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I worked at Broderbund many years ago. In the interview my future boss asked me if I had any game ideas. I mentioned I'd not seen a good game with the Smokey t
by Macsenour 11y ago
I worked at Broderbund many years ago. In the interview my future boss asked me if I had any game ideas. I mentioned I'd not seen a good game with the Smokey the Bear. When I started a couple of weeks later, as I was introducing myself to the other programmers, one mentioned that he's working on a Smokey the Bear pitch that came out of the blue from the boss. I mentioned it was my idea from the interview, and this programmer insisted it couldn't have been because the boss had brought it as his idea.
Fast forward a few months, I've presented 23 game concepts and they were all turned down as "not good game ideas. Two weeks later i stumbled into a meeting where one of those that turned down my idea, an artist, was presenting 3 of my ideas as his own. I companied to the boss who said: "Ideas are free". My retort was: "Sure, but the credit isn't".
That was many years ago and I still find those two people to be disgusting in their attitude.
- djloche 11y ago>" I mentioned I'd not seen a good game with the Smokey the Bear. When I started a couple of weeks later, as I was introducing myself to the other programmers, one mentioned that he's working on a Smokey the Bear pitch that came out of the blue from the boss." You could have turned the whole thing into a game. If he's willing to steal a Smokey the Bear idea, just how ridiculous of an idea is he willing to steal?
- Overtonwindow 11y agoMaybe this is a lesson for the future for us all: Don't give away ideas unless you've been hired, or someone has signed an NDA. Otherwise he's kinda right: They stole your idea because you had no legal claim to it. Morally they're dicks but hopefully you've learned from this.
- Macsenour 11y agoI agree, no legal standing on my part. Morally they're both dicks. I did learn my lesson. When I interviewed at another game company, iMagic, they asked for game designs and I told them to buy the cow instead of trying to get milk for free. They didn't hire me, and were later sued by someone else for stealing his copywritten game concept. They're long gone as a company.
- Overtonwindow 11y agoOh wow, dodged a bullet with that one! I work in government relations and have a similar problem. Potential employers want to know how I'm going to solve their government relations, lobbying, or PR issues. I've had ideas stolen many times and it's very frustrating. Sometimes I suspect interviews are treated like fishing expeditions by some employers.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- prawn 11y agoMaybe in this situation, if you're going to divulge an idea to someone, do it very publicly (Twitter, company Slack, etc) so all can see you as the source and judge the idea-thieves for themselves.
- Macsenour 11y agoI agree, if this situation were to happen again today and presented with those options, make it public. My story happened in 1983..
- vinceyuan 11y agoIt was reported that Steve Jobs did similar things.