Speedruns on TV

2005-12-13 05:43:43 pm

March 16, 2010

Right. Imagine compiling two decades of material like the "Classified Info" and "Counselors' Corner" sections from Nintendo Powers. If you cover all aspects and periods of gaming, you'd never run out of material. In a way, the privileged shows could be the speedruns.

illuminated

2005-12-13 05:49:57 pm

I'm already pissed off enough that Hollywood has taken over the video game world and is starting to whore it out as much as possible. A T.V. show would be nice but let's not let them ruin speedrunning too.

Pweisger

2005-12-14 06:16:22 am

PwNzRd!

Don't even get me started on Hollywood. I am an aspiring filmmaker and can graciously say I will never sink to the lows that Hollywood has reached, and no amount of money will convince me. I'll just go to India and work for Bollywood, who puts out more (and better) films than Hollywood. I love America and all, but DAMN!

Sir VG

2005-12-14 06:28:34 am

Fucking Weeaboo

Quote:

Don't even get me started on Hollywood. I am an aspiring filmmaker and can graciously say I will never sink to the lows that Hollywood has reached, and no amount of money will convince me. I'll just go to India and work for Bollywood, who puts out more (and better) films than Hollywood. I love America and all, but DAMN!

Actually, go to Germany. I hear that they have a tax break thing there to get people to make movies, so you should be able to find a sponsor really easy and make movies for cheap.

DK64_MASTER

2005-12-14 07:32:39 am

Quote:

Don't even get me started on Hollywood. I am an aspiring filmmaker and can graciously say I will never sink to the lows that Hollywood has reached, and no amount of money will convince me. I'll just go to India and work for Bollywood, who puts out more (and better) films than Hollywood. I love America and all, but DAMN!

Bollywood just copies hollywood, though. I'm Indian, and I've watched A LOT of bollywood movies, and I've only seen a few original ones (like Lagaan, and even that is a copy of any random sports movie where the underdog wins).

Off topic, by any chance, are you Indian (or Asian), because you are familiar with Bollywood movies?

grndino

2005-12-14 07:46:36 am

Lol.

I posted a little rant on slashdot about G4, after they posted their recent programming changes, which most people there disliked. I thought my post wasn't terribly written, but my post still got just a 1. Sad

Then some weirdo by the name of 'radix37' gave it a one-word reply, and it got a score of 2! WTF!

Radix

2005-12-14 02:36:41 pm

I'm addicted to games

It's called a Karma bonus. Tongue

Sir VG

2005-12-14 03:20:16 pm

Fucking Weeaboo

Quote:

Then some weirdo by the name of 'radix37' gave it a one-word reply, and it got a score of 2! WTF!

RADIX FOR THE WIN!

(Link please.)

Gorash

2005-12-14 05:07:36 pm

${$uid.$user}{' usertext'}

http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/12/13/2254209

CannibalK9

2005-12-14 06:59:53 pm

give me your eyes!!!

Oooh, that website makes my head spin.

YautjaElder

2005-12-14 07:34:46 pm

Speed is the key.

Quote:

Oooh, that website makes my head spin.

Me too, I can´t find what you´re talking about.

FIERCELINKMASTER

Edit history:

FIERCELINKMASTER: 2005-12-14 09:03:51 pm

2005-12-14 09:00:50 pm

No the Quail is not riding the Q

Quote:

Me too, I can´t find what you´re talking about.

http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=171113&cid=14253963
Seconded!
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=171113&cid=14253963

Shocked

Kaveric

2005-12-14 09:16:19 pm

As far as copyrights go, you should take a look at http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html. IMO, it pretty well spells out what is copyrightable and what isn't.

VorpalEdge

2005-12-14 09:19:04 pm

welcome to the machine

Slashdot is an awesome website. I don't know what you guys are talking about. >_<

And lol @ radix's reply. How'd that get anything at all?... or, rather, which one of us modded it up? Tongue

Radix

2005-12-14 09:37:11 pm

I'm addicted to games

Quote:

And lol @ radix's reply. How'd that get anything at all?... or, rather, which one of us modded it up? Tongue

Hello? I already explained it... it's called a karma bonus!

And I've already read the copyright.gov site. It makes no mention of the copyright status of the results of running a computer program.

TSA

2005-12-15 09:13:58 pm

Retired

As for what the guy at G4 TV said, he's dead wrong.

I've heard a lot of arguments back and forth on "performance" rights of (C) materials. For starters, we as speed runners can get in trouble if we make a video of an entire game because it technically is displaying the entire work. Additionally, any run done before the release of a product is also a big no-no - it breaches confidentiality and trade laws.

However, I'm comparing this to the music industry. If you perform a (C) song live as a cover band, you must make it painstakingly clear who you are covering, and all videos/sounds/images of the performance are (C) the respective artist who created them. However, if you're making money off of it, you run into some issues...and it's usually taken on a case by case basis.

I just don't know on the legality of our runs in terms of who really owns the rights. We own the rights to the video, of course, since it is our performance, but the creators of the games who hold the (C) on them also own the rights to the content of the video since it is their game.

So, as long as a run is of a game already released, and we're making no profit off of them, I seriously doubt anyone will care. In fact, most companies recognize speed runs/skill videos and enjoy them.

But if we were to start a channel showing them off and selling ad slots...then I think we might hear from some laywers.

But there isn't exactly an existing basis to go on except the music and theater industry. But even still, the big difference is video games are natively interactive mediums, whereas our videos are not.

So...if you have money and a good lawyer, go consult them and get back to us with an anwer.

I'm also sure the "means" of capturing the run factor into the legality as well.

As for what the guy at G4 TV said, he's dead wrong.

I've heard a lot of arguments back and forth on "performance" rights of (C) materials.  For starters, we as speed runners can get in trouble if we make a video of an entire game because it technically is displaying the entire work.  Additionally, any run done before the release of a product is also a big no-no - it breaches confidentiality and trade laws.

However, I'm comparing this to the music industry.  If you perform a (C) song live as a cover band, you must make it painstakingly clear who you are covering, and all videos/sounds/images of the performance are (C) the respective artist who created them.  However, if you're making money off of it, you run into some issues...and it's usually taken on a case by case basis.

I just don't know on the legality of our runs in terms of who really owns the rights.  We own the rights to the video, of course, since it is our performance, but the creators of the games who hold the (C) on them also own the rights to the content of the video since it is their game.

So, as long as a run is of a game already released, and we're making no profit off of them, I seriously doubt anyone will care.  In fact, most companies recognize speed runs/skill videos and enjoy them.

But if we were to start a channel showing them off and selling ad slots...then I think we might hear from some laywers.

But there isn't exactly an existing basis to go on except the music and theater industry.  But even still, the big difference is video games are natively interactive mediums, whereas our videos are not.

So...if you have money and a good lawyer, go consult them and get back to us with an anwer.

I'm also sure the "means" of capturing the run factor into the legality as well.

Radix

2005-12-15 11:05:43 pm

I'm addicted to games

Quote:

For starters, we as speed runners can get in trouble if we make a video of an entire game because it technically is displaying the entire work.

Nope.

The copyright afforded to a "computer program", which any game is, is for the code. It makes no reference to the status of the "result" of that program.

A derivative work of a game would be changing the code and redistributing it, whether over the internet or on discs.

We clearly aren't doing that.

TSA

2005-12-16 12:41:12 am

Retired

In the US, Nintendo of America owns all likenesses, not limited to the scenario, soundtrack, visuals, character names and titles, etc... aka ... Intellectual Property.

There's multiple (C)'s on a game, the first being on the source code, then any patents on technology used (ie FX chip in StarFox), then on the actual content represented in the game or any materials packaged within the game.

So making a video with a character named Link who wears a green tunic and hat, wields a sword called the Master Sword, and goes to save Zelda from Ganon and selling it would get you in trouble. Even just making it can still get you in trouble, unless it is parody.

We make a video using the game that is identical to the content in the game...I'm pretty sure that's violating intellectual property laws.

Radix

2005-12-16 01:16:24 am

I'm addicted to games

Quote:

In the US, Nintendo of America owns all likenesses, not limited to the scenario, soundtrack, visuals, character names and titles, etc... aka ... Intellectual Property.

We aren't distributing the sound track. Sure, the runs have music in them. But they've got sound effects on top that 'ruins' the music.

We aren't distributing their visual of the characters nor the data necessary to create the visuals. Only a sequence of frames that corresponds to our manipulation of the billions of ways the visuals can be rendered.

You can't copyright character names and titles.

DAMURDOC

2005-12-16 01:24:17 am

The BaldurManiac

If american (and Canadian) bullcrap laws goes against speedruns, I will quit life.

StrangenessDSS

2005-12-16 02:44:38 am

Sleeping Terror

Quote:

We aren't distributing the sound track. Sure, the runs have music in them. But they've got sound effects on top that 'ruins' the music.

That makes it freely distributable? You might want to tell that to all the musicians who used samples of copyrighted works and got their pants sued off!

If a company really wanted to, they could probably stop us from hosting a speedrun of their game. Even if it were legal, it's close enough to illegal that we'd be facing a long court battle we wouldn't be able to pay for. But, generally, the companies aren't that mean, and they'd face some significant backlash if they cracked down on fan works so hard.

7 0 x 7

2005-12-16 02:54:13 am

ouch!

Quote:

Hey we would all love to see speedruns on tv. My guess is it would probably be on G4 Tech TV if anything. So if anybody has connections or knows somebody who has connections, do you think it would be possible for them to play a speedrun from SDA? (I don’t have to mention the promotion this would entail) Just pitching an idea.

BTW did anyone know Wikipedia has an entry on Speedrun? The SDA is second on the external links (below archive.org no less)

If you get permission from SDA to play the speedruns, and permision from the speedrunner, you should be able to get a spot on a local station, locla schools usually hve recording equipment and you might beable to get it aired. dunno how much money would be involved however.

Radix

Edit history:

Radix: 2005-12-16 03:03:48 am

2005-12-16 03:03:35 am

I'm addicted to games

Quote:

That makes it freely distributable? You might want to tell that to all the musicians who used samples of copyrighted works and got their pants sued off!

fair use.

And to mario mario, how about you read the whole thread, or at least the current discussion, instead of just responding to the ridiculously outdated first post?

StrangenessDSS

2005-12-16 04:12:29 am

Sleeping Terror

Quote:

fair use.

Funny, in the majority of court cases, the law hasn't agreed with you.

Radix

2005-12-16 04:46:30 am

I'm addicted to games

Then report me.

I need a vacation.