How to be innovative?

Malena Rose Features

Innovation and creativity are the lifeblood of the gaming industry. For game design students like us, finding that next big idea can feel both exciting and daunting, and you shouldn’t feel pressured because of that!

Player experience first

So, if you are feeling stuck because you can’t come up with innovative ideas for your next game… Just forget about it completely. I mean literally ignore innovation. What you should focus on in the beginning, is not finding THE idea for the best game story. Instead, start with the player experience. What do you want your players to feel when they are playing your game? If you focus on the emotions and experiences that you aim to evoke, you will have a strong foundation for your game concept, that you can work around and fill with little snippets of story, environment and setting decisions.

Forget genres!

The concept of genres is both a blessing and a curse. It makes communication easier when trying to define a game, but on the other hand it also limits you, because you get that illusion of only being able to stay in that one genre, like a box. If you produce a new game, try to forget about genres and think outside the box. No one is telling you that a stealth game can’t also be rhythm-based. Or a horror game, but you are the monster. You can experiment with unusual pairings and that can lead to very innovative ideas!

Draw inspiration from everywhere

Inspiration doesn’t only come from playing other games. Also look into, movies and TV shows, books and comics, art and music, or even real life events or places. While you are walking through life, just collect all kinds of inspiration snippets or ideas and keep them in a journal or mood board.

Break down existing games

Analyze games you love (and even ones you don’t). Dissect their mechanics, pacing, storytelling, and visuals. Identify what works and why, as well as what could be improved. Then, think about how you could reimagine these elements in your own way.

Limit yourself

It may sound counterintuitive, but setting boundaries can actually boost creativity. Limitations force you to think outside the box and can lead to more focused and innovative ideas. Try designing a game with only two buttons, build a story around a single character with a unique ability, or thing of one specific key item, and imagine the surrounding story.

There are so many fun ways to go about this, almost as if you were at a game jam.

Malena Rose
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