Valve is taking steps to cut down on the number of fraudulent or universally distasteful projects being added to its new Steam Greenlight service by instating a $100 posting fee for developers (via Gamesindustry International). Greenlight is a little bit like Kickstarter without the funding angle, allowing fans to vote on which games they'd like to see Valve add to the Steam store.
While it's theoretically a great idea, Valve has had to remove a number of postings since the service launched. The $100 fee is essentially a pay-wall designed to keep the trolls away. In fact, Valve's Alden Kroll made it clear that all of those posting fee dollars will donated to the Child's Play charity.
"In the end, we're very interested in maintaining an environment that is fair and beneficial to everyone involved, and one that fun and rewarding to join.," Kroll said in the announcement. "And, of course, we're going to keep iterating on this system and updating as we learn more about how the community and developers want to utilize it."
Many of you readers are probably not developers, and so this new initiative won't directly affect you. An objective viewpoint can breed unexpected feedback, so I'd like to hear what you think. Is this a fair move for Valve to make? Is a $100 fee asking too much of an indie developer who just wants to put his or her efforts in front of a potentially receptive community?
I have my own opinions on the matter, but I'm curious to hear what you all think. And hey-- if you ARE a developer, indie or otherwise, please step in and share your own perspective as well.
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