Stealing Game Mechanics - Board Game Design Time

In this episode of Board Game Design Time, Chris talks about the idea of "stealing" mechanics from games? What do you think?

[LegoLoverDavid]

Stealing from one source is plagiarism. Stealing from multiple sources is research.

[ddobrien]

Re-watching this because I remember it was reassuring to me to be "very inspired" by an existing mechanism/element.

BTW, I like to call it a "yoink" when I get a great idea form a game I've played.

[JonBck]

I think this ties back to the idea of gameplay design patterns, by Björk and Holopainen. A lot of game mechanics can be described in a semi-generic way, and not tied to an individual game. This becomes quite obvious in older mechanics such as roll-and-move, where we no longer knows who invented it. In that case it's quite obvious you can use it, but it becomes a bit more problematic in more modern mechanick, such as eg card drafting, where we actually knows where it started. But in a way it is the same, in a hundred year those mechanics will also be okd and common knowledge.

"Transform" is the word you're looking for! :) Kirby Ferguson has a realy cool mini series on creativity and how our thoughts are influenced by existing material. It's called Everything Is A Remix.

[geckoplays]

Bummer, was hoping the talk was about "stealing mechanics" like the captain from Coup and all that :P

[marialindqvist]

could argue that _stealing_ removes something from someone.

[anthonywmiller]

“All wisdom is plagiarism; only stupidiy is original.”


― Hugh Kerr

[neilgooge]

I couldn't agree more... when I first came to game design I tried so hard to not copy any other games mechanics, to be so original... that three years in I hadn't finished a game.

Now... I still haven't finished a game, but, I am a lot closer to finished games now that I don't worry about creating the ground breaking, most innovative games and mechanics ever.

So much of what we consider to be originality comes from, as you mention, the way people combine what has come before in to something new. Of course, at times, people do come up with some new ground breaking never before seen approach to something. But even some of those games considered to be ground breaking or innovative, are just innovative combinations of ideas from other places...

Great vid as always...

[atherisentertainment]

Great video! Thanks for sharing :) This is true. So many people are fearful about borrowing mechanisms that currently exist. Though, it is possible and common to make a mechanism one's own.

[SuLLyZorZ]

stealing mechanics is literally all i do for games i make. I find something cool a game uses, and implement it in a way i feel is better for a diffferent game from the one it's in.

[JovinGhoul]

It's far easier to make a good idea amazing, than it is to have a good idea

[Kendosmemeshop]

This video gave me so much confidence. I'm in the initial design phase of my first board game. I was inspired by a few games I've played in the last couple years. I really enjoyed them and they had some similarities, but all of them had a level of frustration that could take me out of the experience. I wanted to use similar mechanics while changing it to be my own, but I felt like I was cheating for not being 100% original. But now hearing you and the people in the comments, I don't feel so bad. I can improve an already existing mechanic and make it my own. It's inspiration, not theft. Thank you for this.

[tomkent]

There's nothing new under the Sun.

[kevinqueen]

Things have changed, monopoly use to sue anyone who even made a board game, one of the reasons they are the leader in the market in sells. Times have changed though, Hasbro has been far less open to suing I think because they have so much of the market today. Its really what's allowed the board game market to explode. I've just decided to get back into game design because of this have some great things planned

[laartwork]

It was a weird ruling (i think pac man) that a game mechanic can't be protected. But can you imagine how few games would exist if everyone had to be original.

[saluk]

This was a great series. I'm in the middle of a design challenge of my own and nearly every video has given me a new perspective on it. I wish there were more episodes!

[richarddunn]

In no case does copyright protection for an original work of authorship extend to any idea, procedure, process, system, method of operation, concept, principle, or discovery, regardless of the form in which it is described, explained, illustrated, or embodied in such work.

[kainuipenaloza]

I can see in the backround, YOU PLAY D&D!!! :D

[ko]

Interesting and inspiring topic, wishing there were more of these! Btw, I think trepidatious was the perfect word 😉

[Jimmyageek]

I m Creating a Turn Base Attack System in My Fablelock RPG Board Game