FOSS Gaming
From Google Summer of Code Mentor Wiki
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[edit] Overview
There are two main aspects of how open source relates to the video game industry. The use of FOSS tools and libraries in the commercial game industry, and the fully open source games.
[edit] Open source tools in commercial games
The main question is "Why doesn't the commercial games industry embrace FOSS tools?" The answer is varied. Some do, some don't. Many game houses may fear the levels of control that FOSS may give the end user over the game experience, but some may revel in it.
[edit] Examples of FOSS helping commercial games
The example of Blizzard using lua for UI scripting for WoW is popular. It's use has allowed the community to extend the commercial game and create a very open source style community surrounding it. The benefit to the players is that they can get modifications to the UI of the game to make it more playable, and Blizzard gets a free R&D dept for UI changes they can eventually integrate. The flip side is that significant time was spent on initial development to ensure that the scripting system could not be used to change the core game mechanic that the game designers wanted.
[edit] Open Source Games
[edit] Independent film not Hollywood
The comparison to the film industry was made for open source games, where they seem to be/ should be treated more like independent film rather then a "Triple A" blockbuster film.
It was discussed that the common "patches welcome" development cycle may not work for game projects,as they need to be managed like a normal commercial game, just as independent films still are run like a normal production, ie. still have game designers, and team leads who are responsible for the "look and feel" of the game
[edit] Tools
The large number of FOSS tools has made it very easy to build game systems (ogre, crystal space, raknet, etc). This can make it easier to make good games with less people in this day in age.
[edit] Content
Content management and acquisition is also a large concern and was covered in the next session.
