gamesecosse

Where game ideas come from...

Listening to a game development conference at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival certainly inspired me to continue endlessly pursuing my dream of working as a game designer. I have read countless job descriptions and personal quality lists online and in magazines with regard to the coveted position of game designer. They all of course say more or less the same thing, but there are sadly many people who still believe programming and design are the same thing. As it was stated at the conference, a designer should essentially be a "jack of all trades". Somebody who has many interests and has taken part in many different activities over the years.
It's true that this life experience is where creative ideas come from, in any media. Of course, a designer must be an avid gamer, but if that is all they do, then their ideas will be hopeless clones of existing titles. Apparently, Tōru Iwatani, the designer of the arcade classic Pacman, got the idea from working on his garden, watching insects and flowers in the grass! Similarly with the 'Octocamo' camouflage system in Guns of the Patriots, inspired by the blending characteristics of the octopus. I can see a wealth of ideas floating around which would make terrific games. With the industry, it's a question of getting a foot in the door...

posted by qmchaz64 @ 3:44 pm