A game with open source is better than the same game with closed source, basically by definition.

A problem open source games tend to have, is that they often have an overly democratic development process. Art by committee can at best closely resemble another piece of art. It also makes it hard to reject ideas and kick out people who pull in the wrong direction.

The focus also often ends up on the code being presentable rather than the game being engaging. Real games that are made in reasobable time and have the necessary tons of little tweaks and adjustments needed to be fun have HORRENDOUS code as a result. Few developers are willing to settle for that if they know the world will scrutinize their code and judge them for it.

So yeah, go for it! But beware the pitfalls :)

Yes, but you have to remember that the developer community is absolutely tiny compared to the number of gamers.

It’s a neat gimmick, but 98% of the people who could be your audience will get nothing out of the game being open source.

I would really like it if certain specific games were more open source and more moddable, for example stellaris has an annoying formula hard coded that makes combat balancing and weapon modding very difficult. On the other hand, games like openRA exist and I’m not playing that and I’m not doing anything with the source either. That one even has fully functioning multiplayer, but it’s so built in that it’s hard to reuse for anything else. So you might end up being torn between making the game really good and making the tools and code really good.

I think the biggest appeal of open source games is as a learning resource. Maybe. idk.

Also, may I suggest panda3d, which I’m shilling for at every opportunity that I get, because it’s neat, 3d, open source and runs with C or python?

The only open source game I know is Pixel Dungeon, and I love that one because it has spawned so many derivatives. So I guess I’d support it if it were more common.

Whether I find an open source game interesting is whether or not it’s good, so my opinion isn’t very helpful since what’s good is subjective.

Games like Mindustry, SuperTuxKart, Super Tux Advance? Great!

Games like FreeCiv? Don’t like (mostly because I can’t even figure out how to end a turn or do anything despite looking up how to play).

Open source is better for the longevity and distribution of games, also for knowing it isn’t malware. I wish more games were open-source, the industry likes trade secrets and DRM but that isn’t sustainable (most games have been lost over time, and we’re probably close to 99% of source material and documentation being extinct).

I’m a dev, but not a game dev, and I think that open source games that are popular are more likely to stay around, even if the original dev team stops working on it as it can be forked, which is pretty awesome for longevity. Also other “real” open source games: osu! and Veloren.

You have Beyond All Reason which has both an active development cycle and player base, because it’s basically the best classic RTS available in years.

There are several open source games that I love and have played regularly:

• Sonic Robo Blast 2 Kart
• Veloren
• Xonotic
• Super Tux Kart

I wish more games were open source.

I don’t have any input as a dev but I do enjoy finding, learning about and playing open source games. There is something about it that I find interesting and although most of them are not great I check back every so often on my favourites.

Here is a list for anyone interested

If you actually want to make games for a living, then don’t do open source. Have people pay for enjoying your work. If it is a hobby, open source may be beneficial, because you can then team up with other hobbyists.