In the world of PUBG, Fortnite, Color Switch, The Line Zen, Sky, or The Pit, how will you come up with a game idea that will catch the gamers’ attention?
Making action-oriented, entertaining games that will make people insane is not a cherry-pick task. You’ll be challenged, irritated, and pushed through different opinions.
But the best part is, you’ll be creating.
When figuring out a game idea, you can try different techniques, like you can tweak an already-popular game to make it more exciting, incorporate AI or VR into old games, or start from scratch with mind mapping.
In this guide, you will learn some stellar techniques to generate a competitive game idea.
1. Observe the World
You have to be observant of the world to come up with game ideas as the world has many things to consider and connect the dots. There are many bizarre people in the world who do really weird things, and sometimes it turns out great!
Steve Jobs once said,
"Creativity is simply connecting things. If you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty as they didn’t really do it; they just saw something and found a connection in those things that will make sense to people after a while."
If you want to generate game ideas, you have to be creative and learn to connect things. Pay attention to all the little details around your environment, how people interact with each other, look at the treetops, the clouds, clothes tumbling in the dryer, virtually anything.
You never know when anything sparks an idea for your next game (a new
background, theme, character, or an exciting gameplay concept.)
background, theme, character, or an exciting gameplay concept.)
As you continue practicing being observant, you will find your creativity level spike.
2. Mind Mapping
Mind mapping can help visualize the storyboard for your next game; it enables you to determine where you will use images, colors, and words to connect your ideas.
To mind map a potential game idea, take a piece of paper, pen, crayons, or markers. Pick your game niche or type, such as a puzzle, arcade, action, racing, etc., and write it down in the center of the paper. Circle your game niche or type and start connecting things with the main circle by drawing a line. Write down every possible element you want in your game, such as the features, background element, character, sounds, effects, lives, game mechanics, or any other detail.
Write each element idea in a different color and keep brainstorming those ideas until you get a beautiful map of the next buzzing game concept.
If you want to automate your mind mapping process instead of using paper and colors, you can use apps like Mindly, iMindQ, Mind Vector, and MindMeister.
3. Find the Lead Character Of the Game
We all remember the iconic gaming characters of our childhood, like Mario, Sonic the hedgehog, Lara croft, Donkey Kong, Ken, just to name a few.
Choosing the lead character is the most crucial thing as it will make your game iconic for years to come. When you select the main character first, you will come up with a smart game idea much quicker.
Your main character can be anything: a person, object, creature, a weapon, or a particular place. Try to think up multiple scenarios in which your character would interact and respond.
4. Books Can Help
Books can be your best bet when it comes to brainstorm game ideas. Think about your favorite book. Was it Dang? Or was it Malazan Book of the Fallen? Maybe Wheel of Time? Whichever is your favorite, recall the elements that you find appealing.
It can be a particular character, a scene, a goal, a destination, or any action.
5. Visit Your Nearest Toy Store
The legendary game designer John Newcomer has contributed heaps of video game titles since 1981. In an interview, he shared his thoughts about what inspired him to get into games.
He said,
"I wanted to be a toy or game inventor. I took apart every toy I could get my hands on to see how it worked. I went to toy stores often and memorized every toy made shown in catalog wish books like Montgomery Wards and Sears. Bobby Fischer heavily inspired me on the game front, and I was an exceptionally competitive chess junkie.
This gave me an excellent ability to understand the strategy, plotting attacks, and defenses. I also played Monopoly and poker to understand the perfect blend of probability and skill. Knowing these basics gave me an edge when I shifted to video games and helped me in tweaking AI, designing levels, and overall balance. It also allowed me to be well rounded and not just tied to one genre. I was at home with any genre."
You can take inspiration from the toys and games you play by following John Newcomer’s strategy.
6. Become Active in the Gaming Community/Forums
Joining the gaming community will help spark your creativity and generate new game ideas. It’s an untapped resource that developers need to take benefit of. When you’re involved in the conversation related to gaming, ideas automatically come to you as there are many experienced game developers who can help you with your next big gaming idea.
Join community or forums related to tech and gaming and actively participate in the related threads. Browse different message boards related to gaming, find inspiration, start a poll to ask people what they like or don’t like, learn tips, get guidance, network, and collect loads of useful feedback from gamers and peers.
7. Think Outside the Box
The future of games lies in on-demand technology. Think of the ideas that use tremendous advances in tech to stay competent in the future of gaming. Technologies like:
- facial recognition,
- voice recognition,
- photo-realistic textures,
- virtual reality,
- augmented reality,
- crypto gaming,
- blockchain,
- cloud gaming,
- wearable gaming,
- or mobile gaming.
Stay updated with the latest tech so you can come up with a great gaming idea.
Where to Go From Here
You have come up with a show-stopping game idea, now what will you do? Obviously, you will build and launch your game.
But do you have the assets to build a lucrative game? If you don’t have a budget, you can share your gaming idea with platforms like Kwalee, PWAY, and Buildbox to develop your game.
BuildBox is a no-code game maker software that will help people develop their games without coding. Buildbox will publish their game with Kwalee’s publishing platform.
If you have a development team or a game idea but don’t have the funding, you can share your idea with PWAY and let them build your game, and once your game becomes viral, you will get the profit from your game idea. There are many other platforms that provide game developers an opportunity to share their game ideas. All you need to do is a thorough research of the market.
Don’t make the mistake of putting together the game concept in a rush.
Take your time and make it feel professional and successful so investors or publishers want to be involved.