AGC Report - The Craft Behind Intellectual Property

When it comes to the business term "intellectual property," most gamers are likely not familiar with its true meaning. However, this doesn't lessen the impact it has on the overall present and future of the gaming industry. The very basic definition of intellectual property is "intangible property that is a result of creativity." What this boils down to, from a gamer's perspective, is the actual meat of any title they get their hands on. The vision or set of ideas that developers conceive in the early stages of game development is what eventually becomes the product that the gaming populace purchases, from either an online media outlet or their local store. Richard Garriot, who is most often identified as the father of the computer based-RPG and the highly-acclaimed Ultima series, set out to explore the challenges and rewards of cultivating new intellectual property in a candid forum at the Austin Game Conference.