• BBC News, Thursday, June 28, 2007 10:45 AM

Nintendo Corp., maker of the popular Wii, has opened up the video game console to independent game makers, both professional and amateu, though it isn't for novices. The company is releasing a set of tools to help budding developers produce games. Wii owners will be able to download games made by independent creators through the console's Web channel. The first batch should be available in early 2008.

Games can first be created on a PC, but they must be fine-tuned using the Wii console. Use of the tools, called WiiWare, will require a basic knowledge of programming. Nintendo is hoping its users will have fresh ideas about how to utilize the console's motion-sensitive controller. Microsoft was actually the first console maker to open up its system to developers.

The open-platform trend is the latest turn in the Web 2.0 movement. Social media and community-based tools have now become the key to growth for so many businesses, from Web portals to online video sharing sites, to citizen journalism on news sites. The once-closed media world is starting to realize that it needs its audience as much as its audience needs them.

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