ubuntu-gaming team mailing list archive

[Carsten Agger <agger@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, May 06, 2010 at 06:31:14PM +0400, Ryan Swart wrote:
> The game is still commercial, you pay monthly fees in order to access the
> game-server. The code (server and client) is free to download from the
> repository though, you just won't be able to access the "world".
> 

That also makes perfect sense from the usual free software business
model: Participation in the game is a service you pay for, in terms of
access to the company's database and use of their servers.

The code can still be free, but you must set up your own server to use
it. The Affero GPL is really great for that.

As for the selling of games in general, Stallman once suggested
separating the code and the artwork. Software should always be free, but
artwork doesn't have to. So the gaming engine could be free software
(and if all gaming engines were, that would be a HUGE advantage to the
gaming industry because it would make them focus their efforts on a few,
standardized engines and give them more space to actually design games).

While the engine and its code were available for download, the
implementation - the artwork, gameplay, plot and music - would still be
illegal to copy or distribute without permission, so games could still
be made and sold.

--
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