Lack of originality

[Relish in Chaos]

So I was just thinking about how The Hunger Games has been compared to other such books/films (e.g. Battle Royale, The Running Man) that deal with the same dystopian fascist themes that include people being forced to fight each other as part of a reality TV show.

But not only that, how many fantasy novels and films (e.g. Eragon) nowadays seem to heavily take inspiration from Lord of the Rings, and many in the fantasy genre never seem to deviate from the typical medieval setting of elves, princesses being kidnapped, and a fight against a great evil trying to take over the world and whatnot. I think "Yahtzee" even talked about this in an Extra Punctuation article a while ago.

Can anything truly be original anymore? Have we exhausted the pot of ideas? Not even video games appear exempt from this, as many people back in the day compared the original Crash Bandicoot PS1 trilogy to other successful platformers, like Mario and Sonic (another obvious similarity being that they're both anthropomorphic video game protagonists with special abilities, but Sonic was by no means the first to do that).

By the way, I don't necessarily agree with the above sentiment. I'm just trying to throw it out there for discussion. I think that, of course, originality exists and perseveres due to inner creativity.

 

[Yuno Gasai]

I don't really mind the lack of originality. Something being similar to something else isn't always bad, and I've found that I quite enjoy watching other people's perspective or interpretation of a certain theme or subject.

I would like to see something entirely new and innovative, but I'm not convinced that's entirely possible. Basically everything in this world has been derived from something else; we gain inspiration from looking at others' work.

 

[Muspelheim]

I do agree that Eragon turns rather stale and uninteresting very fast, but I'd like to point out that it's not because it uses tropes (fantasy world currently timelocked in the middle ages, dragons, evil kings, language-based magic et cetera) that have been used before by other authors. A writer making a story about... Say, a government agency battling Lovecraftian horrors in the city sewers for minimum wage, doesn't make it a "tainted" trope that may never be used or reinterpreted by someone else. Eragon becomes stale and uninteresting because Eragon never goes anywhere with these tropes, it never tries out anything new and it all turn into a story that we've all heard before. The dragons are just like dragons are, the king is just like kings are, the old mentor never does anything but what old mentors do...
But then again, I believe the author was in his early teens when he wrote that book. Impressive work for that age, but it explains why it feels rather boilerplate.

Matthew94 makes a good point. Originallity isn't just pulling random guff out of your hat that noone (at least that you know of, there has always been -someone-) have ever used before. It becomes boring and confusing, in an opposite way to how stories like Eragon is boring in their familiarity.

Everything stems from something. But that doesn't mean we don't have much to work with. At our point in time, we've amassed a titanic collection of tropes and influences we can use, and our current culture is exceptionally open to deviating interpretations and expressions.

To sum up, originallity isn't pulling something new and groundbreaking out of some creative ether. It's using old inspirations and tropes in new and interesting ways. It's not something that is given to you in a flash of divine inspiration of the stars.

 

[General Ken8]

I think originality still exists, with so much new stuff being invented, and so much new material to make into media of any sort, I don't think running out of originality is something we have to worry about.

Spoiler: Except, of course, this sort of stuff

 

[Vault101]

nothing is orginal..not truly

with that in mind to me its less about the setting or themes..but HOW its done

you could argue that Dragona age is abotu as "tolkein" as you can get...but I love it anywaybecause of the story/charachters

 

[TehCookie]

This [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheTropelessTale] pretty much sums up my opinion on the topic. Don't click it if you don't have a few hours to waste.

 

[Lucem712]

Nothin's truly original, everything draws off somethin'. I know a-lot people hate that 'Hunger Games' are more popular than Battle Royale, but I know a few people lookin' into the book because of that series. (Besides, if Battle Royale was super popular, someone would find an even older book/film in that genre)

Just cos somethin' isn't the most original idea, doesn't mean it's bad.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

dystopian fascist themes that include people being forced to fight each other as part of a reality TV show.

Like what went on in colosseums and theatres in Greek and Roman times... and what featured heavily in Greek and Roman Mythology... Probably before those times too!

OT: If a story did everything that others didn't it would probably be the worst story in the world... that saying there is new stuff coming about all the time... more in the way of how a game is played, or with a new art style...

 

[Chased]

Everything is constructed from previous knowledge, being aware of said knowledge and being able to manipulate its commons is what breeds originality.

Example: The Witcher (or The Last Wish) contains numerous fantasy devices but the underlying theme of the story is not typical of the genre (moral grayness).

 

[ChaplainOrion]

Do you want to know the truth? There hasn't been many original idea for millenia. It all goes back to the Epic of Gilgamesh, which has been the template for every adventure story/movie/show ever. Back in the days of Mesopotamia.

 

[TophatEmperor]

Yes, things can be original.

Has anyone made a game like this?

A bipedal alligator with rockets for legs must acquire 50 planets that form a parametric curve in order to be able to take part in a chess championship with zeus to decide who gets to run for the election for the presidency of the world.

Upon defeating zeus it turns out that the alligator was really a chameleon and is currently in a mental ward. A riot takes place with an inmate tossing our hero a set of keys and a rifle. He unlocks his cell and quickly escapes, killing many guards along the way.

Once he escapes he is arrested by a group of apple pie eating sheep that can control lightening.

To be continued...




I think I have made my point.

well i just came from the future...we have many of those games don't worry you become the lead designer of one of them and become Emperor of the Interwebs

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Can anything truly be original anymore? Have we exhausted the pot of ideas? Not even video games appear exempt from this, as many people back in the day compared the original "Crash Bandicoot" PS1 trilogy to other successful platformers, like "Mario" and "Sonic" (another obvious similarity being that they're both anthropomorphic video game protagonists with special abilities, but Sonic was by no means the first to do that).

By the way, I don't necessarily agree with the above sentiment. I'm just trying to throw it out there for discussion. I think that, of course, originality exists and perseveres due to inner creativity.

Originality doesn't truly exist. All artists are influenced by those who came before. It's how we learn, how we process.

Shakespeare ripped of the Greeks. Modern movies rip of Shakespeare. There's no shame in it - as noted, the greatest writer of all time was ripping off those who came before him.

The trick is to add something new - something personal - to your work. Shakespeare recycled ancient plots, but he had a (for the time) revolutionary view of women. He had competent female leads, including one who pretended to be a lawyer and outsmarted a courtroom and judge (that play had other problems - Shakespeare was less good on racial issues).

There is no shame in taking an idea you like and reworking into something new. That's how our art evolves.

I mean, look at Mass Effect 1. It rips off Ender's Game, Babylon 5, the Vorkosigan Saga, Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and an obscure book the name of which I can no longer remember that pretty much describes the Quarians.

Spoiler: If anyone cares about those inspirations...

Ender's Game - the "Buggers" from Ender's Game are the inspiration for the Rachnai. Also, the instantaneous communication system in ME3 is explained the same way as the Ansible from EG.

Babylon 5 - the Citadel = Babylon 5 (a cylindrical space station where all the alien races keep embassies and maintain a counsel that only has representatives from the major races). Also the Reapers (particularly in ME1) look like Shadow vessels - their attack beam is identical. They also have a similar methodology.

the Vorkosigan Saga - Joker's brittle bone disease is shared by Miles Vorkosigan, protagonist of the series

Star Trek - Bioware representatives have said that the Asari were inspired by the green dancing aliens from Star Trek. Also, Krogan society is very similar to Klingon.

Battlestar Galactia/that novel I can't remember the name of - the Quarians and Geth. The Geth conquest of Rannoch is similar to the rise of the Cylons, and also similar to that novel which features a race displaced by rogue AI.

Star Wars - I almost didn't bother, since the influence from KOTOR is fairly obvious. Anyway, the Geth are VERY similar to the battle mechs from the Star Wars prequels.

The (mostly forgotten) show Dark Angel was inspired by Battle Angel Alita.

For that matter, Firefly is ripping off Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, and Outlaw Star. River Tam in the box? The female protagonist of Outlaw Star arrives in a shipping container. It turns out that she is meant to be the ship's pilot (which River Tam becomes at the end of the Serenity movie). In fact, all three of the above series are part of a Japanese subgenre - the "Space Western". Firefly is the only Western example (that I can think of anyway).

Anyway, the point is, originality is overrated. As long as an artist adds something of their own - or combines ideas in an interesting way - there's nothing to worry about. Some of the best works of art are just creative rearrangements of existing ideas.

 

[Terrible Opinions]

I'm reminded of a minor character from Planescape Torment.

He belonged to a faction called the Sensates. Sensates believe that the purpose of life is to experience everything. Their headquarters houses a massive collection of magically stored memories gleaned from their members. You can live the experience of a low-ranking demon being punished by his cruel master. Or the confusion of an insect magically given human form. You can gain the experiential knowledge of a drug addict, a mad man, a werewolf in his first transformation, or a warrior rushing in to battle. Hell, they have a magic stone that records the experience of a man having his soul stolen by a succubus mid-coitus. And still their collection is incomplete. They want to experience more.

And then you meet the aforementioned man. He has experienced more. In fact, he's experienced everything.

And man, is he ever fucking bored.

 

[Laser Priest]

Nothing is entirely original, but people - especially critics like Yahtzee - blow the negative or unoriginal aspects far out of proportion while ignoring the rest.

No matter what, someone is going to be able to pinpoint one detail that is shared with something else and they are going to call you out for ripping off.

But either way, I feel that we need some originality, but not at a sacrifice of quality.

 

[rickthetrick]

Totally off topic but imagine how many garage bands were named Megadeth/megadeath before one made it big. Sometimes originality is just being first to be known.

 

[gyroc1]

I agree that everything draws from past experiences.
I also think that some people that may have the more original ideas water down their original vision to make it more popular so that it will sell more units.

 

[Revnak_v1legacy]

Do you want to know the truth? There hasn't been many original idea for millenia. It all goes back to the Epic of Gilgamesh, which has been the template for every adventure story/movie/show ever. Back in the days of Mesopotamia.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I think unoriginality gets too much flak these days. Something being derivative doesn't make it bad, it makes it art. All art comes from something else, and most art comes from other art.