[casual_games] more cloning debate

[Adam Martin]

Andy Makely wrote:

> There is a statement over at Bizarre Creations' website about why they 
> are taking action against developers who are cloning Geometry Wars.  
> They make many valid points about gameplay and intellectual property.
> 
> * *http://www.bizarrecreations.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=219347
> 

The general thrust seems fine, but then they go and ruin it by giving in 
to the temptation to write:

"One often repeated comment is that Geometry Wars is merely itself a 
clone of Robotron. The only real similarity between the two games is the 
'two stick' control method - and a control method alone makes neither a 
game nor a brand.
...
The game was created as an entirely original product, and as a package, 
bears no relevant similarity to any pre-existing title."

Personally I find that disengenuous. I've even written a game *myself* 
that was similar, much closer to GW than to robotron, and predated GW by 
years. I know many other people have too over the years.

I think there are valid reasons for them to protest what's going on; 
artificially creating a claim of ownership of core gameplay idea is not 
one of them. Claiming that no clones predated GW with similar visuals 
and/or gameplay ditto.

I don't see why they can't just stick to the tried and tested "look, we 
copied everyone else, but just pulled it off better: slicker, smoother, 
neater.", along with "if it's really 'passing off' [as claimed in the 
post itself], then it's illegal, and we'll send off a solicitor's letter".

Unless, of course:

   They can't afford / didn't bother until too late to port to other 
platforms (isn't that one of the cardinal lessons drummed into indies 
these days? They should have spotted it)...and now other people are 
doing to them what they did to others - servicing a market with a decent 
product - and they're trying to claw back some of what they should have 
taken for themselves.

YMMV, of course...

Yours, just-another-random-commentator,
Adam