As part of the VFS admissions process for game design, I had to come up with a single game idea and create a one-page pitch. Since classes have started, however, it’s been a completely different ballgame.
As musicians know, it takes countless hours of practice to become a great musician. Likewise, in order to become a great game designer, you must constantly create new game ideas.
Over the past five weeks, I’ve been tasked with creating so many game ideas that I’ve lost count. Some I created on my own, most were created with partners or teams, and all came with certain purposes and restrictions. Some ideas have taken weeks to develop, while others had to be crafted within mere minutes.
According to Malcolm Gladwell, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become a master at something. At our current pace, we’ll likely surpass the creation of 10,000 game ideas before the year comes to an end. Whether or not that makes us great game designers, time will have to tell.
Now, on to that next game idea…