Theme voting is here! That means that we get our chance to say what themes we most want. This can be hard though, especially when you don't even understand a theme on the list. The Ludum Dare community has a large number of non-native English speakers who might have a hard time with themes that were written largely with English in mind. And some of the themes can just be confusing. I'm here to help you figure them out and connect the themes to cultural ideas that you might not be aware of. This is all just to help everyone out in figuring out what theme to vote for. This list can help everyone, especially if you're wondering "why would anyone choose this theme?" This list simply gives people a better idea about each theme. Some of these meanings might seem simple or pointless, but if they help anyone then that's all that matters.
This is for Round 3! Click here for Round 1. Click here for Round 2.

What are these themes?

Here are the themes we're voting on in round 3! The themes are alphabetized and contain as much as I can think of that will help you understand the idea. Some of these have an "Other meanings" which are times when I want to let you know about cultural references, weird meanings for words in the theme, or little changes you can make to the theme. These are not the only interpretations of the themes, these are just examples I came up with to help you get started with making your own interpretations.

3 rules

Meaning: A rule tells you what you can or cannot do, and your game has 3 of them. "You cannot move left." is a rule. "Players can pick up puppies." is a rule. "The Queen cannot take away your home." is another rule. That last one is like a law in the story of the game.
Other meanings: 3 rules can have different interpretations. "Rules" is a verb meaning to govern someone or a place (The Queen rules the country.). It is also an indicator of a really good thing (Flying rules!) "3" is a number, but it could also be a name (3 is a fun person, but has a weird name). Even as a number, it can be the subject of the sentence. (3 rule the kingdom, their names are Alice, Bob, and Catherine. -or- 3 Rules! to celebrate the number 3.)

60 seconds

Meaning: A second is a small about of time, and 60 of them makes a minute. 60 seconds as a theme suggests that there is some kind of minute-long timer, or that you can do something for a total of 60 seconds.
Other meanings: A second can also be something that comes after the first. It could be the second place in a race, or a second choice or option. A "second" is a term used in duels. People fighting in a duel will each choose a "second" or a person to assist them in carrying out the duel (but not to actually fight). A second can also mean a job that you are transferring to.

A hidden world

Meaning: A world is a place so big that no one person can know all of it, and this one is not easy to find or know about. This means that the place might be invisible or its entrance is difficult to locate or use. Basically, this theme means a place that not many people have found.
Other meanings: A person's life is often called their world. This means that everything someone experiences is different and unique than someone else, and that they see everything differently. This is also called a worldview, which is an idea of how the world around them works. You can also call a profession's community a world. For example, "the art world" means the community and knowledge that an artist needs to know.

At the beginning there is nothing

Meaning: This theme says that when something begins or starts, nothing is there. Nothing can be an empty space, or it can mean no objects. This theme suggests an idea of starting the game having nothing at all.
Other meanings: The beginning of something doesn't have to be the beginning of your game. It can be about something that happens before the game. It can be about the story of your game. Nothing doesn't always have to be about things. Nothing can be a feeling like emptiness or sadness. It can even be about any situation that has not changed in a very long time.

Automation

Meaning: Automation is a process of something working on its own. People talk a lot about robots being automated, meaning that a robot doesn't need a human to make it work. A robot can do its work by itself. Automation and automatic are very similar words with similar meanings. In computers, automation often means something that isn't made by a human hand, like a generated map.

Combine 2 incompatible genres (e.g. turn based racing)

Meaning: A genre is a category like "action" or "adventure" or "role-playing game". You can have a thematic genre like "fantasy" or "historical" or "realism" that are about the content of your game. "Action" and "sports" are genres that describe what the player does in a game. This theme tells you to combine two different genres that don't usually work together. The theme gives the example of "turn-based racing" combining the genres of "turn-based" and "racing". The turn-based genre describes games that pause and wait for the player to decide what to do. The racing genre describes games where you are trying to be the first to get to the finish. These genres don't usually work together (they're incompatible) because the racing genre usually uses continuous movement to make a race exciting.

Fragile

Meaning: Something that is fragile is something that is easy to break. Glass is fragile. An egg is fragile. Confidence can be fragile. Boxes are often marked fragile to let people know that they should be careful not to drop the box. When something is fragile, you should not put a lot of weight on it. Fragile things are not considered strong. They are delicate and vulnerable. Fragile can describe a meek or defenseless person.

Labyrinth

Meaning: A labyrinth is a maze. It is a place where people can get lost easily. The goal of many labyrinths is to make it to the center or to make it to an exit. Some labyrinths are made to make people walk a long path in a small space by putting walls in the way. Many labyrinths are shown as having hedges or tall bushes act as walls.
Other meanings: The word labyrinth comes from an old Greek myth about an inventor being trapped in his own maze that was supposed to hold the Minotaur, a monster with a bull's head. A famous film from 1986 is called Labyrinth. The film tells the story of a girl who must travel a dangerous labyrinth to rescue her baby brother who had been stolen away by the goblin king. The idea of the labyrinth has been used by many films, books, and games.

Manipulate your enemies

Meaning: Your enemies are people or creatures who try to keep you away from your goals. When you manipulate someone, you get them to do something that they don't want to do. This theme tells you to make a game where someone gets the enemy to do something for them. This might be thought of as outsmarting the enemy, where you trick the enemy into doing something you want.
Other meanings: You can also manipulate things with your hands. This meaning is usually used with tools that you use in a skillful way (I manipulated the hammer to remove the bent nail.). This meaning isn't used as much today.

One button, Two functions

Meaning: Most buttons only do one thing when pressed. This theme asks you to make a game where a single button can do two things. This could be a button in your game, or it might be a button on the player's keyboard, mouse, or controller.
Other meanings: Buttons are also the small, round discs that you use to close a shirt. A button is also a kind of very common mushroom.

The world will end in five minutes

Meaning: A world is a place so big that no one person can know all of it. When the world ends, it means that the world is destroyed or that no one can live there anymore. This theme wants you to make a game about the world ending after only five minutes. Five minutes is about the time it takes to read a few pages of a book.
Other meanings: A person’s life is often called their world. This means that everything someone experiences is different and unique than someone else, and that they see everything differently. This is also called a worldview, which is an idea of how the world around them works. You can also call a profession’s community a world. For example, “the art world” means the community and knowledge that an artist needs to know.

Tiny machines

Meaning: A machine is a mechanical tool or robot that does something for you. Something that is tiny is very small. This theme wants you to make a game about machines that are very small.
Other meanings: In science, these are called nanorobots, which are machines that are so small they cannot be seen. They are made of very small parts and are used to do things in small places like inside a cell in the body, or in your blood.

Unconventional movement

Meaning: Something is unconventional when it is not done in a usual way. This theme wants you to make a game where the something moves in a way that is different from how people expect it to move. This could refer to how the player controls the game.
Other meanings: A movement can also be a group of people that are trying to make an idea popular. The Civil Rights Movement was a group of people trying to get equal rights for every citizen in America. In music, a movement is a section of a song that can be listened to on its own. A movement might also be the parts of a clock or other machine that move.

You can't save them all

Meaning: When you save something, you move it out of danger. This theme wants you to make a game about many things or people being in danger, and some of them won't survive.
Other meanings: Saving something also means keeping something for later. People save money to use when they need it. People also save food so they can eat it later.

You don't play as the main character

Meaning: The main character of a story is the person or creature that the story is about. This is the character that makes the story move towards the end. In a game, the main character is usually the person the player controls, and is usually the person to do what needs to be done. This theme tells you that the player does not control that character. The main character exists in your game, but the player controls someone else.

You're doing that genre wrong (and that's okay)

Meaning: A genre is a category like “action” or “adventure” or “role-playing game”. You can have a thematic genre like “fantasy” or “historical” or “realism” that are about the content of your game. “Action” and “sports” are genres that describe what the player does in a game. This theme wants you to make a game that looks like it belongs in a genre, but something in it doesn't work the way it is supposed to work. You could also take basic ideas from a genre (like jumping in a platformer game) and change them or remove them so that the game no longer feels like it is part of that genre.

Happy Voting!

I hope these explanations help you decide which themes to vote for! The list can also help you think up ideas when the final theme is chosen. Have a happy Dare, and let's go make some games!