Sparks of Inspiration >> Where Do Game Ideas Come From

I think I've seen this question a few times on these boards. Actually, I think I even author'd it one time!! Exciting Times Indeed!

I read educational material and get ideas and theories for games through it.

Usually I think of an awesome mechanic and then build a game around it. The problem I'm finding is that it's hard to make the game feel complete and full using this method. It's hard sometimes to fit a theme to a mechanic.

I also get ideas from pooping. It's amazing what you can think of while pooping.

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I've only done this one time, but it was a really cool experience - for one of the GDS contests here, the theme was something along the lines of "stacking animals" (I'm pretty sure they didn't have to stack, but it's what I thought of). I envisioned totem poles immediately. I asked my wife, who's a teacher, what tribes were known for totem poles. She immediately said "Tlingit", having just given her kids the assignment of researching various tribes.

So for the first time ever, I did RESEARCH. And it was really cool! I learned a bunch of stuff about their building of totem poles, where they're from, their spiritual beliefs, and so on, and almost everything I read made a perfect tie-in to a game. I included "yeks" in the game, which are their animal spirit guides. I chose the animals for the poles based on which animals were important to them. I made "Shaman cards" with special powers, and each power (except one, which just sounded appropriate and fulfilled a game function) came directly from Tlingit myths. I think some got chopped out for space before I posted it, and because they didn't work so well in testing. I learned so many dozens of different stories, I was disappointed I couldn't use any more of them. In fact, I ended up coming up with several other game ideas based on what I found. I also chopped out some informative exposition from the game overview.

It's really fun, and I may very well do it again someday. Some of the stuff you find when you research is practically a pre-written game rule, ripe for the plucking.

So yeah, researching stuff can really lead to finds. In general and along that vein, I tend to have my theme and "story" of the game, and that drives the mechanics. Another GDS entry I made, about making alumni association calls, developed a bunch of mechanics because of the theme (trying to make calls and getting busy signals if two players call at the same time, getting special powers like cheap rates and free evenings from a 'calling plan' you've signed up for). For me, it's all about digging into the theme and seeing what's in there.

I'm not sure why or how I got into game designing. I've done a little thinking about this kind of thing ever since I was a kid. I used to want to play Dungeons and Dragons, and crete the adventures, etc. I played a decade of competetive magic and really enjoyed the deckbuilding aspect - and was pretty good at it. Many times one of my 'crazy' deck ideas ended up reflecting the pro tour champion decks, much later than my version.

About three years ago, I sort of tried to make a game. It didn't go very far and I never even got back to it. However a couple summers ago my friend Mohan told me he was interested in making a game. He told me about the basic concepts, but he had no rules or mechanics at all. I spent the weekend thinking about little else, and when he came over on Monday I had a practiaclly complete (mechanically) version of his game! He was suprised, but he liked some of it, and we worked on it together all summer and came up with a playable game: 8/7 Central (see GDW thread - it was game #3).

I found this website right about the time I tried to make that first game, and I was very entertained and interested in the whole thing. It's proven to be a great place to hang out, and game design has proven to be a very fun hobby. I'm really thrilled that I can play games like All For One and Terra Prime with people and see that hey work and are fun. I'm really excited about even the possibility that All For One might one day be published, and people might play it and enjoy it.

I get inspiration mostly from other people's ideas, really. As anyone who's been here a while can tell you, All For One - the game I've put the most time into, and that I talk about all the time on here - was actually not my idea at all. David Brain (Scurra on these boards) mentioned a Three Musketeers game and I thought it sounded really, really cool. to me it had that spark as something that was interetsting and exciting and could really work. David was kind enough to send me a prototype of the game, which I played with my friends. Before I played it, I had a million ideas as to how it could be made better/streamlined/modified, but I had promised to play it by his rules first. Sadly, noone liked the game by the then-current rules, including me. However, I tried it again later with my modifications, and it really felt more like the game I thought it could be. After much discussion and brow beating, I got David to agree with my ideas, and we both worked on refining it from there. Now it's in the trictrac design contest and was one of 19 selected out of 279 entries for Days of Wonder and Asmodee to consider publishing, and I think I speak for both Scurra and I when I say it's been very fun developing the game, and the game itself is quite fun too!

- Seth

I am a game player. I grew up with an extended family that never got together without a game. Cards, boardgames, word games, you name it. Several years ago, I started noting the mechanics of the games I was playing. I started really recognizing what I enjoyed about a particular game, and what was missing from games that I didn't enjoy. One day I had an enlightened moment and thought that I could create a SUPER-GAME that included all of my favorite elements. I quikly remembered the story of Frankenstein's Monster and decided that I should start smaller. So I took some of my favorite mechanics... and invited them over to play my game (ok, that wasnt that funny). Really, I stirred up several of my favorite games and came up with something that at least seems original. I will list just a few inspirations.

I assume most of you have played Acquire.http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/5 I really loved trying to keep track of everyone's stock count. You are absolutly positive that you have the majority, only to discover you miscounted after you place the merger tile. I tried to include card counting in my game.

We used to play a game called Warior Knights. I am sure we never played the correct rules, but there was a favorite "Assembly Round" http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/1143 Each player was allowed to vote on several topics. I started thinking about how a game could evolve as players voted on the rules. I was determined to have evolving rules in my game.

My brothers insisted on playing Risk. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/181 I hated that game. I could never roll the dice well enough to win. I was sure my strategy was superior, but I could never win. I decided my game would not have any dice. RANDOM SUCKS! The other thing I hated about Risk, was I always knew I would lose about six hours before the game ended. Why on Earth would that be enjoyable? I wanted to have a game where everyone (or most players anyway) thought they had a chance up until the end.

I can't remember the name, but I played a game at a friend's house where everyone had a good guy, and also controled a bad guy. The good guy walked around doing good things while avoiding the bad guys. And you could move your bad guy around, trying to make it harder on your opponent's good guys. That was my true inspiration to my theme. I created Mobsters, with the ability to bribe and put cops on their payroll.(see how I just reversed it and called it original?)

I could go on, but I really need to work on this months challenge game. That has been the personal challenge I have gotten out of this forum. I want to work on my creative skills and the short time frames are great for that. I still find myself referring to my favorite games of the past and present. I hope I add enough to them to call them original. I think I do. Thanks to everyone here for giving me a chance to share and soak up your experiences.

Remember to vote for my game on this month's challenge. You will never guess that mine is the "hungry hungry snowman" entry (just kidding)