
In Defense of Clones: The benefits of learning through imitation - DoGooder
http://blog.grantoo.com/2014/04/in-defense-of-the-clones-the-benefits-of-learning-through-imitation/
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EC1
I learned everything I know through 'cloning'. When I was a kid interested in
code (web dev + design specifically), I just recreated all my favourite
interfaces. Every two seconds I was stuck, but for every obstacle you
overcome, you won't need to in the future.

This is how I learned the Adobe suite so easily, by imitation.

I'm doing iOS dev now, and I'm doing the same thing. Cloning a few of my
favourite applications feature for feature, pixel for pixel. It takes a long
time but I haven't found a better way to learn since.

It's much more effective for me to do this than read a book or long broad
tutorial on something.

Google -> Stackoverflow -> Implement. Rinse and repeat.

~~~
rahimnathwani
Do you start with simple apps first, and then progress to more complex ones?
Or do you just start cloning a complex app by doing one screen at a time?

~~~
EC1
If I see an app that has a really interesting UI, I will isolate that part and
try to recreate it. Like maybe some app has a really cool way to graph
something with unique animations, I'll write that down in my notebook for
reference later, and recreate when I have time.

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sp332
This reminds me of an interview with one of the LittleBigPlanet devs. He was
asked if he was worried that the most popular user-generated levels were just
clones of other games. He said, it's natural to learn by copying the great
masters, and it won't be long before the mod community gets the hang of the
medium and starts being more creative. And he was right! While some of the
more popular levels are "inspired" by other properties, most aren't, and there
are hardly any straight clones.

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dragontamer
'True artistic expression comes from honest interpretation. We don’t get all
up in arms when a musician covers a song and releases it as a single.' 'But
how to distinguish between what is homage and what is outright theft?'

Pretty simple actually. When musicians cover a song, they pay for a license
(and possibly pay for royalties as well) to the original author.

When people make game clones, they give no royalties, no financial support to
the original. There-in lies the difference between the Game world and the
Musical world.

The system works poorly in general, but this area of IP law, moral debate, and
so forth _needs to happen_. Clones are fine as long as the original work is
properly compensated... but ensuring proper compensation puts a hamper on
small businesses through insane IP Law and regulations.

Maybe the solution is something totally different...

~~~
nimblegorilla
Student musicians often cover professional music without paying royalties. I
think there is a lot of "creativity" in trying to mimic other people's work
even if there is no profit motive.

~~~
sp332
If a student in an art museum copies one of the old masters (as happens every
day), no money changes hands either. The problem is, for many of the game
clones, there _is_ a profit motive.

~~~
watwut
Original Flappy Bird was removed from store and its creator never complained
about clones. After all, flappy jam was organized to show support to him. So,
in this aspect, he is more in the "old masters" then in the "lost profit" in
that.

The other things is that if it takes 3 days from start to finish, then it
should not be patentable/copyrightable. It is too simple too little work to
warrant years long monopoly. On the other hand, no one is going to clone Grand
Theft Auto or Oblivion in three days.

It is like demanding copyright on sunset picture. There are milions of sunset
pictures, some free some paid and no one can claim monopoly over them. One of
them is super successful once in a while, but that does not mean all
subsequent artists should stop making them.

Then again, some even accuse Flappy Bird of being clone. And then again, given
some people standards, every single game can be accused of being clone of
something.

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johnmalttt
I don't agree with the author's examples(book to game, movie to carton
series).

As their 'clone' and the similar ones mentioned(3, Flappy birds, etc)
certainly aren't on par with those. In terms of 'adding a little to the
original'.

The rush to get a clone out for monetization seems to add little to the
original creators idea, especially small indies whose livelihood depends on
them. And this is mostly what happens. Not some pursuit of creative interests
or improving games as a medium as the author hopes for.

That Solar System game from today is likely already being cloned and remade by
some team/person for profit.

There's a difference between standing on someone's shoulders and stealing
their shoes.

~~~
cpeterso
> That Solar System game from today is likely already being cloned and remade
> by some team/person for profit.

What Solar System game is that? You've piqued my curiousity, but I can't find
any obvious candidate on the iTunes App Store. :)

~~~
jedrek
Pretty sure this is what GP was referring to: [http://www.stefanom.org/super-
planet-crash/](http://www.stefanom.org/super-planet-crash/)

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meric
A way to get around being accused of cloning something entirely is to clone
each aspect of your creation from separate and different 'inspirations'. e.g.
"The game mechanism from A, the animation from B, the character based on C,
the character's sword from D, the character's legs from E".

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davidgerard
All art comes from other art. Copyright is fundamentally based on a lie.

~~~
dragonwriter
> All art comes from other art. Copyright is fundamentally based on a lie.

Copyright is not based on the idea that art isn't influenced by prior art, its
based on the idea that things of value with some original element (no matter
what other inputs they have) are more likely to be created and distributed if
their creators are rewarded with the exclusive right to control the use of
their work for some period of time after it is created.

So, your second sentence might be true, but your first sentence is unrelated
to it.

