The Humble Indie Bundle team today launched the pay-what-you-want Humble Indie Bundle 4 just in time for the holidays - the bundle included WIndows, OS X, and Linux versions of Jamestown, Bit.Trip Runner, Super Meat Boy, Shank, and NightSky HD, while people who contribute more than the average payment (currently sitting right above $5) also get Gratuitous Space Battles and Cave Story+. Buyers can split their payment as they wish between the game developers, the Humble team, and the American Red Cross and Child's Play charities.

Since the first Humble Indie Bundle was posted last May, pay-what-you-want bundle of indie games have become exceedingly common - counting special bundles featuring specific games or developers, there have been seven Humble Bundles since the first one, and that doesn't even take into consideration bundles from folks like IndieRoyale and GamesAid.

These bundles are unquestionably great deals for gamers, who can get $100 worth of games for a hundredth of that price if they'd like, and it gives developers a chance both to foil piracy without using DRM and reach audiences that might not normally buy their games. I do sometimes worry that these bundles have the potential to undercut indie developers not included in them, and that they may reduce the pool of people willing to pay full price for the games - however, if these potential downsides exist, I haven't heard any evidence of it yet.

Once purchased, the games can be downloaded from the Humble Bundle site or via Steam. A gift order option is available for thrifty holiday shoppers.

Source: Humble Bundle