[casual_games] Gameplay patents

[Tom Hubina]

I'm not advocating this (yet) but it's something that I've been chewing on
since I posted my question about PopCap yesterday.
 
Why not patent gameplay? If someone had patented Match-3 for casual,
wouldn't the space be better off? Do we really need 300 variants on that
theme? Wouldn't it be great if the inability to make another match-3 variant
was removed - and that caused people to think about other games to make
instead of ripping off the "proven" way? Wouldn't we end up with a greater
variation in games on the portals, less dilution of brands, and a much more
healthy industry?
 
Tom


  _____  

From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org]
On Behalf Of Alex Amsel
Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2007 1:44 PM
To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List
Subject: Re: [casual_games] Gameplay patents


There is some confusion as to what is being patented here. John is being
careful not to refer to gameplay itself, but to software algorithms ("black
box"). With care, these can be worthwhile to patent, although there is
always the issue of defending them.

John Viguerie wrote: 

At the end of the day its ink on paper.



The submission I mentioned is for software algorithms

and innovative data structures that are the

underpinning of the gameplay - not the gampelay or the

game itself - an important distinction...  It may not

even be new, but the application of it likely is or at

least seems to be after a yoeman investigation.



Anything typically used in sw engineering specs like

Visio, CASE tools, DFDs(data flow diagram, showing my

age), etc. is appropriate.



In this case I used Open Office-ODP (ironically,  a

powerpoint knockoff!): arrows, boxes, data structure

representations, jpg, gif, etc.



Most of all what's required that's sorely lacking...

DISCIPLINE.  To take the time and effort to completely

think through and document an innovation and the

technology landscape into which it applies.  Its

always more fun to just jam code.



Do as much as you can, read your own stuff as if

you're seeing it for the first time, when your idea

seems like its been dumbed down such that a

two-year-old can understand it, seek advice.



Patent-hating for philosophical reasons is just

irresponsible.  But then again there are many

successful properties and personal fortunes built on

ip theft.  In the RIAA/MPAA major media world its been

pretty cut-and-dried until only the last few years.



Now we have the "Danger Mouse" and "YouTube" models...

if you've got enough VC cash to finance the safe

harbor model, pay for the bandwidth while the wide

world seeds your site with misappropriated copyrighted

material, OR your game is so hot that the copyright

owners are inclined to JOIN instead of SUE, you just

might get there and become a billionaire... no patents

required.



A patent is simply a risk-mitigation tool, nothing

more.



































--- Audry Taylor  <mailto:talshannon at hotmail.com> <talshannon at hotmail.com>
wrote:



  

I just dropped off a sixty-one page game technical

design document to my patent attorney yesterday -

      

not

    

a single line of code - not a single pixel or

      

vector

    

or even a formal graphic design treatment has been

performed... yet.

      

What's the best resource for finding out how to

prepare a game design 

document for patent?  Does any website or book offer

up a sample document 

that covers what sort of information needs to be

included?





    

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-- 



Alex Amsel

Tuna Technologies Ltd (Sheffield, UK)

Cross Platform Game Development

Tel: +44 (0)114 266 2211  Mob: +44(0)7771 524 632

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