SE: What state is the Mac game development community in?

BG: I would call it an "improving" state. I really don't know why everyone is so flipping happy that now we are getting one year old PC games ported to the Mac. I think it would be much more exciting if the games were being developed *on* the Mac and *for* the Mac. Remember Myst? Remember Marathon? Those games were done on the Mac and for the Mac originally. Then they were ported to the PC later. When that happens again, I'll be thrilled. For now, I'm just hopeful.

SE: Video game violence is a hot topic in the mainstream media right now. Most if not all of the games you have worked on, when showing violence, do it with cartoonish characters and a distinct lack of gore. What is your view on violence in games?

BG: I like violence. My favorite Mac game right now is Carmageddon. I only do the non-violent games because the Mac market has a very strong demand for that kind of game and there's virtually zero competition for it. Its very easy to make a lot of money doing games like Power Pete, Nanosaur, and Bugdom because there is nothing else to compete and it's the kind of thing that most parents seem to want.

SE: Do you think this demand is only in the Mac market or in the PC market as well? There are no PC games that come to mind that have the game play of something like Power Pete without the ultraviolent blood bath aspect.

BG: I'm sure it is in the PC market as well, but the Mac market seems to have a high percentage of "average" people versus "hard-core gamers" than the PC does. The PC market is really too competitive any way you cut it. Too many games and too many developers. I don't know how anyone makes money (and a lot don't).

SE: You give away a lot of your older software by making it freeware. Why do you do this?

BG: It makes people happy. I'm not making money off of the old stuff anymore, so giving it away doesn't hurt. In actuality it generates good publicity and helps the Mac in general.