Dear Future Gamer,

I have some comments to make about the gaming industry. I have increasingly noticed more and more people who are a bit miffed at the standard of some of today's games.

For example, Chris Higgins complains that developers don't concentrate on gameplay enough anymore. What these people don't realise is that the games industry is BIG business, and the developers and publishers are there for the money, money, money.

The real culprits here are us. We see pretty graphics and go out and waste our money, and only then do we think, "bollocks". This only encourages the publishers to press for more of the same.

What I am trying to say is, if you want better games, buy better games. Don't waste your money on a pretty box and then go on and complain to Future Gamer.

Regarding the issue of gameplay versus graphics. In my mind, the two are nearly the same thing. Let's face it, games are a visual experience. Okay, without gameplay, the game will be crap, but if the gameplay is good, then good graphics will make it even better. Can you imagine Final Fantasy VII with the same graphics as Final Fantasy 1 (simple sprites marching around a mono-colour background)? Or Half-Life with the Doom engine? Both games would be a lot worse.

Thank you for the great magazine. Keep it up!

Sam Liddle

FG: Sam's right on the first point. The games-buying public determine the success or failure of a game (or genre of games) but the public are fickle and easily swayed by hype. That's why Future Gamer's here, to give you some informed opinion in an attempt to help you make better buying decisions. Secondly, graphics can improve a game but if they're all you've got, then all you're left with is eye candy. Great gameplay, however, doesn't have to look good. It helps, but a great game with crap graphics is still a great game.