open source / software libre and PC games

I'm very interesting in hearing what others have to say about games in the open source world, so I thought I'd make a post here.



I'm still learning about open source / free software, in regards to the gnu/linux operating system, software laws and patents, and the people and communities that make the system work. One thing that came to mind is the matter of PC games; how do they fit into an open source / free software model?

After giving it some thought, the best I can come up with is that the game engine should be open source, while the companies could charge for the actual content (the models, storyline, etc).

Wouldn't this allow the greatest amount of freedom, while still allowing for profit-generated works? The game engine would be open to development by outside people, both for fixing problems and the addition of new features, say in the way of plugins or something similar.

Would we have games like we do if the companies were all open source, non-profit minded?

Can a group of open source developers put out a decent game in a timely fashion that can compare with the games we buy off the shelves?

I'm not so sure.

I am quite convinced that the open source / free software way is the way to be, but wonder how games can fit into it. I know there are a lot of open source games in development now, but I've come to find out that the development process often stalls out and comes to a halt, many of them never seeing a stable release, or a release at all.

What are your thoughts? Is there something I overlooked? I'm really looking to get some feedback on this :)