From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Infinite
Possibilities
Sent: Tuesday, August 22, 2000 2:44 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [Open_Gaming] "Open" Debate
<< Perhaps that is my problem. Perhaps I just am misunderstanding something.
If we
are part of the open gaming community, and closed content is not open. How
does
that help the open gaming community. >>
It helps the gaming community -- which is of more concern to me than is the
open subculture -- in at least six concrete ways that people have identified
in this discussion.
1. It allows higher quality game material to be produced with less effort.
2. It allows higher quality game material to be distributed as only the new
material, rather than having to include a lot of base material. Thus, page
counts and costs are kept down.
3. It allows higher quality game material to leverage existing, familiar
rules and thus keep the learning curve down for customers.
4. It lowers the effort required for adapting game material to particular
campaigns.
5. If done well, it brings in more customers, expanding the network in ways
that benefit everyone.
6. If done in compliance with the OGL, it spreads the name recognition for
quality OGC and the creators of same.
<< If I am part of the community, and I put out work that is used by a
company to
make money, and the company does not return anything to me, in the form of
open
content that I can use in return. How is that company contributing to the
open
gaming community, to me? >>
You clearly did not make your contribution expecting that this particular
company would somehow contribute back to you. You hoped that SOMEBODY would;
and somebody will. And honestly, your personal benefit or motivation is
probably the love of doing the work, which you get no matter what this
company does.
<< If people from other walks of life, who are going to have a hard time
with the
concept of giving ideas away anyway, see companies making money on all this
material and not contributing their own back to the community, driving them
away
from the idea. How is that going to help the open gaming community? >>
See above. More quality products and more gamers help the gaming community.
<< I will however stop using the "L" word
though, for civilities sake. :-) >>
And I will avoid the "T" word.
<< All right, list all the contributions that a person contributes to the
open
gaming community. Keep in mind that all this person is doing is taking other
peoples work, making money off of it, and then returning no open content in
return to the open community. >>
See above.
Martin
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For more information, please link to www.opengamingfoundation.org
