Nintendo now has a US patent on summoning characters and making them battle for you | VGC (www.videogameschronicle.com)
from theangriestbird@beehaw.org to gaming@beehaw.org on 10 Sep 16:15
https://beehaw.org/post/22087116

#gaming

threaded - newest

Albbi@lemmy.ca on 10 Sep 16:36 next collapse

Specifically, the patent describes a situation where:

  • A console or other system is being used to run a video game from storage
  • The player controls a character in a “virtual space”
  • The player can perform an input command to make a “sub character” appear (i.e. summon another character)
  • If there’s an enemy where the sub character appears, the player can control a battle between the sub character and the enemy
  • If there’s no enemy where the sub character appears, the sub character will automatically move around
  • The player can move the sub character to a different location on the field, and if an enemy is there they can control a battle between the sub character and the enemy
somerandomperson@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 10 Sep 16:41 next collapse

Change a few little things and boom. No nintendo.

SharkAttak@kbin.melroy.org on 10 Sep 23:35 collapse

"Boom. No nintendo" sounds like a plan to me...

t3rmit3@beehaw.org on 10 Sep 16:52 next collapse

This describes literally every pet system in any game where the pets can battle.

This is so overly broad, it’s insane.

Mongostein@lemmy.ca on 10 Sep 21:12 next collapse

It’s also any RPG-like game that lets you summon creatures or undead

Smoke@beehaw.org on 11 Sep 00:32 collapse

It sounds incredibly vulnerable to this exact argument. Patents aren’t valid if it’s been invented already.

ranandtoldthat@beehaw.org on 11 Sep 03:26 collapse

The problem is lawyers. Nintendo has billions to spend on them.

Smoke@beehaw.org on 11 Sep 05:00 collapse

Even lawyers can’t get you out of trying to patent something that was clearly already in the market. Previously, Nintendo’s patent lawsuits had been for specific mechanics such as throwing a ball to capture npc animals.

Ganbat@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 10 Sep 17:21 collapse

So… Final Fantasy, Oblivion, Inscryption…

aceslip@lemmy.zip on 10 Sep 17:31 collapse

Let’s get old with it. Dragon Quest Monsters, Shin Megami, Monster Rancher ….

bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de on 10 Sep 19:39 collapse

You can summon animals and demons and stuff in Dungeons and Dragons.

Sas@beehaw.org on 11 Sep 05:05 collapse

Devil May Cry V has V that functions like this as well

josefo@leminal.space on 11 Sep 06:31 collapse

WoW hunters, warlocks?

EonNShadow@pawb.social on 12 Sep 03:05 collapse

OSRS has parts where you have to command your pet cat to attack rats even

Although in fairness I’d rather not have to ever deal with those mechanics ever again

masterspace@lemmy.ca on 10 Sep 16:43 next collapse

Once again, showing why Nintendo is a POS company.

Compete by making better games and stories, not by patenting basic role playing game mechanics and suing your competition.

ragebutt@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 10 Sep 17:28 collapse

The true fault here is the us patent system.

Nintendo is shitty for patenting this, sure, but why was the patent granted? This has happened numerous times for big tech companies where an overly broad patent is granted that allows them to stifle innovation and bully smaller companies out of business instead of properly competing with government protection

Kichae@lemmy.ca on 10 Sep 18:25 collapse

Exactly. Nintendo is not our friend, but it’s also playing by the rules it has available to it. It’s the rulemaker’s fault if the rules are shite.

As a publically traded company in the current system, Nintendo is not in the business of making video games, it’s in the business of making shareholder value. Video games are just a tool for doing that, exactly how a PC is a tool for writing documents or developing software. At the end of the day, companies have more than one tool at their disposal, and are going to use all of them to compete.

It’s on us to take away the tools we don’t think they should have access to, not on them to voluntarily not use the ones that are in play.

masterspace@lemmy.ca on 10 Sep 21:01 collapse

Classic American response: “companies aren’t responsible for the shitty choices they make, they can make as many shitty choices that harm people for profit as possible at all times and it’s just business”.

DebatableRaccoon@lemmy.ca on 11 Sep 04:04 next collapse

I’ve grown to hate that famous quote “It’s not personal, it’s just business.” because it’s almost exclusively used to excuse people when they choose to act like sociopaths.

Akrenion@slrpnk.net on 11 Sep 06:52 collapse

Systemic change is needed when the system allows for that exploitation. That is not excusing companies. Noone should be able to do it is the right reaction.

masterspace@lemmy.ca on 11 Sep 13:35 collapse

No one should be able to do it is the right reaction, but ‘Nintendo deserves no blame or shame for choosing to do it’ is the wrong reaction. Nintendo could have used all the money it spends on IP lawyers to instead lobby the government to change the patent system, but they chose not to.

Akrenion@slrpnk.net on 11 Sep 13:56 collapse

No-one you replied to said anything different which is why I find your reply weird.

masterspace@lemmy.ca on 11 Sep 14:39 collapse

I misread the comment hierarchy, I thought this was a part of a different chain.

jared@mander.xyz on 10 Sep 16:55 next collapse

Fuck Nintendo!

belated_frog_pants@beehaw.org on 10 Sep 17:02 next collapse

Man fuck nintendo

DoucheBagMcSwag@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 10 Sep 17:04 next collapse

You can expect they will only “enforce” this with a competitor that gets too popular and all the other niche indie games like a cassette Beasts and TemTem they will leave alone

Coelacanth@feddit.nu on 10 Sep 22:09 collapse

Existing IPs, maybe. But the real point of this patent is to stifle innovation and preempt competition. No indie developer is going to dare enter this creative space anymore as they don’t have the resources to challenge Nintendo’s patent - even though I think this won’t hold up in court.

QuantumTickle@lemmy.zip on 10 Sep 17:49 next collapse

Did they ask Digimon when they made the patent?

Kissaki@beehaw.org on 11 Sep 05:26 collapse

Wikipedia says Digimon release 1997, Pokemon 1996.

Linktank@lemmy.today on 10 Sep 18:44 next collapse

Fuck Nintendo.

Mac@mander.xyz on 10 Sep 19:28 next collapse

Wonder what Blizzard thinks of this.

abbiistabbii@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 10 Sep 19:44 next collapse

Amma try summon demons irl to battle each other and get Nintendo to sue me for the most excellent court case.

FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.io on 10 Sep 22:57 next collapse

The patent system is broken as fuck.

Marshezezz@lemmy.blahaj.zone on 11 Sep 02:23 next collapse

lol what a fucking joke

vala@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 11 Sep 02:37 next collapse

Just want to remind everyone that PalWorld is a really good game. Its still getting major updates and has an insane amount of high quality content to explore.

Kissaki@beehaw.org on 11 Sep 05:30 collapse

Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair in Japan last year, alleging that Palworld infringes on three patents that are related to monster catching gameplay, including summoning Pals by throwing Pal Spheres, and using Pals as vehicles like gliders.

Indication of how protective vs aggressive Nintendo uses it’s patents.

How similar vs novel do you feel pal world is to Pokemon?