Everything is a remix...

Helleri

That isn't the title for a rant, don't worry. I recently watched a video series called 'Everything is a remix'. It is a 4 part series each video around 10 minutes long (the last one being about 15 minutes). Wherein the author of the series makes the argument that everything we see in entertainment is a re-combination of earlier content. wuith few and far in between exceptions.

[it's going to be a few more moments until I get to the MMO relevence of this, bare with me.]

 

He goes as far to argue the pioint that; For any invention or innovation to come about we must first copy and sample from what came before, combine it into something with aspects of the previous thing, then transform it into something new.

 

Being an avid MMO'er I can't help but see how this applies to one of the now largest forms of entertainment world wide (and I was a little disapointed that he had not directly adressed it in his series, but can't have it all).

 

If the author is to be believed, Then I would say we are in that copy cat stage (and have been for about 5-6 years). And with Games Like ArchAge comming out not too far down the road, and with games like tera having at least made a small attmept to do something a bit differrent.... I think by this guys reasoning we are coming to the end of the copying stage and going into the next stage of invention.

 

But, I have to wonder...if this guy is right (and he make a very good argument, imo). And, our first stage has lasted half a decade...then how long does the next stage last. Tjhis could  mean (although it is a terrifying thought) that we may have at least 5 more years until we start seeing truly unique content in MMO's

 

At this point (and through out this post) I would like to put to you all a question in 2 parts:

• Do you think the author is correct in general and that we can fairly apply this to our genre of entertainment? If so what stage are we in and how long do you think it will be before we start seing more original content emerge in our MMO's?

 

 

Now, he gets into the darkside of this when he starts talking about intellectual property rights, and how people have gotten downright nasty protecting them. A lot of MMO's copyright their conceptual material and the devices therein. But, this doesn't seem to be effective as many MMO's feature the same sort of content irregardless of international copyright laws.

 

Which begs the question (again in a few parts):

• Are we in the quite before the storm. When the new trans pacific treaties go into place, will we see MMO companies sueing the hell out of each other for copyright infringments? before we get to the point of new content are we going to first see a sort of MMO World War? If So, will waning MMO's with perhaps more original conent loose out to bigger new kids on the block due to being unable to fight them in court efficiently?

 

Finaly, the author seems to argue for the prevailence of social evolution over the overextended laws protecting intellectual property, an idealogical revolution of sorts. And, makes the claim (mostly by inference) that adaptive social law will always win out more fixed civil law.

 

 

Which makes me wonder:

• How much of the content in MMO's can we fairly say belongs to no one in specific (and in-so-much is public domain)? What sort of features are fair to re-use in MMO vs. what is flat out plagarism?

 

This is something that's been on my mind for a few days. And I finally decided, after arriving at various questions I find hard to answer,  to put it to our comnunity. Please, understand that the video series I linked to, while not directly pertaining to MMO's, is posted to be viewed through that lense. As I feel it is applicable, given that it adresses all forms of entertainment in general. While it is of course not nescessary to watch the series follow along or be a valuable contributor to this thread. This thread, is again, through the lense of that web series and it couldn't hurt to at least watch an episode or two (there is only 4 and it's really not that long especially if you skip credits and end of video remarks).