Gaming, Innovating, Imitating, and Cloning Considered

Sometimes it seems that many video games, although they have different graphics, tend to have the same feel as you play. There is a very good reason for this, and perhaps, it comes from the human ability to imitate, and copy - it's innate, but does that make it okay? Ah, do I hear more controversy in the gaming community? Surely, I jest. Some rather innovative gaming programmers are miffed as others nix their creative abilities and copy their games. How bad is it, whom does it hurt, and why are such open-source advocates now angry at the borrowing of gaming themes and styles of play?

Indeed there was terrific article not too long ago in the Los Angeles Times titled "Game Developers Fight a Cloning War - Some Creators Feel Cheated By Alleged Idea Theft, But Others Think Cloning Can Be Good for Gaming" by Jamin Brophy-Warren, which was published on April 18, 2011. The article discusses the challenges of proprietary themes and concepts in video, internet, and computer gaming along with the proverbial quote; "Imitation is the highest form of flattery" motif.

Question is; when does outright copying of a computer game idea violate patent laws, or proprietary source? Further, I ask; is it illegal, in poor taste, or just unethical to make such copies, and when genres are copied in the movies, books, literature, and computer games who wins, and who really loses?

If there is a market for games of certain genres, styles, and scenarios then surely gaming programmers will come to the gamer's, and consumer's rescue right? I mean if there is money out there and folks desire certain types of games, you can bet gaming entrepreneurs will fulfill those wants and needs - that's how it works in the market place and the gaming sector and computer game industry is surely no different.

Consider if you will the counter argument to the gaming programmers who get pissed-off that others are basically copying their ideas, and merely changing the graphics. What If - no one was allowed to copy a given genre in literature, novels, or movies? There would be only one Western Movie, one Romance Novel, one Science Fiction Novel with aliens, etc. Would that really be fair to the public, who wants to be entertained with money in hand?

And to that point of contention, what about the Movie "Tron" and its central theme, namely; "power to users" - would the industry really be served if no other companies copied the standard genres or the future sub-genres? After all, people loved the movie Matrix, and that entire branch of Sci Fi mixed with philosophy. Many computer games are now based on similar themes, so they too copied a Movie Genre. Now the computer gamer programmers are angry that folks are copying their style, or various version of play, should they be?

After all the more others copy them, the more gamers buy games in that genre or using those styles, which makes it that much more powerful and therefore, more money for those who produce new games, and more sales for the old ones too, longer shelf life of active sales. See that point? I knew you would.