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There are many domains where the GPL is not applicable, gaming for one, requires the source to be secret, or else you'll allow anyone to build and release the g
by nmz 6y ago
There are many domains where the GPL is not applicable, gaming for one, requires the source to be secret, or else you'll allow anyone to build and release the game easily and thus not recuperating costs of production. This is why most lua libraries are MIT, as something that is heavily used in games, using anything other than is not applicable. It is also the reason rms created the lgpl, as a copyleft library that wont relicense software that depends on it.
- ric2b 6y ago> gaming for one, requires the source to be secret, or else you'll allow anyone to build and release the game easily and thus not recuperating costs of production. The engine is not the game, it's missing all the assets (3D models, textures, audio, scripts, etc). The assets don't need to be GPL-licensed. Most games use one of the few popular game engines: Unreal Engine, Source or Unity, which while not being open-source, are available to anyone and make it possible for anyone to build and release games with them. That doesn't stop them from making money.
- cercatrova 6y agoThe code and logic of games can be open source (look at Dwarf Fortress or ports of Doom) while the assets are still closed source. The bigger fear I always see is that someone will steal the code and run it without paying. In reality, this almost never happens. People don't care enough to run their own version of the game, or any other software.