Steve Davis: No Preferences
SPOnG: If you don't own one already, will you buy a new-generation console in 2007 or 2008? And if so, which one(s)? Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or Nintendo Wii?
Steve Davis: No.
SPOnG: When you are buying a new game how do you make the decision what to buy? Magazines? Word of mouth? Pot luck? Other influences?
Steve Davis: When Christmas comes around I buy magazines and prompt my lads to read them and then write out their Christmas list for Santa. They now tell me to "piss off" as they are 14 and 16 so they just want money.
SPOnG: Do you play games alone, online with others or multiplayer with your partner, family and/or friends?
Steve Davis: Did try online Chinese Chess once after getting some lessons in China (bloody complicated game!). Never won a game for about a month until I luckily found someone worse than me. He actually accused me of cheating by turning the game clocks back to get an advantage! Obviously the word "lag" had never entered his head. I was on the brink of winning my first ever game when he logged off after a final torrent of abuse.
SPOnG: If you were given carte blanche to design the game of your dreams, what would it be?
Steve Davis: An adventure/multi type skill game that just had a big question mark on the front of the box and that all the media agreed not to give away or the company not produce a walkthrough - and no cheats so that only a very few would actually complete it.
SPOnG: What talents could you bring to creating a game? If you had a job with a games development company what would you want your job title to be?
Steve Davis: Absolutely None!
SPOnG: What book and/or movie license(s) would you like to see videogame versions of?
Steve Davis: The Many Colored Land by Julian May.
SPOnG: Finally, it’s increasingly rare to see much/any 'positive' press coverage about gaming. There is much talk of videogames being 'bad' for gamers (younger gamers especially). Do you have any thoughts and opinions on this issue? For example, how do you think responsible/good parents should deal with their children's gaming habits and use? What do you think of the recent decision by the BBFC to ban Rockstar's Manhunt 2 game (by refusing to give it an 18-certificate)?
Steve Davis: Not aware of the Manhunt game but it's obviously all bollocks! Kids used to play Cowboys and Indians and everyone used to go "aaaah!"
Kids are not stupid. And as far as the mass murderers? Well they're are not going to be stopped by confiscating their joysticks. Their sickness has nothing to do with the fantasy of videogames.
SPOnG: Thanks for your time, Steve.
Steve Davis was most recently spotted advertising Koch Media's new handheld snooker title World Snooker Championship 2007-2008 'Pocket snooker' has never been so much fun...