Hobbyist game developers, non-commercial projects, and game makers motivated by political utopias have a common problem: They are commonly thrown into the big category of „indie games“ along with countless tech prototypes, low effort productions, but also have to „compete“ with commercial products that have a much higher budget and often a dedicated, professional marketing.

To answer this, I have written a manifesto for underground games.  Underground Games are non-commercial. They shun the logic of the markets and question the capitalist system. They attempt to create and use spaces for free creativity. Right now, I'm trying to connect various non-commercial developers and scenes.

Maybe you want to participate? Would you like to use a common channel to exchange with other, non commercial developers and players, and what would you prefer as a software for such a place?

If you are interested, check the full text, including a manifesto for Underground Games and some thoughts about the connections to political activism.

So I did read them but there is a lot to paraphrase without tipping into 2000 words so I will try to be succimct.

1) The steps you point out to the searchabilty problem is "use this hashtag" and "use the collection I created" so use itch the same way everyone else uses it. I think we need an external way to browse by using the API because itch struggles with discoverability.

2) I pointed out you where using it pejoratively becaise multiple sections are dedicated to possible pitfalls in indie gaming which would be replicated in underground gaming unless you intend to police which games can remain underground. 

3) the various noncomercial examples are the ones offered by itch and similar platforms already. Us in the Pen and Paper space already do free, suggested donation, alternate builds, free SRD with but profit on print copies, print copies at cost but make money from digital sales. We even trade games as suggested, using the existing promo code infrastructure.

4) So what is "this" because as stated underground exists (completely unsigned), the pay models exists, game makers see games as art, the distribution exists, the discoverability exists although I would pay you to imprive it... all that does not exist is a cop to tell us if we are doing underground correctly.

It feels like a manifesto declaring what a taco is, or what punk is, or what is good taste... even the best authority on the subject only has one perspective and it cannot be applied retroactively to 50(?) years of underground games. 

1. These are easy to implement steps. The most important thing is: Reach out. Form a community. But this is hard. It is unlikely that Underground Gaming will suffer from a load of games plucking its channels; if this should happen, we'll need to create platforms. But as the whole thing only applies to idealists, the risk is low atm.

2. A form of community curation will be needed. But I don't intend to decide about such stuff alone. Also, it isn't needed by now.

3. Thats great! Sounds like you are a scene were Underground Gaming might (still?) be practiced. What I have in mind might be an opportunity to open to new, interested audiences and to exchange with developers from other scenes.

4. "This" is indeed a definition, combined with some practical steps that I have already taken. Note that definitions are important: If nobody would have defined "Taco" or "Punk" you couldn't eat nor make Tacos, neither could you play or listen to Punk music since you would miss the concept of both. This is - atm - the case for Underground Games for most people.