When I first started working in the industry, I was warned that people would ask me if I worked on some of the more famous titles our company made when they found out what I did for a living, and that I shouldn’t even bother dissuading them. That it would just be easier for them (and for me) if I just said “yes.” Even if (or even especially if) you didn’t work on the game.

They referred to it as “The Ghostbusters Rule,” for obvious reasons (”If someone asks you if you’re a god, you say YES.”) and after talking about it with other devs working at other companies, it seems to be a pretty standard rule.

So this strip is a combination of the Ghostbusters Rule sandwiched with the fact that I’m always getting asked by people for free copies of our games. Like, maybe people think that I just carry extras around with me, instead of business cards? (Which, incidentally, I’m always forgetting to carry around with me). Not only is it annoying to be asked about free copies, but I’ve had people who make way more money than I do ask for free copies of the game. Like, professional athletes. Name brand musicians/recording artists.

Nevermind the fact that we typically get one free copy of the game months after it’s been sitting stale on the shelves, or that we have to buy any subsequent copies of the game from the company store (for cost, which admittedly is very nice), but getting asked by people for a free copy of a game is like me walking up to Donald Trump and just being all “ZOMG YOU’RE DONALD TRUMP GIVE ME TWENTY DOLLARS!”

Because when you ask for a free game from a game dev that’s exactly what you’re doing.