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Press release edited by Applelinks senior editor Kirk Hiner

Certainly Apple's Intel experiment (isn't that what we all hope it is?) was an exciting announcement for Mac gamers. Tired of watching game after exciting new game launch on peecees, only to wait and collect the dregs weeks later on our own hyper-performance Macs, some of us broke the exclamation points on our keyboards in excitement. Soon: first release games for everyone! Exclusive Mac releases were sure to follow! Video game commercials featuring the Mac logo during major television events would herald a change toward Macs as the majority computer and next everyone would be wearing shirts proudly proclaiming that they think different!

Well, maybe too much of a good thing, that.

But Mac gamers have been getting better treatment in all the gaming realms, and Big Fish Games' recent "New Mac Game Every Week" promotion is a sign of our improved status. Emmanuel Marty, director of Big Fish Games Europe, says that Big Fish Games has been successfully connecting Mac game developers with an appreciative audience for some time, and that the flow of new games was sufficient that they could guarantee this constant flow. He calls Mac gamers "a tough and very rewarding crowd," adding that "Big Fish Games wanted to serve these customers." Marty says that the developers at Big Fish Europe still depend on their PCs, but he admits to enjoying developing games on his new MacBook Pro. Others in the office are "considering" their own personal Mac purchases. PCs and Macs sit side by side on their desktops at work.

The Mystery Case Files crews work almost exclusively with Macs, and these games have been a rewarding line for Big Fish. With MCF: Huntsville and MCF: Prime Suspects spending several weeks as BFGs top downloads, this development and distribution company seems to have found a rewarding full market where there once was merely a small market niche.

Atlantis Sky Patrol is a recent arcade/puzzle sequel that promises to continue their string of hits. Marty believes that these kind of games, rather than immersive role-playing or reality games, are a natural fit for Mac users. "A lot of us use our Macs primarily to get work done, so, generally speaking of course, we tend not to have the hundreds of hours that need to be invested in a MMORPG or other typical AAA retail title." This nature of the game has led to a dramatic growth in the Mac portion of the site.

With more and more of their developers using Macs and the success they are having in the market, Big Fish Games' Mac site seems to be one of many signs that Mac gamers may soon find themselves on similar footing with their PC counterparts. Xcode's popularity and ease of use, combined with the opportunities for many game developers to interact with Macs when developing the visual aspects of their games, seems to be bringing Macs from the figurative third world of gaming into relative prosperity. Sure, we're mired a tier below the realm of dedicated game machines and the teams of developers that produce games more detailed than some Hollywood blockbusters. But no longer are we forced to stand outside the windows at the game store, drooling at the latest release, whining pathetically about our "exceptional audio" and "great graphics."