[casual_games] Gameplay patents

[Chris Dillman]

>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?


You know I would love to think that would happen.
More innovation...

Instead reality sets in and what I see looking back software patent 
history are things like people patenting chase cameras.

Do you really want to have to pay patent fee just to ship a basic 3d game?
Forget about even getting to the innovative part of things.

If that made sense....

/me needs coffee.

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