I was thinking about something. The gaming world has become so large that it seems everything has been done. Whenever I get a new idea for a game it always ends up looking like something else and so it becomes that something else in the end.
So do you believe it's still possible to have an original game or are we forced to stick to the bases of which tradition has given us?
ID:265991
 Sep 15 2010, 2:21 am
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Yes, something that has never been done before. So that includes item types, monsters, terrains yada yada. At the moment we just see edits(basically) of the same stuff.
"Though, I believe the commercial shooters are becoming less original (using the latter definition)" Indeed, what's with all the men suits? Crysis, Halo, DeadSpace, Section 8. I tried to trace the origins of suit shooters (I call them). The most original suit shooter of all time was Doom 1. Although you only saw the suit in multiplayer or on dead bodies it was still the first ever suit shooter. I also had the idea to invent my own game type, like RTS RPG FPS TPS etc. Even after this I still can't think of anything brand spanking new. I mean anything with a projectile system is a shooter, there's that gone. Anything multiple controllable beings and there's an RTS. Gaining power and it's an RPG. | |
UAC Marine wrote:
I also had the idea to invent my own game type, like RTS RPG FPS TPS etc. Even after this I still can't think of anything brand spanking new. I mean anything with a projectile system is a shooter, there's that gone. Anything multiple controllable beings and there's an RTS. Gaining power and it's an RPG. While creating something completely unique, you can still use different aspects from different genres. Although, having a projectile system does not make your game a shooter, nor does controlling multiple persons make it an RTS. I would suggest focusing on making a game that is fun, instead of something completely new. If you enjoy playing the game you are creating, then you have already accomplished a lot. | |
That's a good way to think about it in terms of what the developer is getting out of it. I'm trying to look at this from a players perspective you know, what do they want? Is new really what they want? If so then how do I achieve this?
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Well, time to add to Garthor's counter of "How many times have I seen the simple word ORIGINAL typoed?!".
The answer is no, no game is original now. Any RPG is using elements from former RPG games thus making it not original, etc. In fact I purposely avoid games claiming to be original. | |
This same conversation could also be applied to movies. At some point every conceivable idea will have been used, its just a matter of combining different ideas and themes in new ways that haven't been done before, but any movie/idea takes something from previous ones. Its completely unavoidable.
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Originality isn't really a concern. I think the term you'd like to use is innovation.
The iPhone for example is not original, by any stretch of the imagination. It utilises the better part of our entire human history in tool-making, resource gathering, information exchange, bartering, design, electronics etc etc etc. But for the current market at least, it is (was?) innovative. It provided a few features that although had existed for some time, were executed in a way that made them more intuitive for users than previously, or just plain looked better. Bolt on the hype and suddenly you have "a revolution for smart phones" (lol). In gaming it's much the same. The Wii's motion controls? Not original at all, nice innovation though. The starting point for you is fairly simple, decide on your content of choice, have a look at what existing games with similar content are doing as far as user experience goes, and ask "What is wrong with this? Why is it wrong? Given why, how should it be?". These questions provide pure unadulterated designer fodder. If you've got a designer worth his salt, then at the end of that questioning and design process, you should have some innovation. Not necessarily earth-moving, or even innovation in a general gaming sense, but it'll be something that makes you stand out on BYOND. And when you have people play-test it you will know it's an innovation because the response you'll get on the feature is "That's kinda neat". That's all. | |
the response you'll get on the feature is "That's kinda neat". I generally have to settle for "You make weird games." ;) | |
Ah well, that's innovation in game concept for you. I'm sure in board game circles a lot of your titles would work well though.
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It all depends on what your definition of original is. Are you defining it as a completely new concept/game play that has never been touched? Or original as in creating a game based off of your/teams work and not someone else’s?
Either way, I believe it is still possible to accomplish. Though, I believe the commercial shooters are becoming less original (using the latter definition).