So I’ve been using unity for almost a year, and came to a point where I want to make games and have somewhat the skills to make on too, but I have no ideas at all 
So if you have any tips on how to come up with any game ideas, please tell me (preferably 2D or puzzle games for mobile)
I had an idea for a casual puzzle game but I discarded the project since I want to get out of the puzzles zone in the future, so I might as well share.
I assume you’ve played 2048? Imagine a grid with similar swiping mechanics, except that the grid isn’t randomly generated, it’s pre-filled by the developer and level based.
Instead of numbers, you have shapes with different colours. You can either match by shape or by colour. The goal is to have only one tile remaining at the end of the game.
e.g.
If the user swipes left. The square will eat the orange triangle (based on colour match) and then the user is stuck with a square and a triangle that cant match, and therefore loses.
If the user swipes right, the triangle eats the square (based on colour match again) and then swipes up or down and one of the triangles will eat the other (based on shape match). There will only be one shape remaining and the user wins.
Of course, above is a simple example. Add limited amount of moves. Maybe stars/medals based on moves used? Picture bigger grids, special blocks, etc.
I haven’t invested much more thought in the idea other than what’s presented here, but I’m sure there are ways to make this entertaining while remaining casual.
Edit: Just now realized you asked for tips on how to forge ideas rather than actual ideas. Oops:sweat_smile:
2 Likes
I’ll be honest, if you can’t come up with ideas on your own you may struggle actually completing something, unless you can gain some ownership over an idea someone else gave you.
But anyway, this thread on here is full of ideas.
1 Like
Or use a generator.
3 Likes
Call of Battlefield 2D platformer
1 Like
Then it’s time to move on and try other hobbies. Otherwise it won’t be fun. If it’s for business and you still have no ideas, try cloning popular titles.
Or join a team that does have ideas. Because this forum is packed with ideas-people.
4 Likes
Gotta agree with this. I think with most developers the opposite is true, we have way more ideas than time to execute them.
7 Likes
Adding on to this some people find their inspiration through activities that are unrelated to game development. If you find you can’t come up with ideas then it may be best to simply take a break from Unity and try something new.
3 Likes
Have you read the devmag articles on puzzle game design?
Leo Widritch has some interesting thoughts on creativity you might find useful too. If nothing else it’ll help explain why people are suggesting doing something else 
1 Like
There are a lot of people who struggle with ideas or at least good ideas so don’t feel bad about that.
It sounds like you enjoy game dev the actual work part of it but no so much the games part? Maybe?
If that is the case then I think what someone above said about making some clones is a great option for you. Pick something very simple such as Space Invaders or any of the many classic games from that time. Then build your version of it.
What this will do is give you a predefined structure for the design and you can just focus on spot ideas. Great ideas often start with great questions.
In this scenario some questions could be…
-
How can I change this theme to make it fresh? (Because it doesn’t need to be a tank/ship fighting a wave of aliens)
-
What is one cool skill I could give to the player as a temporary powerup that would add a lot to the game play experience?
-
What are the simplest things I can do to juice up the game the most? (always good to get in habit of thinking about the most bang for the buck)
And so forth. That may be enough to get your own ideas flowing. If not you can make something very cool and then with that completed game under your belt you may be able to work with / for other people where they come up with the ideas and you develop them.
2 Likes
Why not work for someone else? That way you get to do the bits you like, and you can leave the idea and design work to people who are good at that side.
I come up with ideas by wanting to play a certain type of game, searching if such a game exists, and then determining the game doesn’t actually exist yet, or at least this unique variation I want to play doesn’t exist. This also helps with the market research you should be doing, in that you’ve already at this point established a potential hole in the market your game could fill with relatively little competition.
Another benefit is with regard to motivation. You’ll be far more likely to finish your project if you’re actually motivated by wanting to play it yourself. The hardest part of game development is completing the project. Starting on a game and getting it to a minimally playable state is surprisingly the easiest part.
You can just do variations on other 2d games you enjoy. Your game doesn’t have to be totally original, just put a new spin on something. For instance, look at all the variations to tower defense. Do they have to be towers? What different types of creature would be interesting? How about if they came from different directions each time?
Flappy bird was popular for a while, what other creature could you move with a tap? There’s also nothing wrong with doing a clone for a start and then making changes afterwards, or just making a clone and moving on just to get working on something.
1 Like
Just pick a game and clone it. Why is an original idea necessary? If you have the skill you can do a better job at something that has already been done.
Besides, once you get cracking on it you’ll probably start to get ideas of what else you can do with it.
1 Like
Ideas come from momentum of thought. A creative person is only creative because they seek creativeness and surround themselves in both physical and mental creative activities for long enough to achieve a momentum of something.
Just start doing stuff and trust me it’ll come, or don’t. Play games that make you feel inspired or happy. Doodle, even if it sucks. Get the mental juices flowing and at one point you’ll wish you could have a little less ideas (probably not).
Starting is the hardest part. Do something, and eventually an idea just seems right and clicks. Go for that one.
2 Likes
Feed ideas into your life to restart the flow of ideas out of it.
If you’re simply starved for ideas, play some games, have some experiences that are close to the one you think you’d like to make, or go back to games that really got you in a creative frame before. This can refocus your vision and help you see the end goal.
If you’re stuck, and can’t think of anything new, seek new experiences. Put games down and read a book you wouldn’t normally read. Watch something you wouldn’t normally watch, pick up a new skill, do something new to you. The way that it stretches your brain will make it easier to be creative. Gaining a new way of looking at the world will show you what experiences you could build a game around.
2 Likes
No, you err. It’s impossible that you have no ideas. You rather have too many, what you lack is time to do all you want, and motivation.
Tackle the problem as why you can’t choose an idea right NOW, rather than having “no ideas”.
Making a game is a big long term commitment, so surely you want to be extra careful what you choose to make, but paradoxically your indecision makes you waste time.
2 Likes
I’ve been suffering from a similar kind of problem for a long time, so I know that it’s very possible that one can lack artistic inspiration while being good at technical or critical side of the art.
I only imagine that those who seem to be teeming with artistic ideas and inspiration to be born with such a talent and it must feel natural to them. I assume it might be difficult for them to understand why some people seem to be struggling with something they can do so naturally without too much effort.
I know this, because I was fortunate to be gifted in learning technical stuffs which feels so natural to me. Believe it or not, I’ve never had to spend more than a couple of days at most to learn any new programming languages, frameworks, or tools like Unity. As such, I can’t really understand why some people seem to have much trouble learning those things, so I just assume it must be something similar to the trouble I have with having original ideas and artistic inspiration.
I’m not really boasting or anything, and I really hope the OP’s problem isn’t as extreme as mine because it can be really frustrating, and can even make you feel depressed.
I’m only mentioning this because some people seem to have difficulty in understanding how can someone have much trouble in coming up with ideas when it must be the easiest part for them.
I’ve read all those replies with interest, and I’m determined try to follow some of them myself. But still, I’m a bit skeptical that they could solve my problem so easily, because I’ve tried all my life without much success.
I just wanted to say that it’s very possible someone can struggle with having original ideas while one doesn’t have much trouble in learning technical aspects in executing them.
1 Like
Yeah, I honestly believe that some people are just naturally creative/intuitive and others are logical/analytical. Now, I’m not saying that this is an absolute either/or type of thing. There are probably many ratios of creative vs logical. However, for the most part people will fall into one of those categories.
I’ve been good at art all my life. I have more ideas than I can even find the time to write down, let alone actually implement.
Learning programming has been doable for me, but a bit of a struggle sometimes, and I probably won’t ever become truly great. I can do enough to get by, but that’s it. Learning programming is generally slow for me, and I keep finding myself asking “why does it work like this?” I don’t like tutorials that just go over stuff without saying why. It’s like okay, now for this we have to use the “new” keyword, and I’m thinking, okay…why? If tutorials leave out stuff like this, I get annoyed.
But anyway, yeah I just think some people are naturally going to have an easier time at something.
1 Like
There are scientific studies on how learning art develops the neural pathways used for art in the brain. I’m probably a better programmer than artist because of early negative feedback about my art (it had something to do with crayons and wallpaper if I recall correctly) but even so my artist side has improved when I needed it to. I fully believe I could get a lot better at art (and a lot of other things) if I put the time in to develop those skills. Studies like The artist emerges: Visual art learning alters neural structure and function just confirm what I’d deduced from my own experiences.
The brain does take the easy neural path by default, and it is hard work to overcome that but it is a little easier if you believe it is possible in the first place. There are studies on how belief in change being possible can improve academic results too.
Will I ever be as good an artist as someone who devotes all their time to it? No, I have other interests I give preference too, but is my potential the same if I was to commit that much? I believe so, and fully accept that my choices have determined my skills. Natural ability may have helped form my choices (early positive feedback), but practice and hardwork soon overtakes that and as the studies show, they can actually bring about physical changes to make me better at that task.
2 Likes