Protecting my game idea

#1 Ideas cannot be protected by copyright. The good news is, it isn't worth the bother. Everybody and their brother (and possibly their dog too) have lots of ideas for great games, and they aren't worth a plug nickel. Plus, everyone wants to work on their own idea, not yours, so that's another reason not to worry.
The fact is, that without an implementation, an idea is worthless. So have fun discussing them all day long.

#2 I'd like to tell you about what i think about copyrighting ideas.....

But that's my idea.. and that's secret and copyrighted.

#3 This question comes up about once every month or two.

There is one established method for protecting your idea: Don't tell anybody about it.

Unfortunately, it's only about 2% effective --- it's amazing how many people have had the same idea.

#4 The only way to protect an Idea is not to tell anybody - I learnt this the hard way. I have a Friend who, if I tell any idea to, will go off and copy it, and sometimes even make money (hundreds of dollars) off it.

Now I never speak to him - EVER - and keep all my ideas under wrap.

#5 It seems evident that even completed games cannot be protected. Only the names/branding of the game can be protected.

Game play can be identically copied and no one cares. Graphics and sound can be closely replicated without a problem as well. So I'd just keep your idea under raps until you're getting ready to launch.

#6 I wouldn't call it 'protecting' an idea. Really, it is 'securing' an idea. But, anyway. I don't like the idea that people could protect an idea. For at least a million reasons. But for one reason in particular: look at how many ideas come thru just this community that never go anywhere. Anybody can have an idea. Most have unlimited ideas. And most never do anything with them. What a waste it would be if they could protect them from other people doing anything with them.

#7 Considering the supposed wealth of original ideas out there in the world, it's staggering how many games we see, even in the indy space, that are just slight variations of older ideas.

The situation speaks, quite loudly, to the difference in value between ideas and implementation.

#8 The best thing that you can do with your idea is to develop it, prototype it, polish it, and then copyright the game itself. The game can be copyrighted, but the idea cannot be. As to protecting it, only work with people that you know and trust or have a very good reason to want to work with. Finding those people can initially seem difficult, but that is mostly because people are scared that their ideas will be stolen. Ideas don't really get stolen so much as rehashed.

#9 Thank you all for your input. This issue is a hard one for me and some others i suspect. Im sure it comes up quite often, but after looking at forums for a while i didnt see a thread.

It really kills me that so many new games are rehashing the old ideas. I have what i believe are some new ideas, but being out of the buisness makes presenting them to anyone IN the buisness a scary idea. Ie: they may be in better position to execute my ideas and do it without me.

I will continue to read these responses and meditate on the thoughts presented.

#10 Experimental Gameplay - some apparently new ideas

Quote:It really kills me that so many new games are rehashing the old ideas. I have what i believe are some new ideas, but being out of the buisness makes presenting them to anyone IN the buisness a scary idea. Ie: they may be in better position to execute my ideas and do it without me.

The reason for this is economics, NOT creativity.

What does the game industry have against innovation?

One great quote from the article:

Quote:"Inovation's dead," Pachter laments. "Dying. Every once in a while, somebody will slip something in that will shock us, but for the most part there's no money in innovation, even if it's great."

This is true in indie games as well as the big commercial AAA games. Innovation and originality is RARELY rewarded in the marketplace. Its often blasted by critics for not adhering to standards set by other games. If you are wanting to make a business out of game development, you have to pick your battles CAREFULLY.

This isn't saying you shouldn't innovate or even that you shouldn't come out with wild, hairy, completely new game ideas that haven't ever been seen before. Far from it. Especially as an indie --- our costs and risks should be low enough that we can afford to take occasional excursions where angels - and big publishers - fear to tread.

I kinda worked up some thoughts on this recently in an article at Tales of the Rampant Coyote, though the model I presented was outdated and was a description of one publishers strategy for coming out with new properties more than totally new game concepts. But its good for thought.

My partial solution to your problem, and the problem of lack of originality in game development, is two words:

RAPID PROTOTYPING

Look at what's being done at that Experimental Gameplay area. Look at what's been done in the "Game in a Day" and "Game In A Week" exercises. If you've got a fun, new idea... MAKE IT. Quickly. Learn enough programming and art skills and modeling skills to turn your dream into reality, even as sloppy and rough as it might be. THEN when you have something playable, you can evaluate it, hone it, clean it up, polish it, and improve upon it.

Then there's no need to reveal your super-cool million-dollar idea to ANYONE until it's already a product-in-embryo and you need some skilled talent to assist you in moving it from a prototype to something that'll take the world by storm. Or at least earn you a few bucks.

#11 @David that is my issue I am scared as heck to ask anyone to help me with my idea becuase I think they will steal it. I was going to ask you to help me out but then I clicked your name and saw that devious look in your eye :D

#12 Heh. I can be devious. I nearly became a pirate two weekends ago when my left eye lost a fight with a decorative arrow. The black eye is nearly gone!