1.24k likes | 1.46k Views
Homage or Swipe? Inspiration or Rip-Off? On the Origins of Game Ideas. Richard Rouse III Lead Single Player Designer Kaos Studios/THQ www.paranoidproductions.com GameX Summit/MIT Gambit Game Lab, October 2009. The Homage versus The Swipe. The Homage. Joe Shuster, 1938.
E N D
Homage or Swipe? Inspiration or Rip-Off?On the Origins of Game Ideas Richard Rouse III Lead Single Player Designer Kaos Studios/THQ www.paranoidproductions.com GameX Summit/MIT Gambit Game Lab, October 2009
The Homage Joe Shuster, 1938 Todd McFarlane, 1988
The Swipe Fantastic Four (1982) by John Byrne New Mutants (1990) by Rob Liefeld
Ronin (1983) by Frank Miller X-Force (1993) by Rob Liefeld
Nomad (1990) by James Fry Captain America (1997) by Rob Liefeld
Captain America (1969) by Jim Steranko Nomad (1990) by James Fry Captain America (1997) by Rob Liefeld
John Byrne, 1980 Bob Oksner, 1972
“Never draw what you can copy; never copy what you can trace; never trace what you can photostat and paste down.” - Wally Wood
Joe Shuster, 1938 Antonio Del Pollaiolo, 1475
Inspiration Rip-Off
1995 1994 1996
2003 2006
Game Idea Rule #1 Take existing gameplay and transpose it to a new setting Evolve the mechanics as necessary to suit that setting
Game Idea Rule #2 “Borrow” novel mechanics from obscure games
Game Idea Rule #3 Don’t steal your setting from another game
Game Idea Rule #4 Be careful borrowing an idea from popular fiction Doing supplemental research is important