The trouble with these weekly columns isn't their staidness.
That can be spruced with some snappy writing or chopped by just launching a new
column in another's place. What I have struggled with is settling on the first
editions. For each feature, I'd like to start off with a post that exemplifies the
ten, maybe hundred posts that follow in its fashion. That's hard to do with Recession Gaming, a column cut each week from a unique cloth.
I culled browser games from the mainstream
flash sites, the indie festivals and the dark recesses of the under-net, listed the best in Word and then
hacked that down to ten or so. I just couldn't narrow down to one title.
However, there was a theme in that list. Or a studio.
Blurst
Blurst,
operated by Flashbang Studios, hosts a number of titles that survived the wild
pounding of my backspace button. There titles like Time Donkey and Off-Road Velociraptor Safari employ simple mechanics and trippy concepts to help office
workers pass away their days.
And Blurst's UI motivates users to come back. An achievement
system has been in play for some months now and then there's Flashbang Studio's
active blog. They get in there with the community, share hard lessons learned
and times well spent. See: The trip to GDC.
While almost everything on the site's free-to-play -- an
essential part (nay, the essential part) of The Insolvenerd -- the company
also releases downloadable versions of their games purchasable as solo releases or as part of bargain
packs. The money goes towards silly things like them building more games and feeding
their families.
Make with the Clicky
You can take the reigns from here. I recommend you start
with Off-Road Velociraptor Safari, assuming you missed its hype train a year
or so ago. Follow that with Minotaur China Shop or grab Splume for your iPhone.
From there, explore.
I'll catch you next week with something a little more
specific and a little less substantial. Maybe Lose/Lose?
Recession Gaming explained! Most of us belong to
one of three camps: Those without money; Those who had money and lost it; And
those who have money, but no doubt will lose it as part of our nation's Bataan
Death March to complete financial insolvency. Thank your stars then for browser games,
which aren't just free, but perfect distractions from a taxing existence.
