-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1
Alex Hudson wrote:
Nobody bought Quake from id software on the expectation that they would GPL the game, but offering to free the game as part of the value proposition changes the equation. And that's why I don't really think it will work.
The other problem is, when do you release? Do you:
1. release immediately as proprietary software, release as GPL once the target is reached; 2. release as GPL once the target is reached.If you do 1., you're likely to never reach the target because the closer you get the more people will decide to hold off until the GPL release is made ...
I don't think game production at a scale and with the budgets of modern commercial games will ever be possible in a comprehensive GPL framework.
I rather think (along the lines of what Stallman said of the matter, years back), that we should consider a game as consisting of two things: Software, the engine that drives the gaming, and art - the artwork, music, world design, animation, gameplay and plot of the game.
The *software* should (or must, as Stallman would say) be free as in the four freedoms, but the art doesn't need to.
As a matter of fact, I think the commercial gaming industry would benefit tremendously from a number of free game engines. But the game as a whole would still be sold as a package you are allowed to run the game and modify, change and distribute the software - but not necesarily the artwork (the game's content) with it.
As far as I can see, it makes perfect sense. You still have to pay for the game and have to pay a license to redistribute it, but the payment for the redistribution license is for the game's *content*, not the software, which is free software.
This should be satisfactory frm a software freedom perspective and could coexist with the modern gaming industry - as well as with Creative Commons-licensed, Shareware and GPL versions of licensing of game contents as well.
best regards Carsten
- -- IT-Politik - http://www.modspil.dk/itpolitik IT og teknologi - http://www.modspil.dk/itogtech