Why I Kickstarted Ouya

Ok, blog readers, I feel like my posts haven't been stereo-typically geeky enough so here's a post on my geek area of strength: the gaming world.

I have been a huge gamer my whole life - a concept that is odd to people for two reasons: I'm a girl and the only console I owned until I was in high school was a classic Nintendo and a Gameboy (briefly). So I missed a lot of systems in between Nintendo time and when I finally bought a second hand PS1 off of my brother for $50. Yet I rarely missed an opportunity for gaming. Anyone who was friends with me during that time, would usually have me over to help them beat their video games. There was some beautiful mystery in the fact that my siblings and I, having the least video game experience, were always handed the controller when the level or boss fight got too hard. We mostly just played games at friends and neighbors houses but eventually we got involved in computer gaming and then discovered the beauty of emulation - both wonderful ways to game while living with parents who refused to let us have consoles.

Now that I'm an adult (kind of) and live on my own, I have my own pay checks to spend where I want. Despite my parents' attempts at keeping me away from gaming, I love it more than ever. I own all the modern systems, and I have quite a game collection. That's why I knew I had to get an Ouya as soon as I heard about it.

I pride myself on being knowledgeable about the gaming world. I watched E3 the way some people watch CNN or Monday night football. I already have a wishlist for all of the winter and spring release games. While my first impulse was "OMG a new console! I need this!" Ouya actually made a lot of sense to me.

Ouya is going to run Android (I should also put out there that I am adamently not an Apple person. I will always pick PC, Android, Google, etc. Always) 4.0 and be completely open source. This console is an open invitation to developers to create games for a television. Imagine the people who created Angry Birds, Farmville, Draw Something, etc. being able to work with a game that fits on your flat screen tv and using a controller. It sounds like there's a lot of possibility there.

Well, that's sounds great for developers, but what's in it for us little people? All games will be free in some form. This could be a full game, a free demo, etc. Either way, you get to test what you're playing before you ever have to commit dollars to it.

Ouya is also going to have some of those same benefits that I love about my Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii - apps. Since it runs Android, it's going to run any Android apps. As a dedicated Android and Chrome user, it's nice to have one more place where I can sync up to my Google world.

I'm excited for Ouya and I've committed to testing it out. Check back in March to see what my first look at Ouya is like. Maybe we'll even have videos up by then you can watch our hands on gameplay.

There's more information about Ouya on their Kickstarter page although the fundraising period is almost over.