Artistic Influences

There were a number of sayings, almost proverbs, that were taught in my undergrad theatre program. Most of them had more than one version: "Done is good." vs. "Good is good; done is better." There is one in particular I want to highlight today: "Give credit where credit is due, and steal like crazy." (The alternate form is "Good artists borrow; great artists steal." But that leaves out an important step.)

Let's break down this instruction.

"Give credit where credit is due." Simply put, don't plagiarize. If an element of your game design was inspired by another game and remains significantly similar in the final product, say so. Give credit. You should give credit to your influences in the rulebook even if you think no one else will notice. If the element is a significant part/chunk of the game and is distinctly similar, you should reach out to the original designer and discuss how to give appropriate credit, up to listing them as a co-designer. We operate on the assumption that mechanics can't be copyrighted, but plagiarism is more of an ethical issue than a legal one. So, be ethical and err on the side of giving credit. 

A note: self-plagiarism is a thing. If you are being paid to create a new thing, but instead copy a thing you made for someone else, that's a form of plagiarism. Be upfront with publishers, etc about any other versions of your work that are (or have been) made available to the public. For example, if you put up a game on itch.io and that game gets signed by a publisher, you need to mention that it's available online and offer to take it down. Even if the rules have been tweaked and the publisher re-themed it. Plagiarism is a question of honesty. 

"Steal like crazy." All art is influenced by other art; no art is created in a vacuum. Playing a lot of games is going to change how you design games. Building on existing ideas can save time, especially at the early stages of design. Designing using existing mechanics can make you a better designer as you learn what makes those mechanics tick. If you are taking ideas from enough places, you will likely end up with a collage of concepts that is uniquely your own work. Still give credit. But don't be afraid to be influenced by great games. And don't feel like you have to reinvent the wheel every time you sit down to design. 

I see a lot of new designers struggling with how to address the fact that their games are similar to other games. I am not suggesting that publishing a clone of another game, even with proper attribution, is appropriate. Your game should offer something unique to players. But you don't have to invent all new mechanics in order to do that. And when you inevitably borrow from another design, give credit.