Dividing his thoughts into sections focusing on the good and bad aspects of GameMaker as he sees them for commercial game developers, Tom outlines the benefits, such as rapid development from the off, and drawbacks, many of which he notes are being worked on in the future GameMaker Studio edition.

The full post is well worth a read, but Tom concludes:

“Let me reiterate: when faced with the responsibility of having to spend actual money that isn’t ours, we concluded that using a completely new engine is less risky than working in software I’ve been using for the past 7 years. It made me think. You should consider it too.

GameMaker is a tool with much promise, and may well become a viable choice eventually, but it needs more time and better handling from YoYo Games. They could probably use some constructive feedback that’s not just straight hate, so if you are a professional indie developer, consider getting in touch with them and let them know what bothers you about the software and what improvements would be crucial for you to consider using it. The guys there really wish well and deserve the chance.”

In a way this tells us what we already know – GameMaker is good for beginners and most 2D game projects but has shortcomings for larger games – but it is interesting to see these points laid out by one of the more serious developers using Game Maker.

Tom Grochowiak on GameMaker for Professional Developers is taken from: GameMaker Blog

I for one saw nothing but another opportunity for Game Maker Studio to be delayed when I saw this announcement. And I don’t believe I am alone in this point of view. Aside from Studio, YoYo are already having to deal with PC spin-offs of GM, such as the HTML5 edition. And lets not disregard the ol’ faithful Standard edition.

If we all sit back and take a moment to recall Game Maker history, there was a time when a port to Mac was the “big plan of the future”. It had Macintosh users purched on the edges of their seats, regularly looking for news of the release. And then out of nowhere a good year or more after the announcement, out plopped a half backed, outdated port for Mac that left few impressed. GM4Mac has grown to be a little better over time, but it still needs work, and fast. So why exactly are YoYo trying to cover more platforms when they haven’t refined their last endeavor?

YoYo may feel that this approach equals more cash. Hopefully this isn’t their thinking.

Mac users take up a significantly bigger market share than Linux does, and there is arguably more opportunity for exposure when creating games for OSX. Apple also has a distribution system making the process a whole lot more enticing. However GM4Mac hasn’t been received as well as many may have expected. So how will a Linux port do, in a “niche” community, that is filled with freeware indulging cheapskates (myself included)? Not so well I feel. I believe a Linux port, assuming it comes out  in 2012, will be a flop (though if the Mac development history is anything to go by, we won’t be seeing a port to Linux for quite some time).

In saying this, an eventual port to Linux is welcomed. But is now really the right time? Probably not.

I sometimes wonder if YoYo is getting a bit carried away with their plans for extending the GM product range. The concepts seem good enough, but why does it feel like everything is being rushed and has to happen all at once? Even from an enduser’s perspective, its getting messy. Or at least it feels that way.

Though lets be fair to YoYo and their plans for Linux for just one moment. Sure, while we selfish Windows users may have to stretch our patience further when it comes to updates (unless YoYo becomes neglectful and caves into updating for PC more often than other ports) it is hard to not be a little excited about the port. After all, unlike the Mac edition, everyone will be able to test the Linux port when the time comes, since its a free OS accessible to anybody. Though one can’t help but feel this is a pointless exercise in covering more ground with operating systems.

Maybe the accessibility of Linux to the existing PC user base will be the secret weapon the Linux port needs to outdo the response that GM4Mac received.

Time will have to settle this one, but for now, it might not hurt to get your Ubuntu discs in order (or OpenSuse if you care to look past your doorstep– gotta love that green lizard).

Comment: Why the Linux Port Will Flop is taken from: GameMaker Blog

Having recently employed Paul Cosgrove alongside Lee Turner YoYo Games are currently in the process of redesigning areas of their website to attract more professional developers to their game creation software.

In an attempt to focus on the expanded capabilities of GameMaker itself, user created games are moved away from the homepage to an internal page on the website.  Whether these game will fall under “Showcase” (8 above) or whether this will be reserved for just the very best games is not clear.

Here are some observations, thoughts and hopes on the above screenshot of the future YoYoGames.com homepage that was posted on Twitter earlier today by YoYo Games CEO Sandy Duncan.

1. There’s a darker look (to the homepage at least) and a new logo strapline as “putting you in the game” replaces “where the world comes to play, make and share games”.
2. Hopefully the new site will feature more consistent branding of YoYo Games’ game development software as “GameMaker” rather than the current mix of “Game Maker” and “GameMaker”.  Well, except for “See what Game Maker can do” near the bottom of the screenshot!
3. Greater integration of the YoYo Game Store enabling visitors to purchase software directly from YoYo Games including GameMaker itself and games published to PC and Mac as well as providing links to install iOS and Android games.  The YoYo Game Store is a relatively recent addition to the current site and at the moment is poorly integrated.
4. By moving DRM in-house and away from Softwrap from GameMaker 8.1 onwards registration problems should hopefully decrease and upgraded users will once again have a single contact.  Support will be required for existing GameMaker users, professional developers as well as customers who have purchased apps published by YoYo Games.  Hopefully the process of requesting support will be streamlined as it is currently unnecessarily lengthy.
5. Details about the expanding YoYo Games Ltd and its areas of business both as creator of game development software and publisher of games made using it.
6. Large HTML5 canvas to showcase various areas of the site and promote GameMaker.  No doubt this will be made using the upcoming GameMaker Studio version which will enable GameMaker games to be exported to HTML5 format so that they are playable within the latest web browsers.
7. Greater amount of official introductory material such as tutorials to help beginners get started and intermediate users improve the quality of the games they create.
8. A good way to show off the capabilities of GameMaker on various platforms by providing links to play some of the best quality games on various platforms.  YoYoGames.com currently has a “spotlight” section showcasing recent high quality games on the homepage of the site and the best games on the website appear in a “featured” section which shows by default when you enter the “Play” area of the website.
9. Easy access to the facts about GameMaker’s mobile device and HTML5 support and details of the various GameMaker Studio options available that will enable this.

New YoYoGames.com Homepage Design is taken from: GameMaker Blog

There are so many different potential players of your game and it can be hard to make your game suit different tastes.  Here I examine two broad gamer definitions that can be expand into many more.

Hardcore Gamers
You can always pick one out of a group of people; they eat, sleep, dream, and talk game experience. One thing and one thing only is what hardcore gamers believe – The Game Is The Life.  These people want to have the most out of your game; every penny they pay has got to be worth it. Hundreds of hours spent on one game are what they want, extra secret quests, weapons, areas – you name it.

The more times they can replay to get the highest score on the toughest level, the most unlocks, the more easter eggs they can find the happier they are. If your game doesn’t have different levels of difficulty or another way to make it more challenging you should add this.

It could mean creating sub quests, secret areas or items, anything that does not have to be used for the main game.  This way they can spend extra time on these and you can make them incredibly challenging.  It doesn’t matter to your average gamer whether or not they are accomplished or not but with these hardcore gamers are able to meet the challenge with out leaving the main game.

Include easter eggs in your game to encourage hardcore gamers to return and replay your game to find that one thing they missed or get another higher then previously outrageous high score.  They might want to go back and find another area. If a hardcore plays for replay value and not some easter egg, they may be quite happy with your game play and that is always a plus to the developer.

Detail Detail Detail! This is incredibly important to any game that hopes to please a hardcore gamer. Your character had better be more than a stickman walking around a world made with lines and circles. You have to be more than simple graphics and calculations and colors. They want to feel as though they are playing the game as the character. Be the character. Would you like to live in Stick guy world or Super Mario World? Allowing them to customize their character is even better but can be confusing for many people if it is right at the beginning.

Numbers. Hardcore gamers will eat these things up like a vending machine and quarters. If you are done with your game and before you release it, send a beta out and have some friends fill out a questionnaire. Use the beta testers to discover which tips or hints a player might want to know. Use all of this data and maybe some of your own tips and tricks to add in and create a game guide, or a game manual.

Hardcore gamers want:

• Extended Hours of Gameplay
• Re-playability
• High Levels of Customization
• Side Quests and Missions
• Branches off the main tree of gameplay and story
• Extreme Levels of Gameplay

Casual Gamers
Whether this is the flag football in the backyard or weekend halo nights everyone is, at some point, a casual gamer.  For a casual gamer games are what they are: games.  Nice distractions from life that allow a player to train, fight, and live their electronic alter ego.

Simplicity is all they need. Detail is nice for the eye but too much can turn them away. The game has to be welcoming and simple at the beginning. If they have to raid castle Macindaw 5 times over and the level is 30 minutes of playing each time and there aren’t any save points or it’s just the first level they may be discouraged and return, throw away, or shove into some desolate folder on the hard drive your hard labor on your game. Nobody wants that, so remember: Simplicity.

If they don’t get rewards for their efforts they will turn into the unhappy puppy that won’t do anything for you. So give them frequent rewards and advancements. Give them save points or tokens or some other form of reward or unlockables. Don’t have some cloak and dagger system of goals and objectives. Casuals are not hardcores who will spend hours searching through the world of your game looking for the one person who can help them out. If you absolutely have to put this in don’t make it costly. If they find the person in the deepest corner of your game’s hell, don’t make the non-playable character demand money or something that the player will have to give up that has value.  Balance the challenge with the reward and the effort.

Effort + price to pay = reward

Or ideally

Effort + price to pay < reward

Casual Players do not want overly extensive game play. Over about 100 hours will not suit very many players. Casual gamers may also want re-playability. The best type of replay is one where the player enjoyed the story/game play etc. if they are replaying for Easter eggs; you can categorize them under Hardcore or maybe somewhere in between. Casual players are just your everyday person.

Remember, Casual Gamers want:

• Simplicity
• Easy Going Story and Game-play
• Replayability
• Non-extensive Gameplay
• A main story line

Conclusion:
Try to keep both gamer types in mind while designing your games. Add side stories so hardcore gamers can pursuer them while casual can take the regular road and provide different difficulties of game play for the player. Hope you liked my input to the gaming world – have fun designing your game for both audiences.

Photo credit: 52:10:Gaming [modified] by Graham Campbell (cc).

Designing for Hardcore Gamers and Casual Gamers is taken from: GameMaker Blog

I also don’t believe that it is a decompiler that worries YoYo Games.  Executable files created with all versions of Game Maker from 6.1 right up to the latest release, Game Maker 8, can currently be decompiled using tools which have been online for months (years in the case of earlier versions).  An unauthorised method of enabling Game Maker games to be played on iOS is what YoYo Games are concerned about as publishing games to this platform is a key part of their business model.

Amazed at Lack of anonymity
People often come to me with stories, sometimes on condition of anonymity, so I was very surprised that the authors of the iOS Decompiler were perfectly happy for their identities to be known. When I first saw the decompiler which had the creators names written in it I was shocked.

Whilst it is true that authors of earlier Game Maker decompilers have been known the situation is now quite different in the fact that YoYo Games are actively monetizing their runner on iPhone, iPod and iPad and had not been doing so with PC games (game creators are free to distribute their creations as they choose).

Surprised by the reaction to Sandy’s blog post
I had presumed that initial reaction on the YoYo Games blog would be of shock to the announcement that such a program existed. We know how vocal the community can be when they don’t like something, just look at the initial response to the announcement of the Game Maker 8 logo, and it appears I underestimated some of the sentiments running amongst the community.

A high proportion of replies were critical of YoYo Games’ stance with some Game Maker users questioning why additional security had not been added to the game development software in the long period since PC decompilers were released. Others users responded by stating that any protection measures introduced would surely be circumvented so YoYo Games were right not to spend time on trying to encrypt the file format.

The project is wrong
Since I imagine many people have seen the video of the compiler progress on this website (or one of the sites that syndicates or translates our content) I feel I should also clarify my position on this.  This blog is not involved in the project and is attempting to report the facts neutrally but my personal view is that there are no two ways about it – the project is wrong.  As were the earlier decompilers which nothing was done about.

Zach and Brad
I understand that Cease and Desist letters have been sent via e-mail to the two individuals who are working on the compilation project.  They have also been banned from the Game Maker Community.

On a now closed GMC topic Zach had earlier written “If YYG asks us to remove it, we (at least I) will” (referring to any as yet unreleased iOS Compiler).   Since Sandy’s message there has not been any public response from Zach (though some moron attempted to imitate him on the glog), but Brad has responded to the glog post with the following.

“Hello YYG!

Me and Zach have done nothing illegal.
Should you end up hiring a real lawyer and sending a valid, formal cease and desist, you will eventually lose in court.

We have not distributed any of your property. Please provide some proof of an instance where we have distributed your property.

So until a formal cease and desist is written to me personally via email or mail, the SOURCE to the decompiler/compiler will be released.

Thanks and have a good day.”

Brad (I verified it was actually him) on YYG Blog

What happens next?
As I see it there are three ways forward from here:

• A compiler is widely released to the public which will almost inevitably mean that YoYo Games will take some form of action against its creators
• The compiler is shared between a select few people and no-one knows quite who has it, how good it is and if any games make it in to the App Store (I have no idea as to whether the signature of the runner could be detected by Apple thereby preventing unauthorised use of it).
• The compiler is not released

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer.

Thoughts on the iOS ‘Compiler’ and Response at YoYo Games is taken from: GameMaker Blog

2. The Art Institute- Game Art and Design Program. Course includes:
Design Concepts
Creating Characters and Environments
Modeling
Scene and Set Design
Texture Mapping

3. ITT Technical Institute- Bachelors in Digital Entertainment and Game Design. Course Includes:
Digital Game Design
Gaming Technology
Game Design Process
Level Design
General Coursework

These three schools offer programs focusing on the general development of a video game. Take your time looking through the courses from online game development schools to find the one that is right for you. There are many different paths you could take when deciding the job role that you would like to fill in the development of a video game. There are many, many jobs within the cycle of creating a game. The different jobs include, but are not limited to:

CONCEPT ARTISTS. Concept artists create the initial look of the game. Drawing the characters, clothes, cars and other elements. The concept artist is the inspiration for the design process that follows. There are few concept art positions making this a competitive job path to pursue. Taking courses that specialize in this style of art could be really beneficial, however, having experience and skill are most important. Designing a portfolio with a collection of your best works will aid you in getting a job as a concept/storyboard artist.

CHARACTER ARTISTS and ANIMATORS. These artists begin the process of making the characters come to life in 3D. As an animator you will need a strong artistic background and knowledge of the latest computer animation technology. Most positions for animators require a bachelors in something like fine arts or media. Most courses in video game design will be backed by some form of animation training.

PROGRAMMERS. Programmers are the brains behind it all. Not to be confused with a game designer the programmers work on what make the video game run. Programming a video game is a very complex job. There are more than one type of programmer each specializing in a specific type of programming. There are game engine programmers, physics engine programmers, graphics engine programmers, artificial intelligence programmers, sound programmers, etc. Most programming jobs will require a bachelors in math, physics or computer science.

PROFESSIONAL TESTERS. This is the dream job. To get paid to play video games. Although it seems easy there are technical aspects to this job as well. The people that get hired as testers also have guidelines, deadlines and specific feedback that needs to be provided to the game publishers in a timely manner. Although you are having fun you have to keep in mind that you are working and stay on track. Game testing jobs aren’t easy to find make sure to let publishers know who you are and keep up your search until you find the job you‘ve been looking for. Making a resume aimed at getting this job is a good idea. Experience is key.

There are many more jobs in the game design and developing industry. Making major league gaming a career choice, and a broad one at that. I hope the information I have provided aided you in your search for an exciting career in video game developing. Never give up on your dream job, this industry is growing fast. Explore your options and get gaming!

This is an unsponsored guest post by Jenna Longton.
Photo: Vancouver Film School (cc)

Guest Post: A Career in the Games Industry is taken from: GameMaker Blog

It appears that YoYo Games are trying to encourage mobile application developers to switch to using Game Maker by promising cross-platform support.

Android applications are written in Java, whilst Apps for the iPhone and iPad must be written using C, C++ or Objective-C.  With the recent release of Windows 7 Mobile increasing amounts of development will need to be undertaken to make an app available across smart phones.

By developing runners for each of these platform YoYo Games take out the legwork of reproducing a game in different languages.   YoYo have written and continue to write code to convert a single universal language (GML and Game Maker’s built in drag and drop system) into programs which can be run on multiple operating systems.

Easy app creation projects such as Google App Inventor and Nokia’s Ovi App Wizard have been started in an attempt to make app creation accessible to a greater section of users – however these are created by the owners of particular operating systems and designed to create apps for a single store. (Cross-platform support is on the way from Unity).

The cost to developers of writing their game just once using Game Maker is currently 50% of revenue, after distribution store sales commission (typically 30%) has been taken out of the equation, which goes to YoYo Games who act as publisher for your game.

There is however a potential for greater sales through cross-platform distribution and as support for new platforms is introduced, Android support is expected early 2011, games can be made available in new stores. Pocket Gamer report that YoYo Games are also “looking into the viability of Windows Phone 7, MeeGo and Nintendo 3DS in future, to offer a one-stop mobile publishing shop” [sic].  However inclusion in a particular store is at the discretion of YoYo Games who presumably will need to balance the initial inclusion fee they will have to pay and conversion effort required with envisaged sales figure.

Currently all Game Maker titles on mobile devices feature a YoYo Games splash screen and appear in YoYo Games’ account in each app marketplace.  I can’t see this appealing to any but the smallest independent developers as it limits the control they have over their own work.  I can’t imagine that “more serious” developers will be happy to give up full control of their title through YoYo’s polishing program either.

In remains unclear as to whether YoYo Games will in future release a white label solution enabling Game Maker users to publish their creations under their own name.  Such a solution could enable developers to make use of the porting technology YoYo have developed but release titles under their own name and branding – obviously at  a cost.  Whether any white label solution comprises of a large upfront fee (former GameSalad model), a smaller license fee for every copy distributed or a combination of the two it would have to be priced a suitably high level in order to prevent stores being bombard with a plague of poorly written Game Maker apps.  However a potential risk to any such model is that a licensee could then compete directly with YoYo Games by buying up Game Maker creations made by others or otherwise striking up publishing deals with game creators.

With news that mobile phone manufacturers such as HTC and Samsung are working on creating their own app stores that will work across the different mobile operating systems their devices support it looks like there will be some interesting developments in the app industry over the next couple of years!

YoYo’s current offer is unlikely to suit serious developers and will appeal more to existing Game Maker users and small developers of non-branded games and utilities.  Whether or not this changes next year we will just have to wait and see.

What others say: Lynn who works on behalf of a company specialising in call center process outsource services says that the large number of phone manufacturers and operating systems confuses some older consumers. “Customers are confused by all of the competing and conflicting services on offer. Believe it or not some people are still perfectly happy with a phone that can just call and text”.

Game Maker: A solution to growing fragmentation of the mobile games sector? is taken from: GameMaker Blog

The idea for a comprehensive tutorial series reminds me of Carl Gustafsson’s Beginners Guide to Game Maker Programming, a long unofficial introduction to Game Maker, which I came across shortly after discovering the tool. The download links no longer work thanks to the demise of downloadcounter.com (actually can’t believe that the site has closed they didn’t even host files – just a tracking script!) but it was downloaded many tens of thousands of times in different formats and a HTML version can still be found here.

“First Steps starts the reader at the very beginning, from the moment they download Game Maker! By the end of the book, you’ll know your work area much better, know how to create a solid game engine, know DnD, know basic GML and know how to polish your game properly. GMIndie even threw in some tips on how to distribute your games.” – Brian Fetcher

If you are interested in getting involved with GMIndie details can be found here.

GMIndie Plan 250-page Game Maker eBook is taken from: GameMaker Blog

We know YoYo Games are not making money from Game Maker and a recent look at GMB’s finances got me pondering just “who is making money from Game Maker?”.  Presumably someone must be somewhere down the line.    Forgetting your ISPs, electricity providers and computer retailers and looking a little closer at the users.

Commercial game creators?
It is infamously difficult to get Game Maker users to part with money.  The majority of forum members are of school age with many running illegally cracked versions of the software.  Thankfully games can be marketed outside of the YYG/GMC where people are more willing to pay for games providing they are of sufficient quality.  A spreadsheet showing sales figures for several commercial Game Maker games is available here (please add to it if you know any more).  Although some of these figures may seem quite large in most cases they do not match the equivalent of the minimum wage which could be earned if the hours spent developing the game were used for employment.

Verdict: In very small numbers.

YoYo Games?
Before YoYo Games came along Game Maker was run pretty much single handedly by its developer Mark Overmars.  The official Game Maker website hosted few games itself and instead linked to two approved community run websites.

When YoYo Games came along expenses increased vastly.  YoYoGames.com is one of the top 15,000 websites in the world, required significant coding  to setup and has large ongoing costs with over 725GB of data served on average each day last month.  Not to mention the costs of developing future versions of Game Maker including Game Maker 7 for Mac and porting the runner so that games can run on a variety of hand held devices.  So far these have resulted in losses of over $600,000.

Verdict: No

Community websites?
By “community websites” I am encompassing all websites providing resources as well as forums and membership sites. Very few sites are regularly updated for more than a year or so but two of the oldest sites still going are Game Maker Games and the not-really-GM focused 64Digits created in 2003 and 2004 respectively.  In the past GMG has carried AdSense but currently both sites appear to be completely ad free.

Verdict: Possible to earn some small change.

Media?
As with games considerable time and effort is put into producing media products for Game Maker users to consume.  The 10 magazine issues released by the “big two” in 2008 totalled 401 pages and that is excluding Russell’s Quarterly, GMWeekly or any of the lower quality magazines.   All for free  and with extremely minimal adverts which in most cases were given in exchange for content or were part of a cross-promotion deal and not sold.

Then there are those that don’t hide behind their screens and have created video shows such as Game Maker TV resulting in the need to purchase expensive equipment.

Verdict: No

Book authors?
Mark Overmars and Jacob Habgood’s The Game Maker’s Apprentice has been far more successful than the authors predicted selling 5,000 copies in the first 90 days it was on sale.

Even today, almost three and a half years after its release, it is still ranked highly in Amazon best sellers lists around the world and as a result Mark and Jacob are working on a follow up.  There have also been books written by third parties including Jerry Lee Ford’s Getting Started with Game Maker and Basic Projects in Game Maker.

Verdict: Yes

Hosts?
WillHostForFood is perhaps the best known site hosting predominantly Game Maker content to close recently but there have been many other smaller sites run by Game Maker users which have also closed, MyGMHost is just one of these.  The problem with these file host websites is the large amount of data they transfer and the minimal amounts of advertising that they show – especially if you allow files to be linked to directly from third-party sites.  WHF claimed to be spending $10-150 a month, depending on whether you believe an advertisement where they tried to sell the site or the excuse given to Game Maker users, on hosting before they vanished (without having learnt how to make a backup) two and a half years after the site launched.

Verdict: No.

Photo of Jacob Habgood by Flickr user Preoccupations (CC).

Who is making money from Game Maker? is taken from: GameMaker Blog

Regardless of what it says above this is from the Jan-Feb 2010 issue

A serious question this.

Indie Game Magazine is a paid for 6-issues-a-year publication, available both online and in print, that features reviews of Indie games and articles aimed at the creators of such titles.

The cheapest normal subscription price is $19.95 a year (about $3.30 an issue) with an extra $5 on top if you want access to back issues and have access to “insider information” articles on the site. A print subscription costs $40 in the US and $50 in the UK and Canada.

Markup played with the idea of a printed edition long ago (images sadly were hosted elsewhere) and at least one other Game Maker magazine looked at the concept.

Indie Game Magazine are currently holding a “pay what you like” sale on the $24.95 subscription package.  I say “pay what you like” but when I tried to get it for free (you will find out why later) I discovered that wasn’t truly accurate as I was met with an error “product:j_id112: Validation Error: Specified attribute is not between the expected values of 1 and 10,000.”

I have seen issues of the magazine before and decided that it wasn’t worth paying $3.30 an issue for.  Essentially I judged the quality to be below that of GMTech which is available free.  It is also considerably shorter – excluding the cover, contents pages, advert pages etcetera there are 14 pages of material in the January-February 2010 issue.  It is not a bad magazine but I do not feel it merits a price tag when similar material is available on blogs – congratulations to the team behind it if they have been getting more than a handful of sales.

This brings me on to my main point.  At the bottom of the front cover the magazine has the following notice:

“Indie Game Magazine is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All game logos, screenshots, artwork, trademarks, etc are property of their respective owner.“

A link to the license is here which states “You are free: to Share — to copy, distribute and transmit the work”.  So I just paid $1 to get something which it is perfectly legal to distribute freely.  I had previously found back issues of the magazine on the Internet freely available to download (although the sites they are uploaded to do also contain obviously illegal material).

I paid my $1 so you don’t have to.  Is there something I am missing here or would I be okay to upload/link to a copy?

Update: I have decided to make a download link available:  Download Indie Game Mag Issue 8 for Jan-Feb 2010 (13.1 MB). Not sure if this is what they intended but it is legally sound.  Please post your opinion of it here!

Indie Game Mag – Why would anyone buy this? is taken from: GameMaker Blog