The Association of Independent Game Websites, which seeks to improve the standard of volunteer-run video game websites, has launched today.The AIGW's goal is to support non-commercial video game websites, provide their owners with a place to exchange ideas and promote best practices. AIGW members offer a refreshing alternative to the mainstream press.
The Association has been co-founded by ThunderboltGames.com, DarkZero.co.uk and Gamestyle.net. These websites share the same core values:
• Independent — They're not owned by a third-party.
• Volunteer-run — Website staff do not typically receive pay for their work.
• Non-commercial — To adapt a famous Walt Disney quote, they don't publish articles to make money; they make money so we can publish more articles.
• Design-focused — They value the principles of good design and embrace best practices such as web standards.
• Established — They've been around long enough to be trusted as reliable sources for video games opinion.
Traditionally, the owners and managers of volunteer-run websites rarely meet each other or communicate, if at all. They're all doing basically the same job, but few know each other.
The AIGW would like to change that. It aims to provide somewhere to share ideas, discuss common problems and generally compare notes. It believe that by interacting more, its members can improve the quality of all volunteer-run websites. For more information, please visit http://aigw.org or follow @TheAIGW on Twitter.