linuxgaming.de

"Mark,

The past few weeks ive been thinking about the development and popularity that Ubuntu has seen since I began using Warty. The new Dell deal is very exciting, and hopefully well see people who have heard of the product purchase a Desktop with Ubuntu. In the four years Ive spent at my university, Ive actively attempted to introduce people to Linux, Ubuntu, and Open Source software as a whole. I have found that people who are not willing to accept Linux, are mostly those who play a lot of video games. I just finished reading the interview youve had with Phoronix.com. And you mention youd like to see more support from video game developers.

I think this is an important time to act on it, and I wouldnt think it requires a significant amount of resources, either. In striking the deal with Dell, Ubuntu has been put further into the public eye. Recently Blizzard has announced Starcraft II, which I estimate will be very successful. But Blizzard has always developed games cross platform, Mac and PC. Obviously the big deal here is the implementation of both Direct3D and OpenGL by the software manufacturer, so it wouldnt be too tough to cross-platform to Linux (WoW over wine is pretty seamless, anyways). Companies like iD and Epic have released cross-platform Windows/Mac/Linux games for years now, but with the popularity and success of Blizzard through their previous titles and World of Warcraft especially, I think it would be an appropriate time to suggest to Blizzard supporting Linux.

I dont mean to waste your time because `I want to play Starcraft II on Linux. Thats not what this is about. I believe with the current publicity and traction that Ubuntu has, you have the influence to at least suggest a dialogue with Blizzard on this issue. Getting game developers who are already massively popular and open to suggestion such as Blizzard can more unify the Linux Desktop experience which is the goal of Ubuntu. So i simply suggest that this could be an option to pursue. Ive cc-ed Michael Larabel at Phoronix who perhaps would also be interested in this venture. I plan on contacting Blizzard myself through some form, but I doubt they will be responsive to one individual user.

Thanks for your time,

Mike Cretella
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA, USA"