Maybe I'm an outlier here in game development, but "clueless kids" are the rule, not the exception, and nowhere near rare. Companies bin entire unsolicited design documents without even reading them because those ideas have negative expected worth: Increased chance of lawsuits, to a field rife and bountiful with ideas from people who've actually worked in the field and have some idea of what might work and what might not. Good ideas are as important as the air we breathe, but just as ubiquitous. They join our communities with those same ideas, offering $0 (not merely "reduced") wages, bringing no experience to the table, whether that be business acumen, marketing experience, writing artistic or coding skill... no finances as an investor, no guidance as someone who's already been in the industry, nothing. All for the promise of some nebulous undefined profit sharing on some idea they won't share a scrap of. Ostensibly to protect the idea from theft, of course, but leaving you with no idea if you might be interested even if they <i>were</i> offering something more.<p>Suggesting they learn to code might be inappropriate, but pointing out they need to be able to bring something to the table besides "ideas" -- any of the above skills would be a great start -- is exactly the sort of "sensible advice" called for, but that's often not enough to get through and make the point. When people start throwing around how much they're paid, they're trying to underscore what the "ideas guy" is competing with, to explain <i>why</i> that idea alone just isn't enough. When people start getting frustrated, angry, and ranty, perhaps it's because this isn't as rare as the author thinks. It certainly isn't rare in game development. Maybe a different approach would be appropriate, starting things off on "the right foot" by focusing on what they can bring to the table first, rather than the business opportunity. Resumes may get binned too, but not at the 100% rate. Focusing on the person rather than the idea also lets you focus on if you'd be a good fit for <i>any</i> project, rather than tossing one idea at a time their way... or if they're such a great fit you'd be willing to find a different business opportunity that suits both of you.