Dear Future Gamer

The concern a number of reader have had for the small games shop (Letters, FG35) makes me ponder the dual standards we have. Do the writers frequent Tesco's/Sainsbury's or their speciality food store? Odds are that they're pushing their trolleys with the rest of us.

As a casual gamer I have no problem at all going into the likes of HMV or Asda and picking up a copy of Driver for a £15 saving. In fact, I did just that instead of waiting for it to go onto the Platinum range, and should the prices go back to £45 next week, well, I for one certainly won't be buying any more games at full price, but then I seldom did.

If the independent traders want to survive, they'll have to offer the niche services that independents in other markets have had to adopt, such as import games, peripherals and so on.

One thing is for certain though, I won't pay inflated prices just to keep them in business.

Dave Clarke

FG: Independent retailers are a Good Thing because, like other specialist shops, they offer a wider choice. Multiples tend to stock only the big name games and will rarely take a risk on a game that's got anything less than mass-market appeal. Take this to its logical conclusion and in a couple of years' time we'd find software houses only producing games they know the multiples would be happy to sell. We're already lamenting the lack of innovation in games these days but imagine how bad it would be if that scenario were to be even truer than it is today.