-----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 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQFHNIJ8letyW1YzdSERAoOpAJ4ry8qK7PL7KGYNs6qookK5KJZSnQCgorpD t7rf5/8L0wOOKB6MNG/Gqcg= =ymzJ -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- _______________________________________________ Discussion mailing list [email protected] https://mail.fsfeurope.org/mailman/listinfo/discussion
