You’ve got a case of Red Bull in the minifridge to your right. You’ve got a box of freshly-delivered pizza to your left. And you’ve got Flash open on your computer, waiting to be used. You’ve got everything you need to create an award winning, world changing game. There’s only one problem — you don’t have any ideas.
This is the classic problem that all aspiring Flash developers face at some point in their career. It doesn’t matter how skilled you are at Actionscript and how talented you are at animation; if you don’t have any ideas for your game, nothing will happen.
Many people will suggest finding a game that you enjoy, and imitating it. This works, do a degree. However, you will find that, invariably, what separates a good game from a great game is its originality. No, you don’t have to invent your own genre, but players like a bit of variety in their diet, so to speak. The one exception to this appears to be tower defense games, but even that craze is, finally, cooling down.
So, you ask, if not by copying someone else, how do you think of an idea for a game? Well, before you start brainstorming, you have to ask yourself a question. What does your customer (a gamer) want in a game?
The answer: satisfaction.
Let’s examine this point. Think to yourself: what is satisfying to me in real life? Small things, such as how nice it feels to knock over a tower of Legos or the way it feels when a basketball swishes through the net, should come easily to mind. If these things are satisfying in real life, chances are they will be fun to do in a game.
So, let’s pretend that you love knocking over towers of blocks. The way they fall and scatter is simply golden to you. Start thinking about how this could be turned into a game. Perhaps you could create some sort of rolling ball game, where you attempt to knock over a castle by smashing into it. Perhaps not, but the point is that you are thinking now.
Perhaps you doubt that the ’satisfaction’ route truly works. However, you need only look at the plethora of “Falling Sand” games that, at one time, dominated the internet, to see it in action. Dropping sand out of your hand and watching it pile up pleases us at some primal level.
One interesting idea that comes readily to my mind is the behavior of animals. Ants, for example, use chemical pheromones to send signals and lay trails for the other ants. If you were able to simulate this, you would have a strong basis for a game. How, you might ask?
It’s simple. Once you have created a simulation that runs on its own, all you have to do is add in some element of control. In the ant example, this could be the player controlling one of the ants and choosing which scent to drop behind them. The other ants would respond to the signals, putting their safety in your hands. You would have to lead them through perilous backyard territory, avoiding pitfalls such as hoses and magnifying glasses.
My point, summarized, is that, in the end, if the player isn’t satisfied the game is a failure. You could do much worse than pandering to their satisfaction, and their satisfaction only, without regard to other aspects of the game. So, if you are ever short of a ideas, you need only think about what pleases you. Chances are, it will please others, too.
