Real talk: Your amazing, innovative, one-of-a-kind game/story/character/song has almost certainly been done before. Probably more than once. 

At GDC 2014, writer & community manager Nika Harper took to the stage during the perennially popular Indie Soapbox session to deliver a microtalk on why it's important for game makers to focus on originality, not novelty.

In under five minutes Harper explains how old news is still news to someone, so you should continue to make your game (or music or animation or whatever art you practice) because "your story is still yours," and besides: good stories are worth repeating.

It was a great microtalk in a standout session full of them, and if you missed it in person you can now watch Harper's segment for free over on the official GDC YouTube channel.

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its new YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC, GDC Europe, and GDC Next already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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