Thanks everyone for the all the cool Gamasutra dialogue!

"The Novel "Gold 45 Revolver/Ideas Have Consequences/ Moral Premise" Game Technologies Will Be Worth Billions of Dollars" to the agile, entrepreneurial companies who first adopt them.  These simple innovations and technologies, which can easily be layered ontop of existing game engines, will have far-ranging raminifcations across the industry, exalting games with profundity, soul, meaning, and epic storytelling.

 Imagine you are standing in Best Buy. There are two versions of Gears of War. In one, the Locust Horde can be reformed and brought over to your side by quoting excerpts from the US Constitution--by engaging in dialogue--and where, in order to win, you are going to need to win their minds/hearts and souls. In the other version, you can only shoot them in campaign after campaign. Which would you buy? Imagine you walk into EB Games, and you have to decide between two versions of GTA. In one, you can only hire and shoot hookers--there is no chance of reforming them nor talking them out of it. In the "Gold 45 Revolver" version of GTA, you can engage in dialogue with the Hooker and hand her copies of the Constitution and Bible, as well as Hayek's The Road to Serfdom, and thus enlist her in your struggle against the fiatocracy, the decline of freedom, and the growth of the corporate-state. She in turn would hand those works to her Pimp who would join you. Which version of GTA would you buy? Obviously the one wired with the novel technology found in "System and method for creating exalted video games and virtual realities wherein ideas have consequences." --http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20090017886

 Already the novel Gold 45 Revolver technology is solving epic, glaring design problems/flaws in games such as Fallout 3, and it is accomplishing this in an elegant, simple manner which will also exalt the gameplay in numerous games and genres, make gaming more fun, and increase both the audience and marketability of the games which adopt the novel technology--it will also be worth tens of millions in generating cool, positive buzz.:

 --http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=20908
"Self-censorship was the least effective course of action open to Bethesda if they are looking to morally instruct their players. Why not take the route less traveled and try to implement some meaningful consequence, something beyond an essentially meaningless "karma" stat? (YES!! THE KARMA IS MEANINGLESS! WHY NOT INCORPORATE A GOLD 45 REVOLVER WHICH ONLY SHOOTS ZEUS'S LIGHTNING IN THE END IF YOU HAVE BEEN DOING THE RIGHT, MORAL THING THROUGHOUT?)"
read more @ http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=20908

As you can see, the simple, elegant solution would be worth billions!  And it could be applied to all RPGs and FPSs!   Such a novel weapon would be worth tens of millions in gameplay enjoyment, and tens of millions more in publicity. *Everyone* is going to want to get their hands on that Gold 45 when it comes out, and *every* game is gonna want to have one.

Where in the prior art can one form a fellowship based upon the ideas/ideals/characters of the NPC’s? In what game does the eventual outcome depend on the character and integrity—the ideals and beliefs—of the fellowship one forms? Re: How much would it be worth to Bethesda/EA/38 Studios/Visceral/Bioware/Ubisoft?

How much would it be worth to put the following on a game box? "It is the dawn of the American Revolution, and it is up to you to build the fellowship that will lead the epic battle for freedom. From tavern to tavern you must walk the streets of Boston, listening in on conversations and recruiting those speaking (and oft whispering) of liberty's epic ideals. Redcoats and King George's spies abound, and when you hear the words of Washington, Jefferson, Paine, Madison, Jay, and Hamilton, you must engage the characters by speaking of liberty's ideals yourself; or lose their trust. Throughout you must select the best words to rally and inspire the troops during the fierce war for freedom--to attract the poet warriors with the greatest characters to fight alongside you. Ideas have consequences and word must be matched with deed, as freedom's fate falls upon your shoulders. "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. --Thomas Jefferson""

I argue that such a novel approach to gaming--not only incorporating the words of the actual Founding Fathers--but rendering their consequences (or the dire consequences of their absence)--would be worth hundreds of millions, if not billions.

And wouldn't that be an awesome game??? Imagine meeting Jefferson and Hamilton, finally defined by their greater aspects--their souls, characters, and words--and actually recruiting Washington to command the forces, based upon his words!

"A slender acquaintance with the world must convince every man that actions, not words, are the true criterion of the attachment of friends." --George Washington
"Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness." --George Washington
"Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company." --George Washington


Yes--of course we could give all the revolutionary soldiers BFGs and Lancer Chainsaws to satiate the fanboys; but the big draw of the game would be its depth and profundity! And imagine that in one of the Taverns is a hooker with a heart of gold. Hire her and kill her, as is exalted in GTA, and the world is lost. Talk to her, and "lady liberty" will tell you where you can find Thomas Paine.

Video games are a crowded art, and many argue there has been little innovation in the past several years (or decades), especially when it comes to depth, meaningful drama, and storytelling. Of course all the PR departments stamp "depth, character, meaningful drama, and epic storytelling!" on the boxes, just as they stamp "Dante's Inferno" on the game which places Beatrice in the diametric opposite locale that Dante did, robbing it of its classical soul and Dante's exalted intent; and nothing really ever changes as the fiatocracy declines, as "Story, drama, character" are payed homage to in corporate press releases, but never in rugged deed.

A small innovation in a field of "crowded art" can go a long, long ways. For instance, applying the patent's same technology to the traditional Vampire/Zombie game would result in the following enhanced gaming experience:

The "Gold 45 Revolver" mod of Left for Dead would be described with (seriously--the buzz alone on this would be worth millions to EA/Bethesda/Bioware/Visceral/Ubisoft/38studios):

This "Gold 45 Revolver/Ideas Have Consequences/Moral Premise" Mod is based on the L4D Amazon.com description, and it could be easily implemented with a relatively small amount of funding: “Set in a modern day survival-horror universe, the co-operative gameplay of Left 4 Dead (L4D) casts four "Survivors/freedom fighters" in an epic struggle against hordes of swarming zombies/communists and terrifying "Marx Infected" mutants. A new and highly virulent strain of the Marxist virus emerges and spreads through the human population with frightening speed via words, both spoken and written. The pandemic's victims become grotesquely disfigured, violent psychopaths, attacking the uninfected on sight by handing them pamphlets and espousing Marxist philosophies while trying to bite/harm them. As one of the "lucky" few apparently immune to the sickness, as you have been reading F.A. Hayek, Ludwig Von Mises, and Thomas Jefferson, you, unfortunately, are trapped in a city crawling with thousands of the bloodthirsty Infected. Alone, you're dead. But together with a handful of fellow survivors, who you can identify and recruit via dialogue trees incorporating Hayek/Jefferson/the Constitution wherein you also assess the NPC's responses, you might just form a fellowship and fight your way to safety. Players can play as a Survivor or as one of four types of Boss/Marxist Infected, each of whom possess a unique mutant ability, such as a 50-foot tongue lasso, tenure at an ivy league university, an MBA, or a giant belly full of explosive methane gas. The gameplay of L4D is set across four massive campaigns. The zombie population of each mission is choreographed by an AI Director that monitors the human players' actions and creates a unique and dramatic experience for them on the fly. Zombies may be transformed back into humans by quoting Hayek/Jefferson/et al. to them; but the further they have devolved--the more collectivist literature they have imbibed and the more MBA groupthink classes they have taken--the harder it is to save them. Early on in the game, some Vampire/Zombies may appear to be normal humans, and the only way to find out would be to quote Hayek to them and see if they respond with Lenin or Mises. Some of them can be reformed via dialogue, but for others, they can only be reformed by death. And in the end--only those players who have done their best to reform the Vampires/Zombies in word and deed--only those who have acted morally throughout the game, can truly wield the Gold 45 Revolver and realize its true power as it shoots Zeus's Lightning while leveling the zombie masters and their hordes. Should you fail to reach and exalt your peers with classical ideals, the world will end as a zombie communist tyranny--"for the greater good of all.""

Imagine how many millions would want to play such novel game types wherein *ideas had consequences*, and soul, character, and honor mattered! Litertaure including 1984, Animal Farm, A Brave New World, V is for Vendetta, The Matrix, Twilight, Atlas Shrugged, Dracula, and 300 could all be brought to life on a more profound level!

 The "Ideas Have Consequences" Zombie/Vampire game engine is novel in that the Zombie/Vampire virus/quality is transmitted via ideas in the game--both spoken and written--as opposed to only via physical contact, such as being bitten/attacked/etc.

Imagine the possibilities with that novel game engine/concept in the hands of creative developers!! A thousand, thousand novel Zombie/Vampire games could be created, and epic literature could be brought to life, including 1984/Brave New World/The Road to Serfdom/etc, as well ad the American and Communist Revolutions! This would mean tens of millions of $$$ and an epic renaissance in the now staid vampire/zombie format. And it would be easy to do--just a couple books/words/ideas introduced into L4D, for starters, would be epic! Of course we would still include all the physical gameplay--biting/shooting/baseball bats/etc.--but we would layer it on top of classical, exalted ideas and ideals.

Art has ever been the realm where the noble soul could place their ideals which the world had no use for; and the novel game engine described by this new technology; opposed vehemently by the dominant fanboy/feminist fiatocracy—would foster a new realm of exalted gaming for true artsists—both those who created new games and played them.

The major videogames companies are leaving billions on the table!
[0388]This present invention pertains to introducing morality and epic storytelling into the realm of video games, resulting in video games with superior, deeper game play, expanded markets, and longer-lasting brands. The ability to render deeper emotion, story, and exalted dramatic arts within the realm of video games has been a long sought-after "holy grail" throughout the video game industry. The prior art demonstrates how others have failed and are failing to deliver more meaningful and engaging games endowed with epic storytelling. This present invention provides the missing key to realizing epic storytelling, deeper emotional involvement, and higher art in video games.

[0445]To date, no game allows one to fight for the US Constitution and a sound currency. No game allows one to fight for the Founding Father's original intent--for life, liberty, and happiness for all. No game allows one to fight for economic freedom beyond the fiat system that robs us all via the inflation tax. No game allows the player to quote Hayek, Mises, Rothbard, Jefferson, Hazlitt, Jesus, Socrtes, and Moses in dialogue trees, nor via other means, en route to winning the hearts and minds of their people, rounding up and inspiring a group of rebel, and leading those rugged rebels in a battle founded upon ideas. No game allows one to fight Big Brother and ensure greater Civil Liberties and Personal Freedom. And certainly, no game allows the player to fight to implement the Constitutional Gold Standard, nor to take on the divorce regime, nor to protect the unborn. [0446]The present invention would allow the themes of V is for Vendetta, Atlas Shrugged, and The Fountainhead to be brought to life, as well as Orwell's 1984, which resembles the modern university. The plot of 1984 could be enhanced, and hope could be allowed for Winston Smith. Suppose that Winston was successful in speaking with and recruiting enough people for a revolt. If he was too upfront with his ideas, he might be put to death. If he was too coy, he would never reach them. If he was too persistent, he could offend some people. If he gave up too soon, he might lose loyal followers. At any rate, it would make a great and unique game, as Winston Smith went up against Big Brother. --http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20090017886