The Humble Indie Bundle

By: Paul Eres

On: May 4th, 2010

There’s an indie game sale called The Humble Indie Bundle. This week you can get World of Goo, Aquaria, Gish, Lugaru HD, Penumbra: Overture all for whatever price you want; pay $500 or one cent, it’s up to you. Part of what you give goes to charity, and you can even decide what percent of the price you choose goes to charity. As of the time of this posting it’s generated over $144,000 in less than a single day.

Posted in Community

http://oneeyedmonsters.wordpress.com Peevish

Great. Wish I hadn't already paid full price for 3/5 of these.

Though come to think of it I did a Pay What You Want on World Of Goo as well…
godsavant

Wow, this does seem to be a viable distribution model for less recent games.
Captain Beefheart

I'm pretty sure that song gave me some kind of terrible disease. I kind of feel like I deserve getting all these games for next to nothing after listening to that.
Sylvester Ink

The song made me chuckle. It may not be a masterpiece, but it was clever.
I already own most of these games, with Aquaria being the exception. Still I was happy to put down some cash for Aquaria and the Linux versions of some of the games I already own.
Maybe I'll gift it too . . .
dimjim

I paid all my money for this, which happens to be $1.22.

I feel horrible.
Guest

I like the picture if you put in less than $1.00. It makes me feel bad that I cannot afford more though, having a whopping $0.32 in my bank account. =/
gaycocks

None of those games are worth paying for
Dodger

This is a great idea AND all the money made goes toward charity. This is great.

I too own and paid full price for 3/5 of the games mentioned, BUT, that doesn't matter. I still donated and got the bundle. I gave the 3 games that I have to a couple of my relatives that aren't really gamers (and they really appreciate it), and the other two I'm going to play myself. This is a great trend and I'd really like to see this sort of thing happen every 3 months if possible. Considering I purchase indie games on a regular basis I'll probably end up having half of the titles in the bundle (if not more) but I'd be willing to donate each time if this did happen every 3 months (with the intention of giving the proceeds to charity – I love the idea of Child's Play).

Each game in the bundle is a fun title, and if you already do own one or more of them then just gift them. I'm not sure if there is a way to gift any of the individual titles but since you already own a copy you can safely burn them to a DVD and give the ones that you already own to a relative or friend with a clear conscience.

The song behind the “Humble Indie Bundle” is witty and intelligently done, not to mention I'd much rather listen to that over and over than listen to anything by Justin Bieber or Miley Cirus.

I really hope to see more and more of this kind of thing happening in the future. It also gives a great big jolt to the indie community by gamers who may not necessarily be indie gamers and / or casual gamers who are leery about large indie games.

Oh and to all of you chumps with a negative comment – Lighten up ya big ninnies!
Dodger

I should also clarify, if I know that I can put some of my money towards Charities such as Child's Play when I buy these older indie games (whether I own them or not) I'm much more willing to re-buy them and / or gift them and parting with a few dollars doesn't feel so bad.

Times are still tough for some, but those are usually the ones that I gift these types of things to. So think about that.
Mark

I already owned all of these games, so I tried seeing if it actually lets you complete a $0.01 transaction.

It does. I'll now go back and redo it with more money. It seems crazy that they'd even let you go lower than the base paypal fee (which I believe is around $0.34 or something).
rinkuhero

31 cents. i let people go to 1 cent for the immortal defense sale too; i figured pay what you meant means pay what you want, not pay what you want as long as it's at least x cents. even so, about half of people chose 1 cent for my sale.
Dodger

And that's a shame Paul because I think even a few dollars would have been a little more honest, even if that's all a person has but wants it badly enough.

The truth is, I see a lot of people making remarks like “I have no money” or “I only have $0.24 cents to my name”… My problem is, if that's true then buying games should be the last thing on your mind! Finding a job, finding a better job, or trying to make a few honest bucks, should probably be the first priority… even if it means delivering some newspapers or flyers just to afford a couple of decently priced games and perhaps spending a few measly bucks.

I'm not rich by any means, but when I'm low on funds I either sell or trade my older stuff (especially when it comes to console games) so that I can afford newer ones (not necessarily brand new games, but even previously played stuff). When it comes to these indie games, they usually sell for a fraction of the cost (usually no more than 1/3rd the price of a mainstream game and even that is a rare high price considering the amount of deals indie devs and distributors seem to be offering regularly).

I'm definitely not insulting those people who have no – to – little money, I think if you are so extremely low on funds though, games probably shouldn't be a priority. It basically comes down to the fact that at that price “Pay whatever you want” – it's simply irresistible for someone who either already has the game and wants another copy for a friend or family member to pay 0.01 cent, or if they are very low on funds, to pay next to nothing and have a game that they've been wanting for a while (which isn't necessarily a bad thing), but it would be nice if the good people who don't claim to not have much money not advertise it as if it is a badge of excellence and tell the world exactly why they deserve something for so cheap, “because they are so poor”. Especially considering there are many who have paid full price whether they are poorer, or richer, or even in between. It doesn't really matter, but some remarks just don't seem honest and that only leads more and more people to believe that when people only pay 0.01 cent when they could have perhaps parted with a couple or a few dollars instead seem slightly dishonest since they're doing it out of some sort of spite or just for the sake of saying they could legally do it for that much.

The thing we should realize is that at least this person (or people) have taken the time to make this offer available to everyone when they really didn't have to, it's simply a kind gesture on the developers part. Perhaps at the least, if someone does pay just $0.01 cent for an indie game they could write just a small support email telling the developer that they appreciate what they're doing (or have done) and just wanted to show support in some way. To take the time out and do that at least has some value as well. It's not ultimately important financially, but it's the human thing to do and it's also a decent thing to do while being respectful to the devs that make these games and these offers available. After all, this is not something you'll EVER see happen in mainstream gaming especially regarding console games and their big publishers.

So I appreciate this sort of thing any time it happens (even if I already have the game) and especially when I'm down a few bucks (just like everyone else), but I try to be honest and give a fair minimum at times without the need to feel guilty about it.

But I do appreciate most indie devs and what they contribute to gaming, regardless of prices and sales anyway. Indie gaming is, for the most part, a great place to play.
rinkuhero

i like the chaining of comments now

i agree generally with this comment but one thing to realize is that often when people say they only have 21 cents that doesn't necessarily mean they are poor and need a job, they could just be kids and like 14 years old or something. or perhaps they do have a job and it just doesn't pay well, and all the money they have for excess luxuries like games isn't very much, maybe a few dollars a week after they pay for all their bills and food and such; a lot of people live paycheck to paycheck and barely make ends meet and barely have enough money to buy a game every few months; for them games for less than a dollar are great. so i'm not gonna judge anyone who buys my game or this game package for 1 cent, sometimes that's really all that a person can spare.
marsgreekgod

I gave 5$, just becuse thats cool I am. and I told people about it. I have bee wanting to try these.
Dodger

I really like the chaining of the comments now as well. Makes it much easier to reply and re-read some of the comments.

As for young people, you're absolutely right, some of these are younger gamers and that's where these deals are great. Again, I really didn't want to sound like I meant that people __Should__ be paying more, what I ultimately meant was if that is really all you can afford then why not drop a line to the developer just to say thanks (though my comment was a little more long winded than that). I totally understand the living from Paycheck to Paycheck, since that's what I've been doing for as long as I can remember. Some weeks (or months) are better or worse than others. Another strong point I was trying to make though was that most of us have junk lying around the house. Not necessarily useless junk, just stuff we do not use anymore. People (even young people) might take the opportunity to get together some of the older stuff they don't use and try to sell it off. Perhaps an old bike, games, accessories for a hobby, whatever… if you're not using it then it's ultimately junk but not exactly garbage, someone else might find a use for it and you could perhaps sell it for a decent and fair price. And this time of year is also the perfect time for a Garage or Yard Sale. Doing little things like this is another great way to get some money back for your old stuff and gives you a few extra dollars in your pocket. And again, in regards to young people, I remember what it was like working and not being able to afford much – I started paying rent when I was 14. However, I still very much loved my Nintendo, SNES, and Sega Genesis when I got them and when I needed extra money I would use some of my extra time to either shovel snow or mow lawns and even take out a paper route on top of having a job just so I could get a couple of extras and afford my rather expensive habit (not quite as bad a doing drugs, but mainstream games have always been a pretty expensive luxury). Not having much money isn't exactly fun, but in some cases (not all) if we look around hard enough we realize that yes, we do actually have things of value – that we're not even using anymore. When you can't do anything else and really are stuck for cash, that's when you do have to decide what's most important and games really won't be on the forefront of your mind (because I've been there as well). However, for 0.01 cent (one penny) I'm sure if PayPal existed at the time and indie games could be purchased at that time when I was younger (more commonly referred to as shareware), I would have scooped up the offer for a measly cent in an instant, but, I would have also written the author/developer a brief but appreciative email thanking them for the opportunity.

So I really wasn't trying to be negative (quite the contrary), I'm an optimist for the most part, I just think that sometimes people forget that it's easier to be lazy than resourceful. I wrote that comment late at night mind you and sometimes trying to express yourself through written message isn't always a good thing when you're tired. But I did try explaining what I meant without seeming like a poor snob. :-)

In this case, specifically regarding the “Humble Indie Bundle”, I really like the idea and the fact that I can split the donation the way that I want. I really like the Child's Play charity and think it's a great idea. I've had young relatives who were hospitalized for extended periods of time and something like this would have been beneficial and made their hospitalization at least a little more pleasant and bearable. Their are a great many children who are hospitalized with illnesses (sometimes terminal) that prevent them from being able to move around very much, and even when their are activities in the hospital, not all can participate so I think charities such as this are a great way to help out and I'm always pleased and appreciative to see people (such as some of the young indie game developers out there) willing to give some of their time and effort to help us all participate in giving something back to those who are even less fortunate – some of us can talk about what we do and do not have but if you take the time to think about it, some of those children that charities such as this help may never have the opportunity to worry about money woes and even some of the more quizzical things we take for granted. It's always great to see good deals like this come along, but this bundle in particular is a great model for mainstream developers and publishers (even big businesses) to take a lesson from. You're still getting something in return, but some of what you decide to spend also has the potential to help others – and that can still include helping the developers themselves by spreading a good word about them. It's win / win.

Anyway, I've rambled on long enough, but I can't help but be impressed with this bundle. I sincerely hope we see more of this kind of thing.
rinkuhero

yeah, everyone could be better (act less lazy, act more intelligent) but there's a spectrum of human behavior from the very weak, crazy, and totally lacking in will-power to the extremely intelligent, motivated, and successful. i don't think you can change one to the other by saying they should be like the other, if they were able to change, they would have changed long ago. so it feels a bit like saying 'if you were really a good person, you'd have risen to some minimal standard of effort and intelligence and done x, y, and z and not done a, b, and c instead'.

which is absolutely true, but useless in helping them change. it's like, if you see someone who doesn't work and plays WoW all day, will telling them to shape up and do something else actually change them? especially if it's some person on the internet who doesn't know them? not likely. at best you'll get a response of 'yep, i agree, but i can't do anything about it' and at worst you'll make them defensive and they'll rationalize their behavior away and become even more entrenched in it.

so saying someone should write an email thanking someone for their game is similar: sure, they should, but they're lazy, so they don't, and telling them they should at least do that won't make them do it. so i'm saying you're right, but ineffective, and also that you're worrying about the lowest % of people in a natural progression from lazy and impulse-driven to industrious and creative. which (paradoxically) is less than industrious to do — you could be spending that time on something more helpful and effective than tigsource comments (and so could i).
Dodger

Actually I have already tried doing just that, by spreading the word about this great bundle as much as possible. That's about the best I can hope to do. I think it's a fantastic deal though and makes for a great gift idea as well.
rinkuhero

yup, me too — i may buy this for a few people. i'm also hoping they ask to include my game(s) in some future bundle, since even 1/10th of the amount they've raised so far is more than i've made with immortal defense in the last 3 years. :)
Dodger

That would be very cool, to have Immortal Defense and a few others released within the past year up to the 3 – 4 years ago. But I'll be honest, I'm also looking forward to Saturated Dreamers. Hopefully we'll hear some good news about that one soon too. ;-)
rinkuhero

after sd i'll probably lay off the 3-4 year projects for a while.i've worked on it literally every day for the past 330 days (in june it'll be a year of never missing a day) and it still feels as if there's at least another year of work to put into it.
Yapper

I've been wanting these games for a long long time.

I payed $0.01 with my brothers paypal account. I'm gonna ask him if I can use it again later to donate another $5 to the EFF
anon

Good times, couldn't say no to this deal.

Looks like Linux users either (1) have more money or (2) are more generous with their money than mac & windows users.
pandafresh

i gave $5, and feel kinda guilty, but hey, imma broke kinda dude. i've wanted penumbra for awhile and this price was pretty effin rad.
Dodger

Hi there pandafresh,

If you end up liking Penumbra: Overture (like I did) then you'll probably be pleasantly surprised to find that you got a coupon with your Humble Indie Bundle purchase. The coupon allows you to buy the rest of the Penumbra series: Black Plague, and Requiem – for a mere $5.00 dollars more. So if you appreciate the atmosphere and creepiness of Penumbra you'll definitely want to pick up the rest of the series. You can find the coupon upon installing Penumbra: Overture from you Humble Indie Bundle.

Just thought I'd let you know.
Dodger

Also, i forgot to add, with that coupon you get the entire Penumbra Collection for $5.00 dollars all in one simple install. The promotion only lasts as long as the Humble Indie Bundle though, so be sure to find that coupon code and use it if you like what you like the look of the first Penumbra!
acardboardrobot

$10 dollars, which is something like 8 euro.

Looking back I probably should have paid a bit more, it's a lovely idea and should be encouraged.
acardboardrobot

I like Beefheart. He's great.
http://www.mikrokosmos.cz red

exactly as above – 10$ and having amazing fun (most with gish and WofGoo)..
dont like lugaru much (too hard for me), but this is a chance for me to play Aquaria as I didnt liked the demo, but I'm giving a try for the full game ..
Feliz_Lombriz

Thansk a ton to Amanita Design for donating Samorost 2 to the bundle! I was definitely content with 5 games, but I'm really happy to get more than I bargained for. I love this type of game!
X3N

Great offer! Buying now for $25

ps wtf happened to the comment system? new “reply to” a comment looks nice, but do we really need a like button.. ?
Dodger

Well it looks like the “Humble Indie Bundle” is fast approaching the 1 million dollar mark (currently at $890,000). Considering part of the proceeds go to Charity (you had the option of designating how much you wanted the developers, EFF, or the Child's Play charity received with your donation), I'd have to say this incredible bundle has been a great success. I'm very impressed with how well everything was put together and how easy it was to donate and even gift the games to someone else. I also appreciated the fact that we (consumers and gamers) got to see exactly how much money this bundle has raised and the averages that people paid for the different platforms (Windows, Mac, and Linux) including pie chart and everything. It's as if almost every detail was worked out before hand while trying to put this bundle together, some thought and care went into it. I really do wish the big guys could take some of these great examples from the little guys and apply them in just such a helpful, honest, and intuitive way. That's a little much to expect, i know, but I sincerely look forward to another bundle of this type in the near future and I truly hope their will be a “next time” with more great games to choose from and/or gift to friends and family. I hope that they save the entire template they've used on Wolfire's site for the next Humble Bundle (Part 2) that comes along. ;-)
http://squareduck.blogspot.com StephenM3

I paid $10 because that's all I can afford at the moment, but I definitely feel everyone involved deserves more than this, and I'll be making a few donations once my next paycheck comes in. This sort of thing needs to become the norm in gaming, I think in the long term it has a very good effect on the culture.
Dodger

Hey they just broke the $1,000,000.00 dollar (one million) mark! Only 15 minutes left approximately

Way to go guys!

And yes, I agree with StephenM3, it would be nice to see this sort of thing become the norm.

Congrats to everyone involved! What an event, I'm pleasantly surprised (and pleased) by this great little bundle.
http://www.jouluserver.com/~cce/ cce

It's simply amazing! Gish sourcecode, here we come!
Wenis Martin

Pretty good for a humble bundle!
rinkuhero

$1.1m reached
PhasmaFelis

For posterity, they finished off at $1.27 million.

Hell yeah.
PHeMoX

“I'm definitely not insulting those people who have no – to – little money, I think if you are so extremely low on funds though, games probably shouldn't be a priority.”

I seriously doubt people with such big problems would even be remotely interested in games.

I think it's more a case of people exploiting the opportunity of getting something for virtually free.

It's possible to have all kinds of opinions on that particular behavior, but it probably should be ignored as people that just did not really want to pay (I mean the “1ct people”).

It might feel like an insult to the developers and the charity idea behind it all, but don't forget it's pretty much the risk of setting up such a 'pay what you want' kind of thing without a lower limit.

How about a 1$ or 5$ lower limit? Perhaps even automatically force that minimal amount to go straight to charity in that case.

If people want to give the developers money, they can choose so when the amount exceeds say 5$ or so.

Then again… a lot can be said to just let people free in their choice, with no limits whatsoever.
forces

Well, Linux people won't buy expensive Windows, so they have more money for fun!