Homage or Swipe? Inspiration or Rip-Off? On the Origins of Game Ideas

Homage or Swipe? Inspiration or Rip-Off?

On the Origins of Game Ideas

Richard Rouse IIILead Single Player Designer

Kaos Studios/THQ

www.paranoidproductions.com

GameX Summit/MIT Gambit Game Lab, October 2009

The Homageversus

The Swipe

The HomageJoe Shuster, 1938 Todd McFarlane, 1988

John Byrne, 1980

Fantastic Four (1982) by John Byrne

New Mutants (1990) by Rob Liefeld

The Swipe

Ronin (1983) by Frank Miller

X-Force (1993) by Rob Liefeld

Nomad (1990) by James Fry

Captain America

(1997) by Rob Liefeld

Nomad (1990) by James Fry

Captain America (1997) by Rob Liefeld

Captain America (1969) by

Jim Steranko

Bob Oksner, 1972 John Byrne, 1980

“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, 1938Antonio Del Pollaiolo, 1475

Inspiration

Rip-Off

In games, we call it “cloning”...

1993

19951994 1996

1998

Nov, 1994

June, 1997

June, 1998

2001

20062003

2007

Game Idea Rule #1

Take existing gameplay and transpose it to a new setting

Evolve the mechanics as necessary to suit that setting

Gears of War, aka “Resident Killswitch”

Gears of War, aka “Resident Killswitch”

Game Idea Rule #2

“Borrow” novel mechanics from obscure games

Game Idea Rule #3

Don’t steal your setting from another game

The “Sticky Bomb” Problem

The “Sticky Bomb” Problem

Game Idea Rule #4

Be careful borrowing an idea from popular fiction

Doing supplemental research is important

Where do you get your ideas?

Where do you get your ideas?

“I make them up. Out of my head.”

– Neil Gaiman

Where do you get your ideas?

“Schenectady.”

– Harlan Ellison

“Ripped from the headlines”

“Ripped from the headlines”

“Ripped from the headlines”

AC-130 CoD4 Clip

Game Idea Rule #5

Get ideas from the documentary zeitgeist

The Kids are Alright (1979)

Game Idea Rule #6

Obscure documentary sources are great too

Corollary: But real life is even better

Game Idea Rule #7

Real life is an ideal inspiration

Every experience you have is an opportunity

Taking an idea from real life makes it less likely someone has already beaten that

idea to death

+ = ?

- =

+ = ?

+ =

+ =

+ =

• Enemies themed after execution methods

• Enemies themed after execution methods

• Horrific events on the island based on events from US history– Slave trade– Witch trials– Ethnic discrimination during WWII– Mental institution abuses– Capital punishment

Game Idea Rule #8

Have many and varied sources of inspiration

Where do you get your ideas from?

• Other Games

• Other Fiction/Movies/etc

• Non-Fiction/Documentaries/etc

• Your Experiences/“Real Life”

Where do you get your ideas from?

EASIEST

• Other Games

• Other Fiction/Movies/etc

• Non-Fiction/Documentaries/etc

• Your Experiences/“Real Life”

TRUTHIEST

Where do you get your ideas from?

EASIEST

• Other Games

• Other Fiction/Movies/etc

• Non-Fiction/Documentaries/etc

• Your Experiences/“Real Life”

MOST TRUE

Where do you get your ideas from?

EASIEST Often this is OK

• Other Games

• Other Fiction/Movies/etc

• Non-Fiction/Documentaries/etc

• Your Experiences/“Real Life”

MOST TRUE

Where do you get your ideas from?

EASIEST Often this is OK

• Other Games

• Other Fiction/Movies/etc

• Non-Fiction/Documentaries/etc

• Your Experiences/“Real Life”

MOST TRUE As long as you have

some of this

Gameplay Setting

Other Games

Other Fiction

Non-Fiction

Real Life

EASIEST

MOST TRUE

Gameplay Setting

Other Games

Other Fiction

Non-Fiction

Real Life

EASIEST

MOST TRUE

Gameplay Setting

Other Games

Other Fiction

Non-Fiction

Real Life

EASIEST

MOST TRUE

Gameplay Setting

Other Games

Other Fiction

Non-Fiction

Real Life

EASIEST

MOST TRUE

Gameplay Setting

Other Games

Other Fiction

Non-Fiction

Real Life

EASIEST

MOST TRUE

Gameplay Setting

Other Games

Other Fiction

Non-Fiction

Real Life

EASIEST

MOST TRUE

Gameplay Setting

Other Games

Other Fiction

Non-Fiction

Real Life

EASIEST

MOST TRUE

Gameplay Setting

Other Games

Other Fiction

Non-Fiction

Real Life

EASIEST

MOST TRUE

Gameplay Setting

Other Games

Other Fiction

Non-Fiction

Real Life

EASIEST

MOST TRUE

Comics: Herge, Schulz, Eisner

Also: Frank Capra, Charles Dickens

Comics: Spiegelman, Moebius

Also: Orson Welles, Virginia Woolf

Comics: Herge, Schulz, Eisner

Also: Frank Capra, Charles Dickens

Comics: Spiegelman, Moebius

Also: Orson Welles, Virginia Woolf

In Games: Sid Meier, Steve Meretzky, Shigeru Miyamoto, Fumito Ueda

In Games: Will Wright, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Chris Crawford, Dani Bunten Berry

Comics: Herge, Schulz, Eisner

Also: Frank Capra, Charles Dickens

Comics: Spiegelman, Moebius

Also: Orson Welles, Virginia Woolf

In Games: Sid Meier, Steve Meretzky, Shigeru Miyamoto, Fumito Ueda

In Games: Will Wright, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Chris Crawford, Dani Bunten Berry

Comics: Herge, Schulz, Eisner

Also: Frank Capra, Charles Dickens

Comics: Spiegelman, Moebius

Also: Orson Welles, Virginia Woolf

In Games: Sid Meier, Steve Meretzky, Shigeru Miyamoto, Fumito Ueda

In Games: Will Wright, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Chris Crawford, Dani Bunten Berry

Gameplay Setting

Other Games

Other Fiction

Non-Fiction

Real Life

EASIEST

MOST TRUE

Eight Game Idea Rules

1. Use existing mechanics with a new setting2. “Borrow” mechanics from obscure games3. Don’t steal settings from games4. Research is important5. Get ideas from the documentary zeitgeist6. Obscure documentary sources are also great7. Real life is an ideal inspiration8. Have many and varied sources of inspiration

Gameplay Setting

Other Games

Other Fiction

Non-Fiction

Real Life

Questions?Slides available at: www.paranoidproductions.com

Contact: rr3@paranoidproductions.com

Hearty thanks to Dan Teasdale, Coray Seifert, Amin Razi, Rob Fulop, Greg Kramer, and the GDW