Open source software and code pops up within the game industry in numerous ways. On one end of the spectrum there are, of course, the open source games that many of us know and love like FreeCiv and Tux Racer. On the other end are the proprietary games whose source has been opened such as Quake III and other games from Id Software. In the middle are games that might incorporate open source software either within them where legally possible, in the operating systems they run on--some Massively Multiplayer Online RolePlaying Game (MMORPG) worlds run on Linux and the various free BSDs for example, or were built using open source tools.

While attending a Women in Games International event, the opportunity to discuss open source with people actually in the industry came up. Among the attendees were a good cross-section of artists, programmers, publishers, managers, and more, some already in the industry, some going to school in order to build their skills, and some hoping to step over from their current jobs into games.

Next: Open Source Code in Games »