Creative Plagiarism How to make a new game based on an old game Scott Kim, Shufflebrain Casual Games Conference Jul 19, 2005

Creative Plagiarism

How to make a new gamebased on an old game

Scott Kim, ShufflebrainCasual Games Conference • Jul 19, 2005

We all steal

• Tetris Columns, Puyo Puyo• Bejeweled Jewel Quest, Big

Kahuna• Makigame Collapse, Poppit• Diner Dash Wild West Wendy

• PITCHING: Easy sell• MARKETING: Built-in audience• PRODUCTION: Re-use assets• GAME DESIGN: Proven play pattern

And for good reason

It’s nothing to be ashamed of

Immature poets imitate;

mature poets steal.

T. S. Eliot

It’s nothing to be ashamed of

The old guys stole allour best ideas.

Frederick Goudy

The challenge is to do it well

1. SEQUEL TO HIT GAME

2. ADAPT TO NEW MEDIUM

3. INSPIRE NEW IDEA

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.



From my experience designing puzzles

PRINT TOYS

MOBILEPC/CONSOLE WEB DOWNLOADABLE



1.SEQUELS

(and clones)







MOVIES:Spiderman II

PC GAMES:Sims II

CASUAL GAMES:Bejeweled II

Common in all media

• WORSE: Matrix Reloaded• BETTER: Toy Story II• SERIES: Harry Potter

Issue: how to extend the original

Ask yourself

What do you lose?

What do you keep?

What do you add?

OR

IGIN

AL

SE

QU

EL

Shrek II

Lose plot point: Fiona’s secret

Keep theme: be true to self

Add character: Puss in Boots

OR

IGIN

AL

SE

QU

EL

Bejeweled II

Lose nothing

Keep play mechanic

Add play modes, rewards

OR

IGIN

AL

SE

QU

EL

• Change look: Sweet Tooth, Nisqually…

1. Change something


• Change goal: Jewel Quest

Goal: turn board gold

1. Change something


• Change goal: Jewel Quest• Add modes: Action, Puzzle,

Endless

1. Change something


• Change goal: Jewel Quest• Add modes: Bejeweled II, Tetris• Change rewards: Bejeweled II



3 in a row = clear

4 in a row = bomb

5 in a row = hypercube

1. Change something

2. Fix what’s wrong

• Inconsistent rotation unified


• Inconsistent rotation unified • Exhausting 3-minute sprint


• Inconsistent rotation unified • Exhausing 3-minute sprint• Single-player Tetris Battle


• Inconsistent rotation unified • Exhausing 3-minute sprint• Single-player Tetris Battle• No cascades Tetris Cascade

3. Balance complexity


• Larger board: 7x7 grid


• Larger board: 7x7 grid• New piece: 2x2 square


• Larger board: 7x7 grid• New piece: 2x2 square• Alternate exits


• Larger board: 7x7 grid• New piece: 2x2 square• Alternate exits• Train theme

2. ADAPTATIONS

• BOOK MOVIE: Harry Potter• MOVIE GAME: Spiderman• WEB MOBILE: Bejeweled

Across media, across platforms

• BAD: Rubik on PC, Final Fantasy movie

• GOOD: Lord of the Rings movies• NATURAL: Tetris mobile

Issue: how to adapt faithfully

Three rules of adaptation

1. Avoid what’s hard

2. Keep what’s essential

3. Add what’s possible

ME

DIU

M 1

ME

DIU

M 2

Book vs. Movie

Avoid inner thoughts

Keep character, plot, setting

Add visceral action

BO

OK

MO

VIE

Web vs. Mobile

Avoid big screen, mouse

Keep play mechanic

Add online element

WE

B

MO

BIL

E

Rule 1. Avoid what’s hard

Tangrams (Juniornet.com): physical web


are needed to see this picture.QuickTime™ and a

TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressorare needed to see this picture.



Avoid 3D

Driv3r (Atari/Glu): console mobile

Don’t always have to avoid

Zuma (Popcap/Glu): web mobile

Dell Crossword (Blue Lava): print mobile

If you can’t avoid it, innovate







Rule 2. Keep what’s essential

Final Fantasy (Square Enix): PS2 mobile

Top Gun (Mforma): movie mobile

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressorare needed to see this picture.QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressorare needed to see this picture.QuickTime™ and a

TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressorare needed to see this picture.

Keep action

Keep mental experience

Tangrams in Discover: physical print

Rule 3. Add what’s possible

• What is unique to the medium?• How can that add to the game?• Experiment and see where that

leads!

Add authoring

Tangrams on Juniornet.com

Puzzle Inlay (Gamehouse)

Add scoring & error recovery



Add bells and whistles

• Convenient access• Improved interface• Undo• Levels of difficulty• Interactive tutorials• Automated opponent• Algorithmically-generated

puzzles • Sound and graphics



4. Design for the medium

You Don’t Know Jack

4. Design for the medium

Daily Puzzle (Glu Mobile)

3. INNOVATION

Take poetic license

• Romeo & Juliet West Side Story

• Seeds with thorns Velcro

Three rules of innovation

1. Look wide

2. Break assumptions

3. Dig deep

1. Look wide

1. Look wide

Tetris was inspired by pentominoes

2. Break assumptions

Make it 2d

3. Dig deep

• Rubik’s cube is a permutation puzzle

• Like a 2D sliding block puzzle

3. Dig deep

• Multiple pieces move at the same time.

3. Dig deep

2D equivalent of rotation

3. Dig deep

COGITO• 2D puzzle• Slide row/column• With wraparound• Fill 9 center

squares• 100 levels

3. Dig deep

• Keep core idea: simultaneous motion

• Change everything else• Just 2 simultaneously moving

objects

Double Maze

• Move both balls onto both stars at the same time

http://www.shufflebrain.com/doublemaze.html

http://www.shufflebrain.com/doublemaze.html

CONCLUSIONS

1. SEQUEL• Change something• Fix what’s wrong• Balance complexity

2. ADAPTATION

• Avoid what’s hard• Keep what’s essential• Add what’s possible• Design for the medium

3. INNOVATION

• Look wide• Break assumptions• Dig deep

Scott Kim, Shufflebrainscottkim.com

Documents

Creative Plagiarism How to make a new game based on an old game Scott Kim, Shufflebrain Casual Games Conference Jul 19, 2005