Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design, 2nd Edition

Level 2

Ideas

LET’S TALK ABOUT making video games. To most people, making a video game is a mystery. The average party conversation goes like this:

At this point in the conversation, I tell the person that games are made by elves. (Sometimes it’s just easier to tell someone a fantasy answer than explain what I do for a living.) However, a question people ask that is easier to answer is: “Where do your ideas for games come from?”

Ideas: Where to Get Them and Where to Stick Them

Every good idea borders on the stupid.

—Michel Gondry¹

I like this quote because many game ideas often sound stupid. Try these on for size:

• A yellow creature eats dots while being chased by ghost monsters.
• A plumber jumps on the heads of mushrooms to find his girlfriend.
• A prince rebuilds stars by rolling balls of junk into bigger balls of junk.

All those stupid-sounding ideas ended up being games that made lots and lots of money. I guess they aren’t so stupid after all. To me, the lesson is, never dismiss a game idea, even if it does sound stupid.

So, where do I get my own stupid ideas to turn into video games? The traditional way to get an idea is to get inspired. The good news is that a good game idea can come from anywhere. Here is a list of things I do to get inspired. I suggest you try them yourself the next time you need to come up with an idea.

1. Cram your head. I find the process of creation goes ...