Bundle Overload

There's a lot of bundles flying around at the moment, and I'm trying to decide if it's a good thing or not.

On one hand it means that gamers have the chance to sample loads of games (whether they're any good or not is an entirely different matter), and at the same time boost the coffers of developers that are often struggling to make a living. They also give these smaller devs exposure, however fleeting it may be. On the other hand the price that these bundles are bought for is often next to nothing, and it's hard to imagine the developers getting well paid for their toil. Sure gamers can name their price, but I'm not sure that many people ever venture further than the minimum required to unlock access to all the treasures held within.

There's also an issue of quality control, and with increasing amounts of bundles finding their way to market, many of the games that are being sourced to make up the numbers aren't really worth your time, even if they are dirt cheap.

So there's positives and negatives. I like the fact that money gets pointed towards worthy causes, and charities are often the beneficiaries of a percentage. I like that indie devs and small studios get paid when they otherwise might not. It's good that games are reaching an increasingly large audience.

At the same time, the sheer numbers of bundles out there is making it a minefield, and one where the quality of offerings is diluted by the sheer amount of games being included. That alone cheapens the value of these collections. Sometimes you might buy a bundle just to get one game, a cheaper alternative to buying direct, or via Steam or Desura.

Then there's the increasing amounts of games being put forward by major publishers (for example, Nordic Games just released a bundle for the Humble Weekly Sale that includes Darksiders II). EA's decision not to take any of the money made during their recent Humble Bundle is to be commended (even if, at the end of the day, they took the hit to entice people onto their PC platform, Origin), and I daresay that the publicity offerings like that give to the bundle market in general is a positive one - people enjoy value and will carry on seeking it out if they find a place that'll offer it. However, premium titles at bargain basement prices will also drown out the bundles that feature lesser known titles. Previously an arena for indies, the bundle scene is increasingly asking these smaller studios to compete against the major players.

Bundles have been around for some time now, but in recent months we've seen an explosion of different, competing offerings. At first I was delighted, and snapped up more than a few, but more recently my interest has cooled somewhat. Like most people, for me there's simply not enough time to play all the games that are being released in these collections. On more than one occasion I've spent a negligible amount of money on a bundle of games that I've spent a negligible amount of time exploring. The price was what enticed me through the door, but as a consequence of the growing number options now available to bundle fans, I've found that a cheap ticket doesn't always guarantee a fun ride.