Free wallpapers for PC - use or not use?

[Sharane]

Hello everybody,

I know people are still looking for free backgrounds so I wonder why they don´t use free wallpapers. There are sceneries, fantasy landscapes etc. Is it possible to download them and use in VN? Of course in non-commercial game. I mean, if it is so, it could help a lot... don´t you think?

[Fungii]

Well, the problem with free wallpapers is often you can pretty much assume they're simply 'stolen' art and graphics. While it does sound like a good idea to use the, ethically I'd rather come to the forums here and grab images that I know are free to use for my VN.

[ketskari]

Creators might allow wallpapers for personal use, but "free" does not automatically mean public domain or that derivative work is allowed (as in a Creative Commons license).

[LateWhiteRabbit]

Well, the problem with free wallpapers is often you can pretty much assume they're simply 'stolen' art and graphics. While it does sound like a good idea to use the, ethically I'd rather come to the forums here and grab images that I know are free to use for my VN.

Yeah, a LOT of those "free" wallpapers are stolen, and the people who are putting up the wallpaper have no right to those images at all.

[Sharane]

I see... it´s a pity. Thanks for the answers

[thelovebat]

I see... it´s a pity. Thanks for the answers

If you use reverse image search or ask around a forum/image board for the source, it's possible you could find out what the license is for the picture and whether you could contact the original creator/artist for permission to use it.

Otherwise, you can always check the wallpapers for watermarks or artist signatures. I would highly recommend just browsing Deviantart or some place where you know what the source or who the artist is, so finding out if it's something you can use or get permission for is much easier. This goes for art/wallpapers and any other sort of game development assets you can think of such as music or sound effects.

[thewriterjm]

I'm currently using 'free' wallpapers as backgrounds in the game I am developing. They help me motivate myself, and using them makes me think that I am getting somewhere. Testing and writing the game becomes a relaxing experience. It makes me focus on the things I should do.

[SundownKid]

I'm currently using 'free' wallpapers as backgrounds in the game I am developing. They help me motivate myself, and using them makes me think that I am getting somewhere. Testing and writing the game becomes a relaxing experience. It makes me focus on the things I should do.

I'm sure that even professionals use stuff found on Google image search as placeholders from time to time. But using it in a released game is a bad idea unless you know for a fact that it was released under a free license, e.g. Creative Commons.

[thewriterjm]

I'm currently using 'free' wallpapers as backgrounds in the game I am developing. They help me motivate myself, and using them makes me think that I am getting somewhere. Testing and writing the game becomes a relaxing experience. It makes me focus on the things I should do.

I'm sure that even professionals use stuff found on Google image search as placeholders from time to time. But using it in a released game is a bad idea unless you know for a fact that it was released under a free license, e.g. Creative Commons.

Yeah. Forgot to add that on my reply. I want to add that I have read somewhere that a few of them go around town to take photos for backgrounds. Not only it is free, but it can be safely released together with your game. Alternatively, if you do not want to show ordinary photos, you can or let somebody edit, animate, or create 3D models of the photos you captured.