LET’S TALK ABOUTmaking 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?”
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.
Cram your head. I find the process of creation goes ...
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