Where do you get your ideas?" is the wrong question.
by Brian Colin · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 02/12/2007 (6:50 am) · 4 replies
(This was originally a response elswhere, but I thought it might be worth its own thread)
People are always asking us, "Where do you get your ideas?"
Ideas are the easy part.
The difficult part is taking a Game Idea and turning it into a Game Design.
The question should be, "Whats the difference between a Game Idea and a Game Design?"
My answer: A Game Idea invites Questions, a Game Design answers Questions.
Admittedly, game Development has gotten more complicated over the years.
But the Design Process; (uncovering answers, knowing what questions to ask),
is exactly the same as it ever was!
For me, it's always been about wanting to play something that doesn't exist yet.
I wanted to knock down buildings; so I came up with RAMPAGE.
My partner, Jeff, wanted to incorporate real basketball strategies into a game, so we came up with ARCH RIVALS.
We wanted fast-paced, squad-based combat, so we came up with GENERAL CHAOS.
For our most recent game, we started by looking at what's out there...
First-person shooters are fun, but the mindless mantra of "kill-or-be-killed" offers few surprises.
There are lots of strategic possibilities in huge RTS games, but who has that kind of time?
All too often, skill-based games lose their appeal once you've played them all the way through,
and they seldom offer any real challenge unless all players are evenly matched.
So we look at what's missing.
The game we want to play is something as fast and simple as a race, as dangerous and unpredictable as an FPS... something mentally challenging without being ponderous, unpredictable without being mindlessly random... and finally something that people with widely varying skill sets can enjoy together!
The game we want to play Doesn't Exist...
So that's how we define what we need to do.
That definition becomes the Game Design.
And 20 months or so later, the Game Design becomes a game.
In this case, Arctic Stud Poker Run. www.arcticstud.com
From a design standpoint, we believe it's much more than an action-packed free-for-all. Check it out & we think you'll discover an intensely addictive, mentally stimulating thrill ride filled with strategy, nuance, and depth.
Or not...?
Thats our Idea-to-Design-to-Development" story. Hopefully it will give those of you interested in the design process an insight or two.
Now I'd like to invite others who have successfully navigated the murky design process to share their stories; and perhaps answer the question..."Whats the difference between a Game Idea and a Game Design?"
People are always asking us, "Where do you get your ideas?"
Ideas are the easy part.
The difficult part is taking a Game Idea and turning it into a Game Design.
The question should be, "Whats the difference between a Game Idea and a Game Design?"
My answer: A Game Idea invites Questions, a Game Design answers Questions.
Admittedly, game Development has gotten more complicated over the years.
But the Design Process; (uncovering answers, knowing what questions to ask),
is exactly the same as it ever was!
For me, it's always been about wanting to play something that doesn't exist yet.
I wanted to knock down buildings; so I came up with RAMPAGE.
My partner, Jeff, wanted to incorporate real basketball strategies into a game, so we came up with ARCH RIVALS.
We wanted fast-paced, squad-based combat, so we came up with GENERAL CHAOS.
For our most recent game, we started by looking at what's out there...
First-person shooters are fun, but the mindless mantra of "kill-or-be-killed" offers few surprises.
There are lots of strategic possibilities in huge RTS games, but who has that kind of time?
All too often, skill-based games lose their appeal once you've played them all the way through,
and they seldom offer any real challenge unless all players are evenly matched.
So we look at what's missing.
The game we want to play is something as fast and simple as a race, as dangerous and unpredictable as an FPS... something mentally challenging without being ponderous, unpredictable without being mindlessly random... and finally something that people with widely varying skill sets can enjoy together!
The game we want to play Doesn't Exist...
So that's how we define what we need to do.
That definition becomes the Game Design.
And 20 months or so later, the Game Design becomes a game.
In this case, Arctic Stud Poker Run. www.arcticstud.com
From a design standpoint, we believe it's much more than an action-packed free-for-all. Check it out & we think you'll discover an intensely addictive, mentally stimulating thrill ride filled with strategy, nuance, and depth.
Or not...?
Thats our Idea-to-Design-to-Development" story. Hopefully it will give those of you interested in the design process an insight or two.
Now I'd like to invite others who have successfully navigated the murky design process to share their stories; and perhaps answer the question..."Whats the difference between a Game Idea and a Game Design?"
#2
Thanks!
(Looking up at the rambling, disjointed way I started this off, I have come to the realization that it is probably never a good idea to launch a new Thread after being up all night.)
02/13/2007 (12:31 am)
Clear, concise and to the point. Thanks!
(Looking up at the rambling, disjointed way I started this off, I have come to the realization that it is probably never a good idea to launch a new Thread after being up all night.)
#3
For the purposes of discussion, here are some other views that are mostly toungue in cheek, but may have a grain of truth:
Game Idea == Something that is completely worthless
Game Design == Something that is completely worthless, but you've spent 2 years working on
Game Idea == goin to mak me lodes of munee!!111!!11
Game Design == Huh? What?
Game Idea == The act of writing a 20 page pitch
Game Design == The act of writing a 100 page design doc after the pitch was accepted
Game Idea == The act of writing a 20 page pitch
Game Design == The sinking feeling after your employer has rejected the pitch for the 5th time and the decision that you might be better suited to the life of an indie
Game Idea == Something you came up with one night in the pub after 10 pints
Game Design == The sudden realization the morning after that the idea is only good after consuming vast quantities of alcohol
Or, the morning after consuming additional alcoholic beverages:
Game Idea ==
Game Design ==
;)
T.
02/13/2007 (1:17 am)
It's also never a good idea to post on forums when inebriated, but that's another story :)For the purposes of discussion, here are some other views that are mostly toungue in cheek, but may have a grain of truth:
Game Idea == Something that is completely worthless
Game Design == Something that is completely worthless, but you've spent 2 years working on
Game Idea == goin to mak me lodes of munee!!111!!11
Game Design == Huh? What?
Game Idea == The act of writing a 20 page pitch
Game Design == The act of writing a 100 page design doc after the pitch was accepted
Game Idea == The act of writing a 20 page pitch
Game Design == The sinking feeling after your employer has rejected the pitch for the 5th time and the decision that you might be better suited to the life of an indie
Game Idea == Something you came up with one night in the pub after 10 pints
Game Design == The sudden realization the morning after that the idea is only good after consuming vast quantities of alcohol
Or, the morning after consuming additional alcoholic beverages:
Game Idea ==
Game Design ==
;)
T.
#4
You really cut to the heart of it when you said...
"...refined or ditched before any significant effort has been spent on it."
Skip the design step, and there is a huge potential for wasted time and effort.
02/13/2007 (8:09 am)
All Too true!! You really cut to the heart of it when you said...
"...refined or ditched before any significant effort has been spent on it."
Skip the design step, and there is a huge potential for wasted time and effort.
Torque 3D Owner Tom Bampton
Game Design == A working Game in a Day style prototype
A prototype you can show to someone and they can say "oh, i get it" and immediately start providing useful ideas. If they don't immediately get it from the prototype then that's a good sign that the game idea sucks and thus the idea/design can be refined or ditched before any significant effort has been spent on it.
T.
Edit: Also, if you can't prototype it in a day or two then it's likely going to be a big game that may or may not be doable. If you can't prototype it in a week then it's likely too big for an indie team. Obviously, not hard and fast "rules," but good indicators of what you're getting yourself into.