CAPTAIN GAME DEV (he's our hero!)
But seriously... I really like games designed around designing games:
http://www.greenheartgames.com/app/game-dev-tycoon/
(Of course it bares a lot of similarities to Game Dev Story, which might be the superior game http://www.destructoid.com/review-game-dev-tycoon-253040.phtml)
(I know @Tuism experimented in this space recently as well, which I thought was pretty cool http://www.indiespeedrun.com/profile/Tuism )
Comments
So that "fast-following" games, or creating "Slender Craft", or developing hostile DRM earns you evil points (or gamer misanthropy), but maybe earns you a lot of profit (because it cuts out the need for design and iteration, or maybe garners a few extra sales).
But working on original title earns you good points (or gamer respect) which can be more expensive but has some long term benefits.
And if it could be balanced such that the evil path makes sense or is tempting in certain situations, and have somewhat realistic repercussions, maybe the game could instigate an amusing philosophical point.
A bit like the piracy thing Green Heart Games did with Game Dev Tycoon:
http://www.greenheartgames.com/2013/04/29/what-happens-when-pirates-play-a-game-development-simulator-and-then-go-bankrupt-because-of-piracy/
(Which has already been linked here)
The Paint Cannon game I am working on is a mix between Momentum Missile Mayhem and Magicka. I've seen a few games that have some kind of cannon firing some kind of colour thing that has some kind of effect. Colour Cannons for example.
There's also things like "Inspired by" to consider, as well as "Same game different flavour". Are they good or are they bad though?
This is actually a bit of a strange attractor around cloning: If someone doesn't understand the process of game design very well and tries to add their own spin on a game idea they've lifted from somewhere else, but finds that their idea isn't as much fun, often they simply resort to outright copying "what worked" from the original game and creating a clone instead of spending the time to learn why their design ideas didn't work and becoming a better designer.
Taking inspiration from a game or idea is fine, but inspiration creates questions that you want to answer through building something of your own: "What happens if a game has Diablo-style combat, but doesn't have long-term character progression?" or "What would it be like to play a rogue-like set inside the body of a dying person?" if your main motive is profit that "other people are leaving on the table" or that you can "out-compete the first-movers for", you're probably cloning ;)
@Rigormortis and I made our game for IndieSpeedRun with too much ambition and not enough experience, which resulted in what felt like a drug addled trip. Which is what I feel game dev games convey very well :)
Game dev story's structure was way too calm and collected. Though it was definitely a fun game.
@Blackshipfillthesky you could theme your walking-around-the-desks-shouting-motivational-profanity game to be a game dev game too :)