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Nintendo Aims To Patent The 'Massively Single-Playing Online Game'
Nintendo's always had its own peculiar way of handling online gaming, and a recent patent application drives the point home. In a filing with the US patent office, Nintendo outlined its claim on what the company calls a "massively single-playing online game." While that description sounds a bit vague, anyone whose played an Animal Crossing game is familiar with the basic concepts.
According to GameSpot UK, Nintendo says that the concept is a way to offer players the interesting worlds that are often found in online communities without many of their drawbacks. "Those who want to play games that are more dynamic, not-based on Al and not-pre-scripted like multiplayer games, however, don't want to 'deal' with other people, appreciate the privacy it provides," states the filing.
Examples of how this might work in practice include ideas as basic as in-game economies based on scarcity. The online aspect of the game would function similarly to how Animal Crossing handled multiplayer; players would be able to interact with the world, and friends could see the results in their game. For instance, a pile of lumber could be transformed into a house.
As GameSpot points out, the patent mentions "home video game system such as the Nintendo Wii 3D video game system, a Nintendo DS or other 3D capable interactive computer graphics display systems." The mention of Wii 3D could simply be a reference to the WIi U's 3D capabilities or simply a clunky reference to the fact that games use 3D models.
What do you think of these kinds of patents? It seems completely insane that Nintendo would try to put a claim on something as fundamental as basic economics, but common sense doesn't always prevail in these matters.
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