Using stock image thumbnails in print and play prototypes

mikethetike

When creating print and play board game prototypes, I would like to use photos or stock images. Obviously that's not a problem when I print my own copy, but if I submit it to a forum like this one, there are copyright laws that come into play.

My question is, is it ok to use the watermarked thumbnails from stockphoto or one of those premium sites? I know there are CC photos etc all over the place, but I really don't want to spend forever hunting down images at the early stage of design.

francoisvn

I believe you're not technically allowed to reuse images in the manner you describe, but realistically if you're just using them for prototypes I suspect you'll probably be ok, especially if you clearly indicate as such. That said, Google image search allows you to filter images that are CC, so it's not actually that difficult to find some.

mikethetike

Ok thanks, that helps

clive

@mikethetike I know this might be completely "off genre" since I have no details on what you're making but with a bit of imagination I've always found this particular set useful for initial game prototypes:

http://rltiles.sourceforge.net/

probably won't work out great for print though, but it's a useful set and broken down nicely that I often (re)use in the early stages of almost anything.

mikethetike

Thanks, that's a great idea. I need a more modern set of characters but using a character generator will work fantastically.