Ever since I heard that Microsoft was going to allow Average Joes the opportunity to create and submit their own content to be featured on a downloadable Xbox service, I’ve been pretty stoked. While I personally don’t have any real desire to create the next Everyday Shooter or Alien Hominid, I know a lot of folks out there whose minds are just overflowing with great ideas, and all they need is a medium to get those ideas to the masses. XNA is promising the outlet to do just that.

Now then, since I won’t be making the games, that leaves me in the position of buying the games, something which I plan to do with great gusto every time a really cool project comes down the pipe. There is good news for people like me, as Microsoft has announced that user-generated content will "most likely be less expensive" than your garden variety Xbox Live Arcade title. That’s very good news indeed, especially since Microsoft is promising that the level of quality will be just as high as anything else on Xbox Live (that isn’t in the process of being delisted), and that there will be hundreds of games coming out on the service.

I’m very excited for the service to get underway so I can start giving my money to up and coming developers rather than big studios who are looking to turn a quick buck with another Bejeweled knockoff. If even a handful of the games featured at GDC’s Independent Games Festival make their way over to XNA, then we are about to see a flood of quality and innovation headed our way.