Brainstorming
When coming up with ideas, I like to brainstorm. To brainstorm properly, you need the following five things:
- A working brain
- Something to write with
- Something to write on
- A place to work
- Collaborators, preferably ones who also have working brains
Before you start brainstorming, you need to set some ground rules. First, there is no such thing as a stupid or bad idea. Say yes to everything at this stage. Make sure you collaborate with people from other disciplines than game design—programmers, artists, testers, writers. The more diverse your brainstorming group is, the better.7 People always surprise me with what they bring to the idea creation process.
Think about all the things you want your game to be. Then write them down. Your goal is to free associate an idea as far as it can go. Milk the idea completely. When you have reached the ridiculous, squeeze it once more and let it go. Here are some of the notes from one of my brainstorming sessions:
As you can...