Final 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.

What are these themes?

Here are the themes we're voting on in the final round! 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.)

A light in the dark

Meaning: When it is too dark, we need light to be able to see. When people say "a light in the dark" they usually mean a small light that offers just enough light to see, like a candle. Other times, they mean a light that you can see from far away. In this case, the light guides you through the darkness.
Other meanings: Light doesn't always have to be an actual light. It can be a feeling of happiness and hope. The dark also doesn't have to be literal darkness. It can be a difficult time like after the loss of a loved one or during an oppressive rule.

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.

Color changes everything

Meaning: Color is something that we see. Some colors are red, blue, and green. When you add color to something, we see it differently. When this happens, we might be able to understand something better. "Everything" here tells you that whatever color does in your game, it should be big.
Other meanings: Color can mean life or health. Good color means good health and poor color means poor health. Color can also refer to a flag ("Germany's colors" means the German flag).

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.

Floating islands

Meaning: An island is land surrounded by something, usually water. This theme suggests making a game where there are islands that float. An island can be said to float on water, or on some other liquid, like tar. A floating island might also be an island that is up in the air.
Other meanings: A raised portion of land that separates two sides of a road is called an island. You can describe anything that is by itself or alone as an island. A table or counter in the middle of a kitchen is sometimes called an island. The phrase "floating island" might describe an island where you can float.

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.

It spreads

Meaning: This theme wants you to make a game about something that spreads. When something spreads, it grows larger to fill an area. Water spreads when you dump it on the floor. Fire spreads when it finds new fuel like wood. Grass spreads when we grow it. A disease spreads when more people get sick. Gossip spreads when people talk to each other about someone else. Basically, whenever something covers a larger area, it is said to spread.
Other meanings: A "spread" is another name for a variety of similar things. For example, a spread of books would be a bunch of different books. We use the word spread when we're trying to say that there's something for everyone in a selection that we have provided. People also call any condiment a spread, like ketchup, mayonnaise, jam, or butter. You spread these condiments on food so that they cover an even surface, like spreading jam on a piece of toast. A blanket you put on top of your bed is often called a bed spread. Although spreading is about filling a space, it can also be used to describe something that has been pulled apart. You spread a loaf of bread by pulling it apart instead of cutting it.

Keep growing

Meaning: When things grow, they get bigger or they change and get older. This theme wants you to make a game about something that is always changing or getting bigger.
Other meanings: When people grow, they often show maturity, integrity, or courage when they would not have before. A person who finally stands up to a bully is someone who has grown. To grow something means to take care of something and help it stay alive and healthy. This meaning is usually used with plants. You can grow ideas by telling people about those ideas or thinking about them. When you're making a game, you are growing a game.

Self-replication

Meaning: Self-replication means making copies of yourself. This theme wants you to make a game about something that copies itself. This could be the player, a character in the game, or something else. The idea behind this is to have many copies of the same thing in your game, and that those copies get made during play, not during design.
Other meanings: In science, self-replication is about something that can change that can make exact copies of itself at any point during its existence. Cells in the body self-replicate. Cultures attempt to self-replicate by producing children.

Shelter

Meaning: A shelter is a place that can protect you from harm or danger. A house is shelter. A tent is shelter from the rain. Shelters are places of protection and comfort.
Other meanings: You can shelter something by protecting it from harm, such as stepping in the way of a punch meant for someone else. You can also shelter a person by not telling that person about something that might cause them distress or harm. A person is considered sheltered when they don't know very much about the dangers of the world. A shelter is also what we call a place where homeless people can sleep and get basic services. An animal shelter is a place where you can find animals like dogs and cats to take home as pets. These animals are usually ones that have been abandoned or taken away from their owners because of abuse.

The environment changes you

Meaning: An environment is a place like a forest or a city. It can be another word for area. This theme wants you to make a game where being in a place causes you to change. "You" could mean the player or another creature. "You" could also be general, changing the theme to "The environment changes everyone".
Other meanings: "The environment" is what we call the general idea of the well-being of the planet. In this meaning we're talking about all the natural parts of the world. When the environment changes, we see many natural disasters. An environment might also be a culture. The "office environment" is the culture at a particular office.

Unusual magic

Meaning: Magic is something that breaks the rules of the world to do something, like controlling someone's mind or making a fire appear in your hand. When something is unusual it means that it doesn't appear the same as we expect it. This theme is asking you to make a game about magic that isn't what we expect magic to be. Most people only know magic from games, books, and films. Magic that is unusual will be used to do things that magic isn't usually used for. It might also be that the magic looks very strange.
Other meanings: Stage magic is a kind of performance where someone tricks people into thinking something has happened when it actually has not. Stage magicians use mirrors, lights, and wires to do many of their tricks. This kind of magic is about making people believe that one thing has happened, when another thing has instead. A famous magic trick was making an entire train car look like it had disappeared.

You are the weapon

Meaning: Weapons are tools use to cause harm to others, like swords and guns. This theme tells you to make a game where someone is the weapon, not an object. This could mean that the player acts as a weapon, or another character acts as a weapon. It could even be that the player controls a weapon, instead of controlling a person.
Other meanings: A weapon is just another word for a tool that happens to cause harm. The harm that a weapon does might not be physical. An idea can be a weapon that changes someone’s mind.

You are what you eat

Meaning: This theme wants you to make a game about someone becoming something they eat. This is the main gameplay for most of the Kirby games.
Other meanings: This theme is a saying that people use to remind others that they should eat healthy foods. It means that if you eat healthy foods, you will be healthy, and if you eat unhealthy foods, you will be unhealthy.

You really shouldn't mix those

Meaning: When you mix two things, you put them together. Once two things are mixed, you usually cannot get the original things back. This theme tells you to make a game about things that someone should not put together.
Other meanings: This theme talks about chemistry or alchemy. These are sciences where you combine substances to make something new. Many stories about chemistry or alchemy are about something bad happening after you mix two things.

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!