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<blockquote data-quote="JohnRTroy" data-source="post: 4693049" data-attributes="member: 2732"><p>The problem with the ecosystem analogy is that it misses the greater view of the gaming culture.</p><p></p><p>Before the OGL we had a lot of games out there. D&D was popular but you had World of Darkness, Gurps, Runequest, Deadlands, Big Eyes Small Mouth, and a wealth of others.</p><p></p><p>Since the release of the OGL occurred, while new companies formed, they focused on various variations of D&D, even if removed such as Spycraft and M&M. This has weakened a lot of the other alternatives. GURPS used to publish a lot more, for instance, before this d20 explosion. While we can argue these alternatives are still around they lost significant market share, and some alternatives went under.</p><p></p><p>I can't accept the OGL helped "create an ecosystem". It hurt the existing ecosystem. Now, you already have sort of a monoculture of d20 derived game systems. It leads to less variety. I can't believe people look at various derivations of D&D as being "good" for the overall industry. Right now we have what I call the "Irish Potato Famine" syndrome. You all have a game system that has been weakened. The brand new edition of D&D shows just how weak this has made the so-called ecosystem--everybody was eating and planting that one plant, while letting the others wither.</p><p></p><p>A healthy industry should have loads of alternatives. Gaming is not something we need to have ISO or IEEE standards for. We should have dozens of healthy alternatives to D&D. True innovation comes from thinking outside the box, not in the same d20 rule-set.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="JohnRTroy, post: 4693049, member: 2732"] The problem with the ecosystem analogy is that it misses the greater view of the gaming culture. Before the OGL we had a lot of games out there. D&D was popular but you had World of Darkness, Gurps, Runequest, Deadlands, Big Eyes Small Mouth, and a wealth of others. Since the release of the OGL occurred, while new companies formed, they focused on various variations of D&D, even if removed such as Spycraft and M&M. This has weakened a lot of the other alternatives. GURPS used to publish a lot more, for instance, before this d20 explosion. While we can argue these alternatives are still around they lost significant market share, and some alternatives went under. I can't accept the OGL helped "create an ecosystem". It hurt the existing ecosystem. Now, you already have sort of a monoculture of d20 derived game systems. It leads to less variety. I can't believe people look at various derivations of D&D as being "good" for the overall industry. Right now we have what I call the "Irish Potato Famine" syndrome. You all have a game system that has been weakened. The brand new edition of D&D shows just how weak this has made the so-called ecosystem--everybody was eating and planting that one plant, while letting the others wither. A healthy industry should have loads of alternatives. Gaming is not something we need to have ISO or IEEE standards for. We should have dozens of healthy alternatives to D&D. True innovation comes from thinking outside the box, not in the same d20 rule-set. [/QUOTE]
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