The founder of Zynga advised developers to set aside their egos and not be afraid to copy others' ideas
Borrowing ideas from other games is a sensitive topic in game development. However, Zynga founder Mark Pincus sees nothing wrong with proper copying.
FarmVille 3
Pincus shared his thoughts on this in his new book, Life at the Speed of Play, excerpts of which were published by the portal MobileGamer. He explained that many developers hesitate to adopt good ideas from colleagues partly out of fear of losing their respect. According to him, beginner teams, in particular, avoid copying as they do everything they can to ensure no one suspects they might create a non-original product. However, Pincus believes that this approach can potentially harm the quality of their games.
Pincus urged for a more relaxed attitude towards adopting effective solutions. He is convinced that this can save time and allow developers to focus on adding something original on top of what was borrowed. The key, Pincus emphasized, is to operate within the boundaries of the law.
“Only a true master can recognize excellence and confidently copy it. He understands when something is already outstanding and realizes that any changes would only worsen the result—while being confident in his ability to create something new and original that will speak for itself,” explained the Zynga founder.
Pincus's stance stems from his concept of a three-stage game development process called Proven Better New. In this, the "Proven" stage involves fully copying mechanics and features beloved by the target audience, the "Better" stage focuses on improving what's necessary, and the "New" stage involves adding fresh ideas to the game.
As Pincus admitted, Zynga has adhered to this concept since working on its first game, Zynga Poker, and the hit FarmVille was inspired by a multitude of games. Other companies have also drawn ideas from Zynga's games. For example, Supercell copied many aspects of FarmVille in Hay Day—which Pincus sees as a compliment and an excellent example of using the Proven Better New approach.