Game Brainstorm

 

Image: Game Ideation Mindmap created using mindmup

Hello! Today we're going to get started with making some games. I started off by plotting down words, names or phrases and elements from other games in the personal mind-map I've created above. I found this brainstorming session useful as it got the juices flowing. By the end of the session I was able to come up with a few rough ideas based on my interests and just by correlating the words on the mind-map. 

I wasn't sure what sources to include with each game idea as I simply scribbled down the game idea without too much research. However, I decided to mention my interests and include links to other games that I've played which may have influenced the following ideas. 

Game Idea 1 - The Life of an Animal

 

For this game I picture the player controlling an animal in the wild. The game will be player vs environment. Therefore, the main objective of the game will be to survive in the wilderness by overcoming two kinds of obstacles. The first set of obstacles is created by the current ambient/ location e.g harsh weather, large rigid rocks, rapid rivers. The second set of obstacles is predators which can be considered as a more difficult obstacle (boss level). From what I have written so far, I   was initially thinking of the playable animal being a prey (perhaps a small creature such as a mouse.) Potentially, the player could play a set of different animals (including predators). However instead of giving player access to the entire roster of playable animals, they would need to earn them by passing through an obstacle stage of the game without dying. Should they succeed, they would be able to switch between animals at any given time. Each animal has its own perk which can aid the player in passing a stage of the game. Once each stage is completed, it will lead the animal back in the safety of its home. There will be various objects in the game that player can interact with to aid in their journey e.g. eating berries will restore a certain amount of health. 

 I’m a big animal lover (especially of dogs) and I remember as a kid I would play a game known as WolfQuest which came out around 2007. The game simulates the life of a wolf in the wild. At the time I thought it was fun game to play and I consider it an educational game as it helped me learn more about wildlife. 

 

 

Game Idea 2 - From  Dirty Squire to Gallant Knight

 

You are tired of being a squire with all its tedious and repetitive tasks - dressing the lord for jousts and battles, cleaning the lord’s armor and practicing on training dummies. You don't want to do the boring stuff. You want to be able to charge into battles, fight off the bad guys and save the damsel in distress (maybe even be part of the knights of the round table.)

 

In this game, the lady of the castle has been abducted by the enemy. You are a simple squire who hasn't yet reached knighthood. Despite this, you decide to take matters in your own hands. The objective of the game is to reach the enemy's hideout and defeat the enemy in order to rescue the damsel.

 

To help you in your mission you will have access to the weapons you practiced with in your training. These include a sword, lance and shield. However you will first start out with your wooden training sword and earn better weapons as you progress through the game. When defeating enemy knights you will also earn coins which you can use at a nearby market to buy health potions from Merlin or upgrade your armour. The location and environment will change as you progress and defeat enemies until you reach the hideout for the final battle.

Over the years I played a lot of mmorpg games such as Order and Chaos or Black Desert Online. My favourite class was always the knight/warrior class, or any class that incorporates the warrior element. I found some info about the life of knights in a history book I had at home - The Past Today, Second Edition by Dermot Lucey.

 

 

 

Game Idea 3 - Earning the Favour of the Gods

 

You're an average and rather weak human who signs up to the infamous ancient  Greek tournament of strength and perseverance which takes place every decade. The tournament is filled with stages each one more treacherous than the last.

 You must complete certain tasks for the gods to earn their favour. Each task is specific to a particular God.   Through participating in each task, you are being put to the test to see if you display the same feats and qualities of courage, bravery, passion, humility, wisdom, deceit that denotes to each God.

 If successful, you earn a trait specific to that of a  God. For example completing a task for Ares the god of war will earn additional strength. If you complete a task for Aphrodite the goddess of love you earn the charm trait. These traits will help you complete more difficult tasks further down the line. Once you've achieved them you'll be able to use them more than once and in different combinations.

 You will also earn badges by passing each stage. Collecting all the badges will earn you the favour of the Gods  where they will dub you victor of the tournament and grant you one divine wish.

 Tasks play out differently depending on the deity you're completing it for. For instance, you may need to go search for Apollo’s missing lyre, deliver an important message for Hermes, successfully complete a hunt to be deemed worthy by Artemis. 

Mythology was always something I was interested in. Although I may not know much a lot about it. I have read about Greek mythology on Wikipedia or watched videos on YouTube by Mythology and Fiction Explained

 

Game Idea 4 – Lost in Space

 

You are an astronaut lost in space. The cord that had tied you to your ship has snapped and now you’re left wandering aimlessly in the dark abyss. The objective of this game is to safely return to your spaceship before your oxygen runs out. There will be a timer on the side of your screen that will tell you how much time you have before oxygen runs out. An oxygen fuel bar will be displayed underneath to give the player a visual representation of the amount of oxygen left in the tank. But it won’t be smooth sailing in space just because there’s not water! There will be obstacles blocking your path, ranging from asteroid fields, abandoned space junk and the occasional extraterrestrial appearance.  So how are you going traverse through space without your spaceship? It’s simple. Float. Bounce. Dodge. Repeat. Obviously, due to the lack of gravity you will be mostly floating. However, when you get close to other floating objects in space such as junk and scraps from ships, you have the ability to bounce on them giving you a short temporary boost. Although you will not be able to bounce of everything you see. Some objects will be spinning and travelling at an alarmingly fast rate (such as asteroids) and it you get hit, you die. Aliens in the game are not very friendly beings. If they spot you on one of your patrols they will try to shoot you with one of their blast guns. There is a way for the astronaut to travel faster without bouncing. That is if they if the use some of the oxygen from their PLSS (Primary Life Support Subsystem) which is the backpack that contains the oxygen supply. By releasing some of the oxygen out of the tanks, it will give astronauts a greater boost. Naturally, they will run out of oxygen much faster. However, not all space junk is junk, you will be able to replenish your oxygen if you’re luck to come across one floating by. Although they’re not that easy to get a hold of. 

Space and the Sci-fi genre has always fascinated me. Interstellar and Zathura are only a few movies at the top of my head that had inspired me. However, I haven't played too many space-related games although I remember trying out Hade's Star