JairajDevadiga

Let’s make games open source, so future generations can enjoy them

https://lemmy.world/post/16776721

Let’s make games open source, so future generations can enjoy them - Lemmy.World

A lot of old games have become unplayable on modern hardware and operating systems. I wrote an article about how making games open source will keep them playable far into the future. I also discuss how making games open source could be beneficial to developers and companies. Feedback and constructive criticism are most welcome, and in keeping with the open source spirit, I will give you credit if I make any edits based on your feedback.

Jun 21, 2024 at 3:47pmWeb
Show threadpoVoqJun 21, 2024
Absolutely and with great game engines like Godot it has never been easier to make open-source games from scratch as well.
Show threadRageAgainstTheRichJun 21, 2024

I legit do not understand new devs picking unreal or unity instead of godot.

Is it because they think they can crank out a AAA level of graphics for their game?

Show threadPotatisenJun 21, 2024
What’s Godot?
Show threadZachariahJun 21, 2024
It’s what you’ve been waiting for.
Show threadnorthendtrooperJun 21, 2024
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godot_(game_engine)
Godot (game engine) - Wikipedia

Show threadrockSlayerJun 21, 2024
It’s an open source game engine comparable to unity. It’s governed by a foundation dedicated to maintaining it, so it has no risk of pulling a unity
Show threadOsaErisXeroJun 21, 2024
*little risk
Show threadstickyShiftJun 22, 2024

No risk. Godot is distributed under the MIT license. If the foundation does something shady, you’re free to clone the entire engine, name it “Frodot”, and continue to add features to your own version.

Exporting to other platforms like Xbox, Nintendo Switch depend on some additional infrastructure, so the same may not apply.

Show threadrockSlayerJun 21, 2024
Development is very much a “use what you know” type of field, especially at big game companies. Learning a new game engine is like learning a completely new programming language, often because you’re doing both. Every game engine has a scripting language, and very few use the same scripting language.
Show threadMajorHavocJun 21, 2024

I love this.

I like to build open source tribute games to my favorite forgotten games of the past.

Show threadwizardbeardJun 21, 2024
Like many people, I have aspirations of making games. One thing I’m planning on is some sort of charter or agreement (which I could hopefully automate somehow) that 5 years after the last update that the code would go open source. Some sort of attribution, no commercial use license or something.
Show threadjeinziJun 22, 2024

Great idea, that’s what I would probably do as well if I wanted to make a commercial game.

Just remember, if you want something to be “Open Source” or “Free Software”, the license can’t prohibit commercial use [0][1]. If you really want others to be able to continue maintaining the project after you have stopped, they need to have permission to recoup their costs for servers, physical copies and to get paid for their development time. (Open Source) development needs to be financially sustainable; and if that is forbidden for future developers, it’s not a community project anymore, i.e. not Open Source.

Also, if by “attribution, no commercial use” you mean some Creative Commons license, they explicitly discourage use of their licenses for software [3].

[0] opensource.org/osd [1] www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.en.html#selling [3] creativecommons.org/faq/#can-i-apply-a-creative-c…

The Open Source Definition - Open Source Initiative

Introduction Open source doesn’t just mean access to the source code. The distribution terms of open source software must comply with the following criteria: 1. Free Redistribution The license shall...

Open Source Initiative
Show threadMisterDJun 22, 2024

But what about the profits?

Isn’t this idea against the rules of acquisition?

/s

(Yes, I’m comparing businessmen to Star Trek’s Ferengi. There’s no difference in their behavior)

Show threadJairajDevadigaJun 22, 2024
Your joke, but developers can make profits with open source. The final part of the article deals with this issue.
Show threadwiki_meJun 22, 2024

Lets be realistic, companies won’t want to make it open source because they think it will lead to a loss of revenue (there is a mindset of “never work for free”). openttd basically led to loss of revenue because now that there is a open source version (even the assets got re-implemented) people that are playing that are not playing proprietary games (including the proprietary original version).

You might argue there is no significant loss, but i don’t think you can prove that especially to the people who own the companies which include pension fund managers who only care about the profits because if they will underperform people will go to some other pension fund or invest in other stuff like real estate.

A source available license is a more realistic option , You get the source code and permission to improve it but still have to pay something to run the game.

Show threadmoonpiedumplingsJun 27, 2024

You could do open source engine, proprietary assets. Like the original doom 1, 2, and 3. You can get the engine for free, but have to pay for the art assets.

…wikipedia.org/…/List_of_open-source_video_games#…

List of open-source video games - Wikipedia

Show threadChaisJun 27, 2024
Only if they still sell the assets.
I’m in favour of also dropping any copyright and intellectual property protections the moment a company stood selling the game. They evidently have no more commercial aspirations for the title, so it doesn’t need any protection from technically feasible copy protection circumvention methods.