Thanks for your reply.
No, I definitely didn’t start a battle. I was just trying to better understand the ethical and cultural norms around IP in a field that’s still very new to me, like visiting a foreign country and wanting to respect local customs 🙂
My concern wasn’t really about being original or unique, but more about acting with integrity and showing respect for others’ creative work.
Also, sorry if I didn’t express myself clearly. I’m not a native English speaker. When I said I might have “overreacted,” I just meant I was probably "being overly cautious", out of habit, coming from other standards concerning IP.
I’ve come to realize that reaching out and stepping aside might have been a bit too careful, and I’ll maybe continue the project and see where it leads.
As for research, maybe that’s another debate, but I do believe it’s deeply driven by creativity even if it takes a different form from entertainment-focused design. I think games and research can enrich each other. Rather than being opposed, they’re simply different expressions of creative thinking. Both can be aimed at specific or general audiences, and sometimes, for some, even research can be entertaining... 😉