Anyone can log on to TileGamer.com as a guest and play games in single-player mode, as well as kibitz games in progress. To play games, users must first register (which is free), which involves entering their real name and email address, and picking a user name and password. All game play takes place in the users’ web browsers. To create games (also free), users must download and install the Tilegamer Integrated Development Environment (TIDE).
To help defray expenses such as web-hosting fees, subscription fees are charged to users who elect to become Patrons, costing them $24/year. The subscription fees paid by Patrons give them the honor of having yellow stars appear next to their user names. Casuals, who play for free, have green triangles displayed next to their user names. XO Laptop users, who also play for free, have no symbols displayed next to their user names.
Non-Profit Organization
TileGamer.com is a non-profit organization, and all its employees (including myself, the founder of TileGamer.com) are volunteers. I can get by on the income from my part-time day job (developing software for security guard companies), since I have additional income from my investments. Any money left over after paying web-hosting fees will be earmarked for buying XO Laptops and other IT equipment/software for disadvantaged youths in the US and Canada.