[casual_games] RE: Copycats -- What Can Be Done?

[Christopher Natsuume]

One thing I'd like to mention is that in my experience, 90% of the challenge
in making casual games is in the details and implementation. The "clones"
that do well are usually beautifully implemented and well balanced - showing
a great deal of skill on the part of developers. 

There are some truly well made games that took their basic gameplay from
innovators like Bejeweled or Betty's Beer Bar, but added professional work
and effort to make them something truly different and polished. For those
people, I have nothing but respect. They did their jobs well, and earned
their success. And the people who just slapped something together to copy a
game - look in the top 10 lists - they simply aren't there. The market knows
and adjusts.

Game development is rarely about the single creative idea. Everyone I meet
has a great idea for a video game (and a novel, and a movie...) What makes
great authors, directors, and game developers is the ability to take that
idea and make something with it.

Cn



-----Original Message-----
From: Adam Martin [mailto:adam at mindcandydesign.com] 
Sent: Friday, July 21, 2006 1:58 AM
To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List
Subject: Re: [casual_games] RE: Copycats -- What Can Be Done?

Daniel Kinney wrote:

> On 7/20/06, *johns at worldwinner.com <mailto:johns at worldwinner.com>* 
> <johns at worldwinner.com <mailto:johns at worldwinner.com>> wrote:
> 
>     i think the 'industry' is what makes money the primary consideration.
or
>     maybe i am just hopelessly cynical [experienced] ... 
> 
> 
> Repeatedly farm without replenishing nourishment and it will become a 
> barren wasteland, profitable for no one.

Making money doesn't imply only chasing the lowest-risk buck - it's 
about balancing many things, and not being too precious about any of them.

Separately, I don't think it's fair to characterise this as a debate 
between anti-artistic, selfish taking (making clones for money) and 
long-termist creatives (never cloning). If a clone is not creatively 
done, it's generally going to do poorly - it's not easy fighting an 
incumbent successful product with one that lacks USPs.

Unless, of course, the incumbent is not handling their business side 
particularly well - in which case, more power to the newcomers, if they 
do things better. That's how our society works at the moment, the 
stronger (albeit smaller, and building on what their predecessors 
already invented) businesses regularly supplanting the weaker (albeit 
dominant / original) ones.

-- 
Adam Martin
CTO, Mind Candy Ltd

tel: 0207 501 1904 - fax: 0207 501 1919
www.perplexcity.com - www.mindcandydesign.com
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