"The Escapist, Issue 8: Dungeons and Dollars" Now Available

Greg Costikyan calls for a new business model as his evaluation of the econony of the game industry reveals something quite opposite of Anderson's Long Tail effect: relying on a few hits to recoup huge losses results in tensions between creators and publishers, with content being compromised for slick packaging and mass appeal; Allen Varney proves that slow and steady wins the race as he shares how casual games make serious money; and Mark Wallace investigates commerce in virtual worlds like Second Life, EverQuest and Runescape and raises questions about the legalities and publishers copyrights. Check it out at http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/8