Contractual Work
Types of ContractThere are a variety of different contracts that different companies and individuals will use in order for their work to get done. A few examples of these contracts include:
Employment Contract Development License NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreements) Collaboration Development ContractThis type of contract is typically used by big game companies in order for people to develop games for them. The contract in this case will overview what the games company wants to be developed for them. It will include pay rates and whether or not the people developing the game will get royalties when the game is finished. It will also have to include the ownership details, as in who will own the IP, whether its the publisher or the developer.
NDAAn NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) is a contract that will be typically exchanged between two companies, with important and private information including details of the game or film that is in production. When the contract is signed, the two companies and all their employees are sworn to secrecy, which means they are not allowed to release any information about the game or film.
|
Employment ContractThis type of contract is a contract set by your employer and simply tells you what you will be doing for your employer, the full list of work you are to carry out for that company. It also tells you what the employer that has set the contract will do for you.
License ContractThis type of contract will typically be used by film companies, where the publisher of the film (or game) and the owner of the IP for that game or film will exchange a contract, this contract will include what will be licensed, where the license will apply, whether worldwide or only a few countries, and how long the license will last for. Typically this type of contract lasts 5 years.
Collaboration ContractCollaboration agreements are typically used by smaller companies such as indie developers, where they are usually making their games for a hobby or fun, and may not expect to actually make any revenue from the game. This contract will lay out clearly who will own the Intellectual Property (IP) in the game, and what will happen to any potential income the game produces.
|
Legal
Intellectual Property RightsIntellectual Property is something created by people, whether it be the design of a certain logo or a whole character in a video game. An example of this is the phone giant, Apple, and the logo that goes with their name, the classic apple with a bite out of it. It is important for companies to register and trademark their IP, as it is harder to protect a virtual logo or part of a game from being "stolen", than it is to protect a physical thing. Once some Intellectual property has been copyrighted, it is illegal for another company to "steal" or copy that thing. However, some companies are allowed to use IP belonging to other companies, if they ask permission, or if they are asked to produce a game under a specific franchise. An example of this is the smaller company, Climax studios, developing a game under the Assassins Creed name, which is IP belonging to ubisoft.
PatentsA patent is once again a similar idea to both copyright and trademarks, but is usually used by individuals that have usually invented a new product that is bound to succeed, therefore the person who has invented that product will apply for a patent. The patent will protect the actual design of the invented product, therefore anyone who copies the design will be breaking the law.
Patents are particularly useful in this case as you want to make sure that your product is the only one on the market in order to make the most profit. Below is the example of apple's iPhone Patent. |
CopyrightCopyright is a way of protecting your Intellectual Property, such as a piece of music or an image, from other companies and individuals. When something is copyrighted, that piece of work that is copyrighted may not be used by anybody unless given permission by the original author.
TrademarkTrademarking is a similar process to Copyrighting, however trademarks apply to a whole franchise or company, for example amazon is a trademarked company. Trademarks can be seen by the following symbols:
PEGIPEGI (Pan European Game Information) is a system and set of rules that gives newly released games an appropriate age rating based on the contents of the game. Every game released to the public has to have been rated by PEGI and display the age rating that they have received on the front of the box of their games.
|
Ethical Considerations
Ethics - The Science of Morals in human conduct is called ethics. Morals are concerned with the goodness or badness of character. The principles of what is right and what is wrong is called moral.
Ethics in Gaming
In modern times, it is important that when creating a game, you have moral considerations, and ensure that the content of your game won't offend the players of your game. If your game is seen to be racist, sexist or offensive in any way, it would easily lead to nobody buying your game, and even the removal of your game from the markets as it isn't suitable for the public. An example of when ethics in games has come back to bite a company, is EA's Battlefield 4. The game was originally banned in China, because they thought that the game's storyline portrayed China in a negative way. Even though this was not EA's intention, it resulted in declining sales in China and outrage from the chinese people and government. The main things people get offended by in games, and what you should avoid at all costs, is sexism, racism and stereotyping. If any of these things are prominent in your game, you will get lots of complaints and risk your game being banned or worse.
Professional Bodies
Women in GamesThe women in games association is a group of people dedicated to getting more women into games. Their aim is to stop sexism in gaming and to help encourage women gamers.
|
ELSPA / UKIEThe UK interactive entertainment body (ukie) is a company that helps to get smaller game companies up and running and get involved in successful business and selling games. They help to protect peoples Intellectual property, as well as link up smaller game companies with other people to help them gain connections with bigger companies, in order to help with their games creation.
|