Copyright Literacy Resources

The Copyright Attribution Card Game is a creative commons licensed card game created by Rachel Scanlon.

It was play tested at ICEPOPS 2022 with the final version demonstrated at ICEPOPS 2023.

Aim of the game

The game is designed to reinforce how to correctly attribute a creative commons item. It uses the four criteria required for an ideal attribution as laid out by CreativeCommons.org: Title, Author, Source, Licence. Players have to make a complete attribution or a “set” using cards in their hand and in the shared pool on the table. A set must be made up of cards with the same image and background colour. There are extra cards that are not necessary for an ideal attribution but are common elements of academic citation and worth discussing: Date and Publisher.

The game also features a shared pool of cards that all players can use: the commons. Cards are not taken from the commons when players use them and players can add a card to the commons on their turn. This mirrors the actual Creative Commons, a shared pool of resources that multiple people can use and add to benefiting everyone.

Playing the Game

The game is fairly fast paced and should take about 15 – 20 minutes depending on how long explanations take. It is recommended to deploy the game after a explaining the principles of Creative Commons attribution as a re-enforcement technique. See the How To Play Guide for more detailed instructions.

Feel free to remix and reorganise the game. That’s the fun of a Creative Commons licence.