Big Bang games development

Reading through the letters pages of C&VG I stumbled across an interesting perspective on the development of video games as expounded by an unashamed pirate attempting to justify the money-saving rouse.

Thomas compares the cost of a pirated disk to that of a legitimate retail package and questions why the gap should be so wide given that the only difference is a properly printed disk, cardboard box and a manual.

I expect he's basing his financial analysis on the lesser-known spontaneous game generation model of publishing whereby with a click of the greedy fat-cat company's claws, immaculately finessed, complete games miraculously appear in their grubby paws, ready to be stuffed in an oversized box and shipped off to WH Smiths for sale at an inflated premium.

Thomas either purchased his economics degree from one of those online certificate-forging outfits, or he was ten years old at the time and still believed in magic. Although, not if he's the same Thomas Sharkey of Glasgow who was murdered along with his son and daughter in an arson attack in 2011, aged 55. There's a cheery take-away epigram to set you up for the day. My pleasure.

Piracy revisited

Dear YOB,

If people who sell pirate games are criminals then what are the people who make and sell originals? They sell a disk in a big box full of useless pictures and stuff and charge twenty-five pounds for it. Tell me how much it would cost for an original to be made. My guess is about 3. That's a profit of around 22. If this isn't criminal, what is? If you buy a pirate game and don't like it, you have only wasted a few pounds. Whereas if you buy the original and don't like it, you have wasted over twenty quid. I think a lot more original games would be sold if the totally idiotic price tag was cut. I don't see why a disk should cost nearly double the price of a tape and I don't see why they expect people to buy originals instead of paying an eighth of the price and getting a pirate.

Thomas Sharkey, Glasgow

YOB: I've had to listen to some pea-brained numb-skulls in my time, but this takes the chocolate Hob-Nobs. Answer me this simple question, poo-for-sense: if everybody bought pirate games and no-one bought originals, who would make the originals that are being pirated? I'll tell you who - no-one. So there'd be no games at all. And that's why your argument is dead before it even comes to life.

Computer and Video Games (issue 114, May 1991)