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[cynicalsandel]

I often hear people talk about how game ideas are worthless, and that execution is everything. What if you don't even have ideas in the first place? That is the problem I have been struggling with. I can't even come up with concepts for a game. I can't even attempt developing a game because I have no idea what to make.

I've noticed a lot of indie games revolve around a specific gameplay mechanic. For example, VVVVVV has gravity flipping, Braid has time manipulation, Fez has world shifting/flipping, and And Yet it Moves has world rotation. My mind is most likely not creative enough to come up with any decent ideas.

I was hoping that y'all could talk about how your ideas originate. Is it just random inspiration? Is it from other games? Real life?

[McMutton]

My current game projects somehow evolved from a character I had drawn; Neither of them were actually made with the intention of being involved in a video game.

[Hangedman]

I was hoping that y'all could talk about how your ideas originate. Is it just random inspiration? Is it from other games? Real life?

All of the above.
Trying to think of something new doesn't really work, because if it's really new you have no frame of reference for it.
One easy way to generate a game concept: take a basic mechanic you know, and fundamentally change it until it's something new.

Tetris.
Tetris where you don't control the falling blocks, you control the platform at the bottom they land on.
Tetris where you don't control the falling blocks, you control the platform at the bottom they land on, and instead of removing horizontal lines, it removes vertical lines only when they're tall enough.
Tetris where you don't control the falling blocks, you control the platform at the bottom they land on, and instead of removing horizontal lines, it removes vertical lines only when they're tall enough, and after X amount of time the blocks rise up and then you use the bottom platform as a breakout paddle, so destroying many blocks in the earlier mode makes scores lower but less challenge in the second mode.

[LDuncan]

I think most of the game ideas that I'm working on right now originated from me playing some other game and thinking "I'm disappointed with how they handled this aspect of the game," and then brainstorming about how I would have done it myself. The ideas now aren't just "Game X with this fixed," but it was where the original inspiration came from.

[Hangedman]

That's the other easy way, but can lead to insubstantial concepts that don't quite pan out because they're incomplete at the start:

I think X in Y game is bad, Z could be better. (and you make Z.)
I wish Y game also had Z along with X. (and you make X+Z.)

[cynicalsandel]

I think most of the game ideas that I'm working on right now originated from me playing some other game and thinking "I'm disappointed with how they handled this aspect of the game," and then brainstorming about how I would have done it myself. The ideas now aren't just "Game X with this fixed," but it was where the original inspiration came from.

This has worked for me somewhat. I was somewhat inspired to fix life simulation games, because I was upset that I didn't actually have to make the character eat food to keep living. I can't get any farther with it though.

[rivon]

I have a kind of the same problem. I can come up with ideas. The problem is that a) they would require a lot of art/good art, which is bad for me, b) they're just too big for one person or c) they're very small/simple/basic and I can't think up any way to make them last longer (to be fun) than 5-10mins - just to make a full game from them. Or they are very similar to other existing games and I don't want to make a clone with one added/changed feature.

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

I think most of the game ideas that I'm working on right now originated from me playing some other game and thinking "I'm disappointed with how they handled this aspect of the game," and then brainstorming about how I would have done it myself. The ideas now aren't just "Game X with this fixed," but it was where the original inspiration came from.

this

but i wouldn't consider that alone an idea, i also have to elaborate upon it until a bunch of ideas are mixed together into a solid design. one idea is just an idea, a dozen integrated ideas is a design

[moi]

a game where you can manipulate the avogadro constant

[cynicalsandel]

I think most of the game ideas that I'm working on right now originated from me playing some other game and thinking "I'm disappointed with how they handled this aspect of the game," and then brainstorming about how I would have done it myself. The ideas now aren't just "Game X with this fixed," but it was where the original inspiration came from.

this

but i wouldn't consider that alone an idea, i also have to elaborate upon it until a bunch of ideas are mixed together into a solid design. one idea is just an idea, a dozen integrated ideas is a design

How do you come up with the ideas for the "elaboration" then? More thing you want to fix about that previous game?

[Richard Kain]

Generally speaking, I never try to force myself to think up new game design ideas. If I'm actively seeking them out, they rarely ever come. I find its best to just expose myself to various inspirations, and let my mind mull over various things. Sooner or later various thoughts crystalize into a useful concept. Then I make sure to write down my idea so that I can remember it when I FINALLY have time to implement it.

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

@cynicalsandel

no, usually i pick some theme or topic and revolve the ideas around that

here is one of my designs, and the process that went into designing it:

*

title: alterpoint

genre: card-based conversation game

description: set in an alternate russia around the october revolution, you play as one of rasputin's illegitimate 7 children (each of which does not initially know about the others), each of which has different powers and a different profession, but all of which share the ability to predict the future. you wander st petersburg during the war with germany, attempting to befriend or defeat the other 7 children, using your dream-prediction powers to change events in the city, and collecting "conversation cards", each based on a traditional russian concept or fairy tale, each of which has different effects in battle. battles consist of not physical fighting but of conversations, where if you use more powerful concepts (which work like magic spells with different effects) you can confuse the person you are talking to; if you win you get one of their concepts (these work a bit like card battles in magic the gathering and similar games). once you've defeated or joined with all of the other 7 siblings, rasputin himself with his "puppeteer army" and a young hitler (remember this is ww1, not ww2, so he's not the leader of germany, he's just part of the army in this alternate universe), riding a giant mechanical tank, enter the city, and you must choose sides and defeat the other, or defeat both yourself. also, famous russians of the day, such as prokofiev and other notable figures, would make appearances as NPCs which can be battled for concepts.

theme: that small decisions have large ramifications

the process of developing this game went something like this
- i wanted to make a game where dreams predict the future, where some type of future-fortelling ability plays a role
- i wanted to make a card game like magic and other card-based games
- i wanted to make a game set in russia, in particular during the russian revolution
- as i studied the russian revolution, i decided to make cards based on russian concepts (like samorost) or russian fairy tales (such as the firebird)
- i wanted to make a game that didn't have physical, but instead had "spiritual" battles, particularly because i was into chris crawford at the time and had just played his excellent game the legacy of siboot, which had spiritual battles in the dream state rather than physical battles
- i thought that rasputin was an interesting figure (i had read biographies of him) and wanted to make a game which starred him as a major character
- i was into prokofiev's music and wanted to make a game that had his music in it, or remixes of his music
- i got the idea of 7 characters that compete against each other and which the player can choose one of from the 7th saga (a snes rpg)

each of these ideas arose somewhat separately, but it wasn't until i put them together in a (to me) interesting way that i had a design for a game

i have about a baker's dozen of such game designs "ready" for me to make, i plan to make some if not all of them, it's just that i spend so many years making one of my ideas that i never have time to make the others

also, what richard kain said is correct: make sure you write down your ideas and don't try to intentionally "brainstorm" from them, if you do other things enough you'll naturally come up with more ideas that you know what to do with. ideas come when you are doing other things, like, as i mentioned in my case, things like reading biographies of rasputin

[Destral]

There are many ways to get ideas, depending on what it is you want to do.

You can start with a character, and then build the world around them. Who are they, what kind of world do they live in, what kind of activities do they do? Answering all of these questions gives you an idea of what type of game it's going to be, what the environment is going to be like, etc. For example, you might want to tell the story of a non-violent monk and their travels across a war-torn world on a pilgrimage to a holy place. This gives you a basis for the premise and mechanics of the game - non-violent conflict resolution, either through conversation, investigation, puzzle solving, or all three.

You can start with a world. What kind of world do you want to create? A futuristic Utopia that is threatened by a natural disaster? Or a primordial one where survival of the fittest is the only law? Or anything in between? From there, you can establish who lives in that world, the nature of the conflict that exists in it, and the player's role.


You can start off with a theme. Whether it's "People shouldn't be jerks on the internet" or "Football (Soccer) is the King of Sports" or "There is a better way to coexist with the world". A phrase that describes what the core message of the game is. From there, ask yourself "What situation can best be used to convey this message to the player?", and once you've found your ideal format, make a game that conveys that message in the way you feel is most effective.

You can start with a mood. "Happy Sunshine and Rainbows!" will necessarily (or not) yield a game with bright colours, with an optimistic protagonist (or group of protagonists) who group together to convey a sense of teamwork and hope. Perhaps the game requires you to use each character's special themed powers to solve puzzles or overcome obstacles. A "Despair" game will likely require a muted pallette, and a setting that pits the player against possibly unsurmountable odds. If you have a subtheme of 'hope in the face of inevitable doom', that give you an idea of a really dark world with a single source of light that the player needs to somehow keep alight. Any emotion can be the basis for the mood of your game.

You can start with an abstract idea. "Digital Art" might lead you to create a game where you beg, bribe, and otherwise convince several talented digital artists to contribute art to your game. Perhaps each artist is in charge for the art assets of one level, or one set of levels, and the game is essentially a tour through different artistic styles that you find interesting.

I'd recommend you read "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud. While the book is aimed at people who write and draw for comic books, the ideas therein apply really well to games too. Also, the entire book is a comic, and it's pretty effing amazing.

In the end it's about what game YOU want to make, and why. Do you want to make a game that makes you rich? Then you have to make it accessible and appealing to people who are only tangentially interested in games. Do you want to make a game that is remembered for its insane difficulty? Do you want to make a name for yourself as an auteur, or someone who tackles serious real world issues through games? Do you just want to learn how games work?

What do YOU want to do with games?

[gimymblert]

it's less a creative issue than an inexperience issue, You have no frame of reference, either to create something "new" or "old". You just don't really see the detail of a structure and value associate with it.

[Theophilus]

For example, VVVVVV has gravity flipping, Braid has time manipulation, Fez has world shifting/flipping, and And Yet it Moves has world rotation.

And Neon Strikers has hue shifting.


On a serious note, here are some ways to get inspired.

-Never stop thinking. Just observe things, ask questions to yourself, count things, look at the colors, think about things as wide as the universe is and as microscopic as things can be, and think of everything in between. A lot of times you need a change of scenery to induce new thoughts, so

-Take a walk. Nobody wants to be cramped inside all day. Bonus points if you can do it while it's raining, snowing, or just weather you don't see often. Be sure to think while doing this. Think of the actions things do, the rules they must follow, and what it would be like to not follow these rules. Think of the consequences. This of games you could play while walking - count the number of cars you see or try to walk to the rhythm of a song. If you get tired of walking, you could

-Take it easy and have a cup of tea. Sometimes stress gets in your way, pressure can make you not think. Overthinking is just as bad as not thinking enough. Relax and get some thoughts out of your head.

-Doodle, and see what comes out.

[kamac]

I wish someone was tallented enaught to create some creative games.

Like virtually building your own console (4-bits, 8-bits, etc.). Then be able to develop for that console (all consoles should support 2d i guess).

Or some system maker game (anything really. Creative).

[s0]

My basic inspiration for making games is usually " wouldn't it be cool if a game like THIS existed?" or "I want to try and make a game in THIS style!"
I start out with a basic premise and work out the details as I go along. I never post in the "pitch your game" thread or most other threads about game ideas because I don't plan my games like that. It's one of the advantages of working solo.

The issue isn't so much getting ideas but getting ideas I'm enthusiastic about.

[rivon]

as i studied the russian revolution, i decided to make cards based on russian concepts (like samorost) or russian fairy tales (such as the firebird)

Samorost is not Russian. Its Czech...

[thewojnartist]

My current game projects somehow evolved from a character I had drawn; Neither of them were actually made with the intention of being involved in a video game.

Same here...except the ideas I get stay in my head, unfortunately 

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

as i studied the russian revolution, i decided to make cards based on russian concepts (like samorost) or russian fairy tales (such as the firebird)

Samorost is not Russian. Its Czech...

sorry, was a typo, i meant sobornost (i always get those words confused)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sobornost

i think the words sound similar because both languages are slavic languages (do slavic languages share similar vocabulary the way romantic languages do?)