sopa.jpg
Today's collection of independent game links includes news, features, and developer blog posts from around the 'net. (image source)

Pixels or Death: Are Indie Bundles Bad for Gaming?
"If retail games represent a dedicated, steady (if not a bit chilly) videogame monogamy, then surely the world of the indie bundle is an orgy of digital promiscuity and fleeting trysts with exciting strangers. The problem is, while I may not condemn this approach, I don't think it's what videogames need right now."

Gamasutra: Persuasive Games: What is a Game Bundle?
"[B]undles are also promotional campaigns in which a temporary reduction in price with a particularly desirable placement results in free marketing with considerable reach -- while also delivering substantial revenue thanks to volume. Bundles are the retail end caps of the indie game supermarket."

Kotaku: Protest Game Super SOPA Bros. Shows a Future Without Any Super [CENSORED] Tributes
Made as part of a protest game jam on rapid development site Ludum Dare, SSB strip out anything recognizable--and thus most of the charm--from World 1-1 of Super Mario Bros. I played it for about 10 minutes before I wanted to stop. That's ultimately the point, though."

Die Gute Fabrik: Simulating Simulations
"Reflecting on Mega-GIRP and Robo-QWOP, I would say that both installations thrive off the same comedic device - that of simulating simulations back out into the real world."

Gamasutra: Minecraft: Pocket Edition sells 700K copies
"These numbers bode quite well for the app, especially considering it currently bears a (relatively hefty) price tag of $6.99 on the Android Market."

Joystiq: A Diversity of Roguelikes
"There are three Roguelikes, two released last year, and one in public development, which illustrate the potential of the subgenre in very different fashions: The Binding Of Isaac, Dungeons Of Dredmor, and Desktop Dungeons. Each is well worth examining."

Carbon Games: Porting AirMech to Native Client
"[W]hen Native Client support was made available for the Chrome web browser, we decided to give it a try. This blog post is short description of the process of porting our game to support Native Client."