Game Development Community

Should we be scared?

by kbilly · in General Discussion · 05/30/2008 (8:42 am) · 1 replies

I was just looking into doing a Torque game that would be an enhanced original digital board game.
I decided to look into what was currently being done in this genre.
A quick Google came up with this page which seems to be trying to patent a method of play.

This may sound stupid, but is this something a casual games developer should be aware of?
Or is this just some idiot trying to patent something they really can't?

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6135451/description.html

SLY.
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Torque 3D Owner kbilly

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    Torque Owner Brian Wilson
    #1
    05/30/2008 (9:05 am)
    IANAL, but... from what I see in the patent, it looks like they are specifically trying to patent the use of boardgame mechanics as a teaching method for computer programming to children... all the other broad sweeping components of the patent hold likely no ground at all.

    As far as a sweeping patent to claim ownership of the concept of boardgames on a computer... Monopoly on the C-64 pre-dates that patent by about 15 years... and I'm sure there are much earlier examples than that, including checkers/chess on some of the earliest systems. So I wouldn't worry...