of the 23 projects on the website at present, Gibson says one of his personal favourites is Means of Escape, a debut development by independent Melbourne-based company Pub Games.
Founded by Chris Murphy and Cam Phillips last August, Pub Games is a team of nine students and recent [b]graduates[/b] of Swinburne University.
"Geoff got in touch with us to let us know about 8-Bit Funding, as we've had some dealings with him in the past," Phillips says, "and we were elated to have the opportunity to be part of the launch and be one of the first titles up there."
To help with the ongoing development of their debut game, Phillips says Pub Games is seeking $8500 through the 8-Bit Funding website, which will allow the team to create additional content and give the game an extra layer of polish.
"It'll also help us keep the rent wolf from the door and grant us access to some useful resources like sound-effect libraries and additional software packages," he says.
Pub Games is offering a variety of perks to everyone who contributes, including an appearance in the game credits, Pub Games merchandise and a chance to star in the game.
"The highest rewards tier of $500 or above grants users free Pub Games titles for life, as well as an explosive thank-you message in the game's final sequence," Phillips said.
