If you don’t have an interesting game idea, it will be a bad idea to spend millions on the best game developers and the best graphics to create an amazing game. After all, no game can be successful and people like it if your idea is not unique and attractive. The most important rule at the beginning of game development is a well-thought-out concept that makes your game stand out from the crowd.
In order to create the most interesting gaming concept, you can use special services or freelancers who have endless creativity with fascinating ideas and will help you make the right choice. In this way, you can look at the project from different angles and choose the best option for the game. However, going through the stage of idea creating using your own capabilities is also a good decision.
There are dozens of different ways to help you unleash your creativity. We have compiled a list specifically for game developers. Each of our tips will help you get your creativity back on track and make it easier for you to come up with an amazing game idea.
Play More
Only those who have played a lot of games can develop their gaming fantasies. You need to play not only games of interest to you but also games of other styles and genres in order to assess the capabilities of each of them. After all, when you are trying to come up with your unique idea for a game, the games are also one of the best ways to find inspiration. When you play, pay close attention to all the little things that make the game fun and unique. Take a little notebook and write down all the features, themes, color schemes, characters, effects, or gameplay mechanics that make each game stand out from the others.
Think about how you can integrate the features of the game you are playing into your project and how to perfect them. This will give you an impetus to make the right decision. By the way, you might be surprised, but most of the classics, like Mario Bros, were created by the same person or group of people. They became popular because of a good idea, not because of new-generation graphics or dynamic special effects. Of course, you can develop unforgettable game graphics, but we want to convey that an idea is many times more important than any beautiful picture.
Watch Gameplays on YouTube
Watching other people’s gameplay can be a completely non-obvious step at the beginning of game development and finding an interesting idea. Especially if you have a limited time and the concept needs to come up quickly. We believe that the search for a great game idea can take months, and for some years.
If the gameplay is too addictive and you can’t analyze it, you can compare how other people play. Try to analyze every game you play and pay attention to all the details that players don’t like. If a blogger passing the game talks about his dissatisfaction, pay attention to his complaint, write it down, and remember it to prevent this mistake in your project.
Often, people can tell their wishes about the gameplay, which can help you in creating your project. Besides, you can read forums or even game chats. Don’t forget that the game industry is growing fast and new projects are coming out every day. If you don’t try to track these changes, you might be missing out on important points.
Watch the World
Any information can lead you to incredible ideas. You need to try to go out more, visit beautiful places, watch more news and interesting videos. This is done in order to open up your imagination. Going outside, observe nature, think about how you can diversify it in your game and what features to implement. When you ask creative people how they came up with their product, they start to feel a little uncomfortable, because they didn’t come up with it, they just put it together from what they saw. This is one of the reasons why it is important to observe and analyze.
Start paying attention to all the little things. Pay attention to your surroundings, people, and all the little things that you usually don’t notice. Almost everything can be used as inspiration when you are fully aware of the processes taking place around you. You never know what might spark an idea for an interesting gameplay concept. Ask yourself if you can realize what you saw.
Notice Your Ideas
We consider it a very important step to writing down all our spontaneous thoughts. After all, when you once again look into your notebook, a unique game idea that will bring you success may visit you. Use a small notebook or phone app to write your ideas that pop into your head.
You also can keep a notebook with a pen wherever you go. You can use the sticky note on your phone to create a journal of ideas. Whichever method you choose, remember that it should be easily accessible and convenient for you. After all, you never know what ideas can come to you and when.
Do Market Research
The next important point is market research. You just need to open the App Store or any other platform where you plan to place your game in the future, find games in a similar style and genre, and then research them. You need to know what works and what idea is most interesting for people. Exploring charts and current trends will give you a slight edge and make it easier to find new ideas. To learn more about games, you can use Google or, as we said above, watch the gameplay of other players.
The statistics and analytics of each successful game will show you their potential audiences. From this data, you can conclude how people relate to games and what exactly attracts them. Analyze the features of the game and write any element that stands out. Study your notes and use them as a starting point for generating your game idea.
Come up with a Character
If you get stuck and can’t come up with an interesting game concept, you can use another route. Start in the middle of the game creation process and come up with a character first. Your character can be human, animal, or fictional. Think about what kind of world your character got into, what this environment looks like, and what situation he is in. Think about how your character will interact and react. This can give you unique insights that you just need to improve based on analysis of other successful games.
Read Books and Watch Films
Another tip is to read books. Books develop our imagination and make it easy to come up with new ideas. Perhaps from there, you can check out something worthwhile for your project. It doesn’t matter what exactly you read, because any book can develop your creativity, help you learn to think wider, and also replenish your vocabulary.
The same goes for watching movies. Why not turn your favorite movie or cartoon into a quality game? Or use the image and charisma of your favorite actor as the hero of your game? By the way, you also can analyze what characters are the most appreciated and create a similar character in your game. People remember the atmosphere of the game, as well as the temper of its characters.
Ask People
If your relatives or friends often play games, you can ask them what they think is the ideal game. Find out the opinions of several people and try to analyze them, perhaps you will find something in common. Moreover, they can give you some ideas for developing your own game. If you are not entirely sure of a concept that comes to mind, ask people what they think of it. If you are afraid that someone will steal your idea, you can ask an indirect question, but get valuable feedback. This will help you get an understanding of how you might come to success with your game idea.
Another option is to talk to people about the games you both played. Ask what game disadvantages caused negative emotions and how they can be changed or improved. This can save you from making gross mistakes in the development of the game concept.
Mind Mapping
It is often very difficult to put all your thoughts about developing a game together and see the whole picture. There is a special way for this. Mind mapping is a visualization technique of your ideas with use of words, images, and colors to connect your thoughts on a specific topic. Using this technique, you can quickly generate many different game ideas that you can implement in the future. It is also a fun way to organize your creative process.
You need a piece of paper, a pen, and some colored pencils. Choose a genre of the game and write it down in the center of a piece of paper, then circle it. Then start jotting down the main ideas, draw a line from the circled word to the genre of the game. These ideas can be a theme, function, environment object, game mechanic, character, effect, or any other detail. Try to write and outline each idea in a different color. You can even sketch the idea if you like. This is your Mind map. It will allow you to put all your thoughts together.
Join Gaming Community
The gaming community consists of thousands of players and developers. If you join it, you will receive a lot of new information, learn about different tricks in creating games, find interesting ideas, and people who are interested in helping you. Here you can find inspiration and valuable colleagues to help you sort out your search for a game idea. Visit various sites and read what other players and developers have discussed. Ask more questions. The gaming community is a valuable resource that developers should use.
Moreover, on various forums, you can find like-minded people or valuable specialists who can help you in the further development of the game.
Focus on Genre
If you are completely out of ideas, focus on the game genre. It can be hyper-casual, arcade, racing, puzzles, and any other style. The more specific the focus is, the easier it is to generate ideas. Try to pick a game genre that interests you and start generating ideas only in that category. After searching for ideas, look at other similar games in this category and look for ways to implement and improve them.
Take a Break
It’s no secret that there is a lot of work and you can get emotional burnout. To avoid this, you should take a break. Do what you love, read a book, walk in the park, or arrange a meeting with friends. Rest is essential to replenish energy and return to work full of energy. Moreover, you will be able to look at the case with a fresh eye and estimate it better. Perhaps during your vacation interesting ideas will come to you.
The Bottom Line
Every developer who starts developing a new project dreams of bringing to life a masterpiece that will impress the whole world. And the most important thing that makes the game special is its original idea. Even if you use the best specialists, the best engine, and create new generation graphics, and have a bad concept – your project is going to fail.
As you can see, there are dozens of methods for generating interesting ideas. These methods will be useful not only for novice developers, but also for concept specialists who have run out of creativity. Remember that creating games should be fun. If you are struggling to come up with ideas, take a deep breath, exhale, and relax. Play various games, be observant, use different methods of brainstorming, research, work within your constraints, and remember that ideas will come to you along the way.
