An Deeper Look Into IP Rights

There has been a lot of talk within the game industry regarding IP rights and if it is ok to directly copy a game's gameplay mechanics. Currently it is a moral dilemma versus legal. A company is that directly copies a game without innovating on it is considered evil. This year at the Game Developers Conference, famed game developer Ian Bogost was handing out "Don't copy my indie game bro" ribbons.  

As seen with the latest debacle, Tiny Towers vs Dream Heights, a games mechanics can be copied without concern of lawsuit. Currently, the rules are that a developer can take another games mechanics as long as they do not directly copy any of the assets within the game. The assets have to be original. What other IP rights are there? Take the jump to find some great lessons on IP Law, starting from the beginning. 

How the Vita Should Have Been Released

Later this month, February, Sony will be releasing a new mobile gaming device to the market, the PlayStation Vita. With sales of the Vita in Japan really low, one has to ask why Sony has not jumped on board with making a handheld console that is also a phone? Consumers have shown that they want this as the Mobile gaming market is going strong. Developers from major publishers to indie developers are also jumping board. "What about the Xperia Play", you may be thinking. Well, here's the thing. The Play was built with one major idea in mind, gaming. What have gamers wanted with their phones? Controls. However, reviews of the Xperia Play, like this one, say that the "gaming controls are unresponsive".

So the main goal of the Play failed horribly. How should a true gaming phone be made, announced and released then?

Resources for Game Development

Below are links to resources for the major disciplines in game development. Each one provides a unique community, resource, or tutorials to help you get started in game development.

Programmers -  Great communities and resources for coders:

http://www.gamedev.net/ - Good community for coders. 

http://create.msdn.com/en-US/ - Great resource for developing games and apps

https://www.dreamspark.com/ - A solid resource for students. Lots of free software here.

http://altdevblogaday.com/ 

reddit.com/r/gamedev
tigsource.com
ludumdare.com
http://projecteuler.net/
http://www.codechef.com/
http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~amitp/gameprog.html
http://www.3dkingdoms.com/weekly/weekly.php

Thanks to Kristopher Velez for more programming resources.

Artists - 3D to Concept:

http://www.cgsociety.org/ - Great for seeing how professionals from the movie and game industry make their art. Also a solid community.

http://www.game-artist.net/forums/ - An awesome community of developers and people who are learning how to be a 3d modeler. Great support.

http://forums.sijun.com/ - Wonderful community for 2D artists. 

http://www.polycount.com/forum/ - This community has great challenges for 3d modelers. Want to push yourself? Then compete against professionals.

http://cg.tutsplus.com/ - Great website for learning how to model. Pick up some neat tricks here.

Designer:

http://www.gametrailers.com/ - For the reviews. Why are the reviewers saying this?

http://penny-arcade.com/patv/show/extra-credits - Great website for designers

http://www.yoyogames.com/ - Game designers need to be able to build games and script at a minimum. Also, they have a great community of new developers here. http://sandbox.yoyogames.com/

Business - This is something that designers and the other disciplines need to watch. More for designers as games are starting to incorporate money making strategies as part of the gameplay.

http://penny-arcade.com/patv/show/extra-credits - Great website business people. Need to know what is going on in the design community. They also talk about core issues that are happening in the industry.

http://www.industrygamers.com/ - This site provides a solid business look to the game industry. A must read.

http://venturebeat.com/ - This site provides a look into which companies are being funded, by who, and their impact. Great for the all around business, but also has a site designated to games, "Gamesbeat".

Negotiations With Companies

Negotiations happen all the time in the entertainment industry. However most of them do not end with a fire fight, unless fought in game. (That would be amazing) To get a little more inside detail on how negotiations play out, I sat down and spoke with Will Stoneham about negotiations that he goes through on a daily basis. Will is the New Media Director at Hickory Grove Baptist Church where he works alongside contractors and companies to build apps, websites, and media. Make the jump to read our conversation.

Video Game Awards

Last night was the Video Game Awards, hosted by Spike TV. If the name does not give away what the show is about, it is an award show for video games. Although, one could argue it is more of a marketing show geared towards cars, CES Live 2012, and video games, they do cover the basics of awarding developers for making great games. Hit the jump to take a look at what categories the awards are missing and if they are doing the "Hall of Fame"right.

Questions for Being Producer

I have always been a fan of Extra Credits. If you are not familiar with this web series then you should spend the next few minutes watching some of their videos. Each video takes a deep look into the issues the plague the video game industry or things that you have not thought about. A few weeks ago they did one about being a video game producer. There are some great bits of information and even with my short time as a producer, I can vouch for it all. Below are some questions that should help you onto your path of being a producer.

Presentation Preperation

As a public speaker  I always look for great presentations to use as inspiration. One of my favorite places to visit for great presentations is TED Talks.  TED houses some of the worlds greatest minds who show how they are changing the world. One of my favorit presentations is by Benjamin Zander who talks about "On music and Passion", as seen to the left. Watch the video first and then let's take a look at what makes his presentation so engaging.