Why do games always cater for the lowest common denominator, wonders Cliff Harris. Why are there no games for educated professionals and why do we have to rely on hacking mini-games in BioShock to explain elements clearly within reach?

Copy protection and piracy seem like two inescapable forces in modern digital media. But is either side right? Brett Thomas sounds off about pretty pictures, perils of intellectual property, and the dollars and cents behind everyone's favourite "freedom fighters."

Cliff Harris sees a bleak future for the games community. An insular group that purges n00bs, defends violent media and pirates games regularly - the end could be at hand! Thankfully, Cliff has a whole list full of ways to make gaming good again...

Simon Hill, developer for Outerlight software has just finished reading The Byron Report. As someone clearly affected by any changes that may be made because of the report, Simon has a few things to say, first of which is; Who is to blame?

It's a dark and haunting day at the bit-tech offices and James Silva is taking to the columns page once more to tell us some ghost stories. How is it that games create a feeling of fear in players and how do horror games generate such a feeling of unease? Jim explains.

Cliff Harris, ex-Lionhead AI coder turned indie developer, talks us through why he thinks sequels are actually a good thing. Is it possible that EA's endless sequels are a good thing? Cliff thinks so, pointing to his experience at Lionhead as an example...

Joe Martin wants to know what it is that makes a hardcore gamer. Prompted by the death of somebody close to him, Joe examines what hardcore is and invites readers to share their stories about what game it was that first hooked them.

With so many great products in the £100 to £150 price range, there's never been a better time to buy a performance mainstream graphics card... or has there? Tim Smalley mulls over the ups and downs of having lots products to choose from.

Simon Hill of Outerlight Studios tackles the concept of advertising in games and the despicable, dirty nature of designing advergaming. Is there a way out for developers who don't want to place advertising in their games? This column is sponsored by bit-tech.net.