Discover Your Idea

So, how do you come up with a good game idea? Well, that is the million-dollar question now, isn’t it?

The best advice I can give is to use your imagination and recall your past gaming experiences. While I’m not encouraging you to copy or steal other games—please, don’t do that—I am encouraging you to look at the games you enjoy playing, whether it be in the past or present, and think about how you can add your own spin to make it uniquely yours.

You can also look at movies, books, and other non-video game–related material. For example, if you’re a horror fan, like me, maybe you want to make a game that includes zombies or demons. Or, perhaps you like science fiction. In that case, you may want to make a space-related game where the player gets to explore strange new worlds.

Whatever your idea is, run with it…play with it…enjoy it. And, when you’re ready to turn that idea into a playable game, you’re ready to make a plan.