Pal-Mon

Pal-Mon is an interactive podcast about how copyright and patent disputes affect creativity in the gaming industry. You listen to narration by the developer, who discusses the impact of patents on small-scale solo developers from an indie perspective, while arguing that unfair legal action harms studios of every size.

Podcast and gameplay

Each level parodies another game whose mechanics were patented. You can play through these parodies while listening to the podcast, or simply listen without doing much in the game. The simple gameplay usually involves moving a 2D character around the screen with WASD.

The experience explores questions of fairness, innovation and the future of gaming.