Local Gaming Kickstarters

Two local gaming folks have begun raising funds for their projects, albeit on two completely different scales.

You might of heard about a guy named Richard Garriott who kinda singlehandedly kickstarted the Austin gaming scene back in the Eighties. Well, since then, he's added "de Cayeux" to his name, built a castle for himself, and traveled to space. It almost makes his recent foray into Kickstarting less impressive by comparison. Regardless, Garriott is going back to his roots: Ultima. The word Ultima isn't in the title but with a name like Lord British's Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues it's hard not to see it as a natural succession. He's asking for a cool million dollars, but only a few hours into the 30-day funding process, he already has over $200,000. That's what being a gaming icon gets you, I guess.

A project equally worthy of your support but working on a much smaller scale is SoundSelf by Austin sound designer Robin Arnott. I talked to him a few years back about his game experiment called Deep Sea, and believe me when I say it's one of the most intense gaming experiences you'll ever have. With SoundSelf, Arnott is moving away from Deep Sea's unnerving qualities and creating something euphoric. The video on his Kickstarter page tells you everything you need to know, but the game involves chanting and audio/visual feedback to, hopefully, create a zenlike state. Obviously his game isn't for everyone, but the gaming world could use a few more outré creations. A game about inner peace instead of outward gunfire is worth a few bucks isn't it?

Bonus Kickstarter fact: Shreveport, La.'s Moonbot Studios is in town for SXSW to promote their game The Golem. You should check out their Kickstarter page to read about all the strange things they're up to while in town. Those things include free burritos, an 11-foot Golem wandering our streets, and more.