After posting the last column, an interesting topic arose about originality in gaming. So, I'm pushing my next topic back to spend some time on this issue, particularly as it relates to the use of new or existing IP (intellectual property). There are merits and drawbacks to both types and I will attempt to address the major ones here. I will admit from the outset that I generally prefer new IP though I have enjoyed many games of the other variety.
Originality is a hard concept to measure because it is a subjective idea. Two people discussing a game, book, or movie may have different perceptions on the roots of certain concepts. It also depends on where a particular person wants to start their timeline. For example, one could argue that the Warcraft world is not original because it draws inspiration from Tolkien. Consider the concept of elves. Prior to Tolkien, elves / fairy folk were generally considered small (often miniscule) such as in Celtic and Nordic mythology. It was Tolkien who first made elves taller than humans. Therefore, since Warcraft has tall elves, rather than small ones, it is building from Tolkien even if its Night and Blood Elves have many distinct differences from Middle Earth's Noldor, Vanyar, and Teleri. But elves aren't original to Tolkien either. He borrowed from various mythologies which borrowed from earlier mythologies and so on into pre-history. Everything that exists, both in fiction and in reality, has links to what has come before so nothing is truly original. The adage "there is nothing new under the sun" holds true.
In order to achieve something that is measurable, as I mentioned above, I will investigate originality in the sense of what is commonly called new IP. Intellectual Property in games generally refers to world concept rather than game mechanics and I will hold that premise here. That is to say, is a world distinct (if not entirely original) from any previously existing one. Azeroth is distinct from Middle Earth is distinct from Norrath while Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, and Neverwinter Nights are drawn from the same root IP: Forgotten Realms.
There are several obvious benefits to using preexisting IP and the greatest is economic. One of the founding principles of advertising is name recognition. People are more likely to buy a brand name they are familiar with than something unknown, even if the unknown is better. Since game companies are in the business of making money, it is natural for them to use popular IP. Even before they've begun designing the game, they've already achieved name recognition. Money is a powerful motivator and for this reason alone, existing IP will usually trump what is new.
In addition to money, existing IP offers the comfort of familiarity. For an example, let's step back to eight years to the early days of MMOs. If you were going to purchase your first MMO in 2000, you would have only three to choose from: Ultima Online, Everquest, and Asheron's Call. Of these, only UO was drawing from existing IP. If you'd ever played a prior Ultima game you'd have a feel for what the world would be like, what kinds of monsters, factions, history, and geography you would encounter. EQ, on the other hand, was new IP though it did offer familiar concepts like dwarves, elves, and dragons. On the furthest end of the spectrum lay AC which was not only new IP, but also much further removed from familiarity. Not only was Dereth unknown, but also were the creatures that inhabited it: three-legged shreth, monolithic lugians, and so on. All other things being equal (which they admittedly weren't), a gamer making a product decision at that point with no other information would have been more likely to go with the familiar.
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