This week we talked about the structure, procedural rhetoric, and some ideas for games and game design. In Conceptualization of Game Design Workshop, Tracy Fullerton talks about the origin of ideas when it comes to design. “Great ideas come from great input into your mind and senses. Living a full life- full of curiosity, interesting people, places, thoughts, and events- is the starting point to being a person full of ideas (Fullerton 165).” This was something that we also covered in class during our brainstorming session where we all came up with a game idea, no matter how simple or mundane, based off of something we had experienced that day. If something as simple as our everyday lives could inspire a game, unique experiences and thoughts could inspire something greater.

Fullerton also mentions something I think is very important, which is drawing inspiration from sources other than games. “Use your interest in something other than games to fill your mind with potential ideas.” This is something I so, so, so very much agree with, and I cannot stress that feeling enough. This permeates to not just game design, but also game critique. I cannot recall how many times I have heard the phrase “This [game] is the ‘Dark Souls’ of [insert genre].” When describing a game idea, I believe it is fine to draw inspiration from a game, but it should only go that far; if the game can be described using another game, I feel it has become far too reliant on the source. For instance, using Dark Souls as an example, I can name several games that simply is “Dark Souls but [x].” The Surge is Dark Souls but futuristic, Code Vein is Dark Souls but for people of culture anime, Lords of the Fallen is Dark Souls but bad medieval; these games simply use too many similar features and become so reminiscent of one another that they can be described almost in its entirety as such.

Using what we learned about the themes and structure of games (story, mechanic, setting(?)), I feel there has to be some deviation in thinking. There is only so much “inspiration” before it becomes a poor attempt at a homework copy with some answers changed. “Vary the method. Don’t rely on just one method for brainstorming (Fullerton 168).” I wholeheartedly agree because there are so many sources to pull inspiration from, it’s just a matter of seeing them.

Sources

Fullerton, Tracy. Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games; Third Volume