With the cost of creating videogames, in regards to both money and time consumption, many are hoping for a resurgence of the bedroom videogamer. And with many of today's videogame legends first getting their starts in that exact same way, plus with all the developer created custom toolsets available in many games, that resurgence could soon be on the way.

From the article:

One answer to the lack of imagination in the industry is to bring in new blood bursting with fresh ideas.

So how do aspiring developers on a shoestring get a foot in the games industry's door?

Microsoft thinks it has solved the problem: user-generated games.

XNA Game Studio Express is available free to download for Windows XP, and for Vista when it finally launches.

It is a set of game development tools for the Xbox 360, aimed at hobbyists and students.

Read the full article over at bbc.co.uk