Inspiration for My Games: From Dreams to Design

One of the questions I get asked most often is, “Where do you get your ideas?” People often imagine that game ideas come from a sudden bolt of inspiration—a brilliant, fully-formed concept that arrives in a flash of pure creativity. While there are certainly moments of clarity, the truth is that a great idea is not a gift from the heavens. It’s the result of an active, deliberate process of observation, connection, and relentless curiosity.

Inspiration isn’t something you wait for; it’s something you cultivate. It’s about building a mental library of fascinating thoughts, mechanics, and stories, and then training your mind to connect them in surprising ways. In this article, I want to pull back the curtain on my own creative process and share how I turn the small, fleeting sparks of inspiration into a tangible design.

1. The First Truth: Inspiration is Everywhere

The first and most important principle of finding inspiration is to understand that the world around you is an endless source of ideas. Most of us go through our day on autopilot, but as a game developer, you need to become an active observer. Every movie, every book, every walk in the park, and every conversation is a potential game idea in disguise.

Don’t just look to other games for ideas. Look at everything else.

Nature and the World: The way a beehive is structured, the complex ecosystem of a tide pool, or the delicate balance of a falling leaf. These can all be the foundation of a fascinating gameplay loop or a unique puzzle mechanic.
History and Mythology: Forgotten historical events, ancient myths, and local folklore are full of rich characters, epic conflicts, and magical concepts just waiting to be explored. A game about a historical figure’s life or a re-imagined myth can be far more compelling than a generic fantasy setting.
Everyday Life: Think about the simple, mundane systems we interact with daily. The choreography of a busy kitchen, the logical flow of a subway system, or even the feeling of trying to find a specific book in a massive library. By abstracting these real-world systems, you can create surprisingly engaging gameplay.

The key here is to keep a mental or physical notebook. Whenever you see something interesting—a cool architectural design, a clever line of dialogue, or a historical fact—jot it down. Your future self will thank you for this repository of ideas.

2. From Observation to “The Spark”

Observation is just the first step. The magic happens when you connect two or more unrelated ideas to create something new. This is the art of asking “What if?” It’s a simple question that transforms a static observation into a dynamic game concept.

Let’s take a couple of examples from my own process:

Observation: The incredible, complex physics of a collapsing building.The “What If?”: What if the player’s core ability was to control the collapse? What if you had to strategically remove supports to solve a puzzle or take out enemies without getting crushed? This “What if” transforms an observation into a core game mechanic.
Observation: The meditative process of brewing coffee.The “What If?”: What if a game was about a barista in a fantasy world who had to use magical ingredients to brew potions for magical creatures? This takes a mundane task and gives it a whimsical twist, creating a unique setting and a crafting-based gameplay loop.

This process is not always easy. Sometimes you’ll have an idea that doesn’t quite work, but don’t discard it. The spark might not be ready yet. Put it in your notebook and come back to it later. The key is to keep asking “What if?” until you find a combination that excites you.

3. The Design Process: Turning a Spark into a Fire

An idea, no matter how brilliant, is just a whisper until you start to design it. This is where you move from abstract concepts to concrete plans.

Step 1: Define the Core Loop. Before you write a single line of code, you need to identify the game’s core loop. This is the simple, repeatable action that the player will be performing over and over again. For a platformer, it’s “jump, land, avoid obstacle.” For a crafting game, it’s “gather resources, craft item, sell item.” A good core loop is satisfying and endlessly repeatable. It’s the engine that powers your entire game.
Step 2: The High Concept.Distill your idea into a single, compelling sentence. This is often called the high concept or the elevator pitch. It’s what you would say to someone to get them excited about your game in a few seconds. For example, “A 2D platformer where you are a janitor fighting a sentient pile of goo with a magical mop” is a much more effective high concept than a long, rambling description. This forces you to find the most unique and exciting part of your idea.
Step 3: Sketch Everything.Before you even touch your computer, sketch out your ideas. Use a notebook to draw character designs, storyboard key scenes, and map out your levels. Sketching is a low-cost, high-speed way to prototype ideas. It allows you to quickly see what works and what doesn’t, and it helps you visualize your game in a way that words cannot.

4. Navigating the Challenges of Creative Block

Even with a systematic process, there will be days when the ideas just won’t come. Creative block is not a sign of failure; it is a normal part of the creative cycle. Instead of fighting it, learn to work with it.

Change Your Environment: If you’ve been staring at the same screen for hours, your mind needs a break. Go for a walk, visit a museum, or simply work in a different room. A change of scenery can often unlock new perspectives.
Consume Unrelated Media: Read a book on a subject you know nothing about, watch a documentary, or listen to a new genre of music. By feeding your mind with new and different information, you give it new connections to make.
Work on Something Else: If you’re stuck on a particular design problem, switch to a different part of the project. Work on a minor bug, tidy up some art assets, or write a simple script. Often, the solution to your design problem will come to you when your mind is focused on something else.

In conclusion, finding inspiration is a continuous practice, not a lucky accident. It’s about training your mind to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, to ask “what if,” and to nurture a simple idea into a fully realized game. The world is full of amazing ideas just waiting to be discovered. All you have to do is be ready to find them.