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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. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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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: [email protected]
Hearty thanks to Dan Teasdale, Coray Seifert, Amin Razi, Rob Fulop, Greg Kramer, and the GDW
