The Medium - Gameplay Patents discussion

DrDamn

So was looking at this game which we should see more of in the XBox show later

https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/p/the-medium/9nfsr96g6k4n?activetab=pivot:overviewtab

Looks nice, interesting ideas. I then discovered that they had patented some of the gameplay mechanics …

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2018/0207524.html

Which I found more than a little worrying. Given patent offices lack of understanding of a lot of computing stuff the ability for them to grant patents on gameplay or even the very idea of gameplay patents just doesn’t sit well with me. Is this commonplace but I’ve just not noticed it before?

Alex

It’s definitely happened before, for years the concept of a ghost car in racing games was under patent and couldn’t be used without a license. That expired a few years ago which is why you now see them in every game. It’s rare but it does happen.

Gammerz

Reminds me of Silent Hill.

I really liked the Silent Hill 1 (SH2 was more of the same; bigger not better) dual reality, though it wasn’t simultaneous as in Medium. I particularly liked the contrast between the nice settings in the normal world and the decaying Nightmare World, as well as locations being inaccessible in one and accessible in the other, piquing curiosity.

And meeting Lisa Garland nurse scene!

And her death!

BritishBean

Gammerz yeah it was a bit Stranger Things in that regard but with added horror.