A Relatively Hard Game
by Kevin Lin
As the director of product development for the successful game developer, Ego Software, you receive dozens of ideas for new computer games every week. Today you found the following proposal in your inbox:
Dear Ego:
I have a fantastic idea for a new computer game: Space Battle Simulator 2000! I know there are currently dozens of dueling spaceship games on the market, but this one's different. Gamers are constantly clamouring for greater realism in their games, and this will add a level of realism never seen before in space battle games: Relativity. All the aspects of relativity will be modeled in the game: players will be limited by the speed of light, incoming missiles will be appropriately blue-shifted, other players' ships will appear with the correct Lorentz-contraction, etc.
Not only will this be an original multiplayer space combat game, the game can even be pitched on its educational merits!
If you would like to make my game, please send me a check for $1,000,000. If you steal this idea, I'll sue your pants off.
Sincerely,
Frank Einstein
The idea actually sounds somewhat original, but there's a problem besides the author's absurd monetary demands. Why will this game never reach Beta?
