Shovelware is a type of video game orsoftware bundle known more for the quantity of what is included than for its quality or usefulness.[1]
The metaphor implies that the creators showed little care for the quality of the original software, as if the new compilation or version had been created by indiscriminately adding titles "by the shovel" in the same way someone would shovel bulk material into a pile. The term "shovelware" is coined by semantic analogy to phrases likeshareware andfreeware, which describe methods of software distribution. It first appeared in the early 1990s when large amounts of sharewaredemo programs were copied onto CD-ROMs and advertised in magazines or sold at computer flea markets.[1]
Computer Gaming World wrote in 1990 that for "those who do not wish to wait" for software that used the new CD-ROM format,The Software Toolworks andAccess Software planned to release "game packs of several classic titles".[2] By 1993 the magazine referred to software repackaged on CD-ROM as "shovelware", describing one collection from Access as having a "rather dusty menu" and another from The Software Toolworks ("the reigning king of software repackaging efforts") as including games that were "mostly mediocre even in their prime"; the one exception,Chessmaster 2000 (1986), used "stunningCGA graphics".[3] In 1994 the magazine described shovelware as "old and/or weak programs shoveled onto a CD to turn a quick buck".[4]
The capacity of a CD-ROM was 450–700 times that of thefloppy disk, and 6–16 times larger than the hard disks with which personal computers were commonly outfitted in 1990. This outsized capacity meant that very few users would install the discs' entire contents, encouraging producers to fill them by including as much existing content as possible, often without regard to the quality of the material. Advertising the number of titles on the disc often took precedence over the quality of the content. Software reviewers, displeased with huge collections of inconsistent quality, dubbed this practice "shovelware" in the early 1990s. Additionally, some CD-ROM computer games had software that did not fill the disc to capacity, which enabled game companies to bundle demo versions of other products on the same disc.
The prevalence of shovelware has decreased due to the practice of downloading individual programs from acrowdsourced or curatedapp store becoming the predominant mode ofsoftware distribution. It continues in some cases withbundled orpre-installed software, where many extra programs of dubious quality and functionality are included with a piece of hardware.
Low-budget, poor-quality video games, released in the hopes of being purchased by unsuspecting customers, are often referred to as "shovelware". This can lead todiscoverability issues when a platform has no type of quality control.[5]
Some developers and publishers have become well-known as creators of shovelware.Blast! Entertainment, a defunct video game developer and publisher, was known for releasinglicensed shovelware games based on movies, television shows and books[6] such asBeverly Hills Cop,Jumanji (both 2006),An American Tail,Little Britain, andLassie (all 2007), the majority of which received negative reception.[citation needed] Another defunct European publisher, Phoenix Games, was known for its line of value-priced titles for thePlayStation 2,Wii,DS, and PC.[7] A number of their in-house games are adaptations of low-budget animatedmockbusters, which largely function as interactive "activity centre" games with minimal actual gameplay. Games made by other studios, includingMere Mortals, but published by Phoenix, have a similarly poor reputation.[8]
The NintendoWii became known for large amounts of shovelware, including ports ofPlayStation 2 games which had previously only been released in Europe.[9] Data Design Interactive became known for creating shovelware for the Wii. Their gamesNinjabread Man,Anubis II,Rock 'n' Roll Adventures, andMyth Makers: Trixie in Toyland all used the same gameplay and level layouts, but changed the art and character design to make them appear to be unique properties.[10][11] TheeShop on Nintendo's later console, theNintendo Switch, has also become notorious for featuring an abundance of low-quality games and software.[12][13]
Asset flips are a subset of shovelware that largely or entirely use pre-made assets in order to release games en masse. Calledfake games byValve Corporation, 173 were removed fromSteam in one 2017 purge that included several sock puppets of Silicon Echo Studios.[14]