Creating Unique Game Ideas

Okay. So I know what you’re thinking: I can think up an original idea off the top of my head!

Yeah, well, I thought that, too. Then, I tried it. And then, well, I failed. So, without further ado, let’s discover some strategies I have developed over a few years of development. There is no right or wrong way; there are only suggestions!

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Consider Your Audience

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to appeal to everyone’s taste, so you’re going to need to consider who you want to play your game. What does your audience like? Intricate games or simple ideas? Do they like lots of interaction between players? Competitivity? Teamwork? What genre(s) do they like? What is the general age range? Ask yourself what kinds of things these kinds of people like.

Make Sure You Like the Idea of Your Game

Too many times have I seen developers attempt to make games they would not enjoy because—and, yes, this may contradict the above tip a little bit—they were trying too hard to please the audience they were aiming for. They typically failed. Don’t try to make games you wouldn’t play. It won’t do you as much good as if you would enjoy the game!

Edit Others’ Ideas

Sometimes an idea doesn’t have to start from scratch; in fact, you could take a game similar to several others and make it your own! For example, let’s look at a murder game. You know, one murderer, one sheriff, and a lot of innocents (and sometimes characters like in “The Mad Murderer” or “Murder Mystery”)? Maybe you keep that, but you make it so that each character has a set of special abilities with a tree of perks and powers; maybe a chicken-dressed character can turn into an egg and roll around for a few seconds and not be hurt by one knife! Maybe rare/special characters get a special weapon or power instead of a plain knife! I don’t know. Thing is, it’s your imagination. Crazy is good, people! Sometimes making an already used idea into your own is even better than a completely original game. Not that you can’t make original games—they’re still awesome!

Think Weird

Admit it: You like weird. Weird games are something we can get behind pretty quickly. Go deep into your imagination. Sometimes you have to take fifteen minutes or an hour to think something up, but once you have it, it’s hard to put out that light bulb. It happens—you think of some random word and it gives you the greatest idea ever.

Start Simple

Not all the time, but sometimes! It takes a complex mind to make a simple new idea because they’re usually taken! Examples of great simple games—and by simple, I mean the objective is simple, not the extras—include the following:

  • Flood Escape 2
  • Wild Revolvers
  • Flee the Facility
  • Parkour Tag
  • Most sandbox Tycoons
  • Lucid Dream
  • 2050
  • Blocked Out
  • Mecha Cubes
  • Phantom Forces
  • Floppy Swordfish
  • Deathrun 1, 2, and 3
  • Many more!

All of these games share something in common: They have a simple objective—you don’t have to complete a super long tutorial to get right into it. You can go in and do stuff. You’re thrown into the action right away and know how to play right away!

Complex Can Be Good Too

You’ve got a maze running in your brain. How does one come up with a complex game? It sometimes starts with the above tip: Start simple! You can come up with a ton of simple ideas that don’t quite make up a game by themselves. Some ingredients you use aren’t going to taste good right away—you have to blend them in with other ingredients! You don’t just eat flour. (Well, I mean, if you do, I won’t judge.) Your idea can be so complex, it could take several paragraphs to explain; however, to not lose the player’s focus, I recommend you introduce instructions along the way of gameplay. It’s pretty hard to make these kinds of games, though; there’s a reason why there aren’t many on Roblox! One good way to make a complex game is to involve a story. Let the player connect with characters and drown them in mystery—the objective is unclear. You keep giving them mini objectives until it all adds up. That twist comes in. With stories, you have the option of having tons of different genres and objectives mixed into one game like a smoothie with three billion different fruits in it.

Collaborate


STOP LAUGHING JUST BECAUSE IT’S BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY!

You don’t have to think of these ideas yourself! Get others to help you create a unique game idea. Imagine what you can do when everyone contributes an idea to one big blob of some crazy something we call a game. It’s like that game people played when they were little—everyone adds one sentence to a story, and what pops up is a fresh story; in fact, let’s try it right now: Right in this thread, make an original game idea with the whole community reading this thread. See what we can come up with. It’ll be absurd, I’ll assure you that. :wink:

There Are More Strategies, but I’m Too Lazy To List Them

There are so many strategies out there; creating an idea is the second step—making your strategies are the first!

Yeah, this probably wasn’t a helpful post lol

270 Likes

Nice tutorial derpy :smiley:

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Thanks, Ultraw. :3
Didn’t expect you to see this so soon. .3.

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I think every game should start from your post. Lots of us need it.

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Great tutorial!
First of all, relatable. Coming up with an idea is hard, coming up with a good idea may be sometimes a quite hard step in the process of development.

I can add up an idea on how to make game ideas. This one may fit on the Edit Others’ Ideas, but here it goes. I like to call it…

The PPAP technique!


Yes, the name comes from the meme. Sorry. I brought a ded meme back to life.

Jokes aside, the concept is simple to figure out. Just blend together two game concepts. If the mix sounds good, then you’re ready to go. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Let’s go to an example:

  • I have a racing game;
  • I have a Sci-Fi battle game;
  • UGH!
  • Racing in space!

Well, this was how I got my idea. Yes, I’m making a game based on this idea of racing in a space environment.
At least this worked for me :man_shrugging:

52 Likes

Yeah, I was trying to say that in “Edit Others’ Ideas”, but I like your version of saying it so much more LOL

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Can this like be pinned somewhere?

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Love it! Very nice tutorial.

Funny!

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Don’t lie. This has given me insight on how to create my own ideas and discover ones that I think would be appropriate, fun to develop and perhaps be one of the first games I completed (I learned scripting at 9 years old and have not since completed one project that I’m proud of).

This was a very helpful tutorial and I liked how you tacked on quotes before getting into the headings/topics here.

Take my like and bookmark.

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Aww, thanks. :slight_smile:

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Best thing I’ve read all year.

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I don’t mean offense to anyone’s games, but if you’re going to take a game mode from GMod at least add more to the gameplay and design so it’s not just a “Roblox version”.

*cough* Currently we have at least one game for of each of Garry's Mod's game modes, including but not limited to: Murder, Prop Hunt, Trouble in Terrorist Town, Deathrun, The Stalker. They're basically carbon copies.

Also, please don’t steal intellectual property. Roblox doesn’t enforce copyrights without a DCMA protection but it’s still illegal and could harm the corporation in future cases. Thank you.

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Remembers of all GTA Roblox Edition games that are basically ripoffs from DriveBlox Unlimited Classic with guns and little more.

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Lol I know right?

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someone people forget is MOBILE GAMES

mobile gaming is a HUGE market, and they all share common traits; they are SIMPLE, easy to understand, and usually share similar graphical appearances

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Mobile games that play like pc games on roblox are quite diffcult to make. I’ve tried. Hopefully someone will have better luck :frowning:

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I feel I’ve peaked as a Roblox dev, figuratively as my game is listed number 2 on a list on great simple games, but also literally as we are slowly dragged down top earning and most popular, desperately trying to clutch on as my finger nails are ripped off.

Tangent aside lol, this was a pretty good tutorial, I like reading the none technical tutorials. The importance of considering your audience on Roblox is super important, and it in a lot of games (especially the featured ones), it is not considered at all. Bhop, Itty Bitty, that CloneTrooper101 game where you had to roll this block. While I don’t think Clone’s was trying to be long term popular, the other 2 were, and I’m unsure if it’ll work out for them on Roblox.

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I play your game every day lol

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Do you think it’s wrong to take two existing games (one on roblox, and one not on roblox) and combine them to make your own game / concept.

I’m a big fan of Pokemon (can’t wait till November!) and I’ve noticed that people really enjoy Meep City (My audience is kids, the majority of the player base of roblox is kids so it makes sense). I’ve been considering combining them and making a plaza pokemon-esc game. Obviously it’s not going to be Pokemon because miss me with that dmca claim, but I just don’t know if its morally wrong to make a game of two preexisting games combined (the concept of the games, not literally copying the concept).

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This reminds me of an ancient idea I had a long time ago that I’ve since abandoned, this makes me feel sad now.

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