"What came first?" is an age old question that will be debated in many contexts until the end of human history.
In gaming, there are many examples of this argument; one such that comes to mind is in the world of hero shooters. Did Overwatch rip off of Paladins? Is Valorant just a product of its predecessors? When does the line between inspiration and mimicry become blurred?
Is it currently possible for a game to be truly original, or is the industry doomed to recycle characters, concepts and tropes with new coats of paint? Are we bound to work within the limits of the brain’s comprehension and universal appeal?
I have my own thoughts on this, but I would love to read someone else’s!
This topic falls into the broader debate of originality in arts, which will need to be analyzed first before entering the gaming world. It’s been said that original ideas when narrating stories have been exhausted long time ago. But I wouldn’t go too far as to say we are “doomed to recycle characters” or apply “new coats of paint.” Besides the background, we don’t have to forget the form… – T. Palomino2 years ago