In all seriousness though, why is there always so much complaint about the theme? It's almost as traditional as the "I'm in" posts before the competition. Remember that even seemingly restrictive themes can have a lot of leeway in their interpretation.

Take, for example, "Shelter": Is the shelter physical, emotional, or something else entirely? Is the shelter one specific thing, or are there multiple? How effective is the shelter? Does it change over time? Are there multiple things that need sheltering? Are there any drawbacks to utilizing the shelter?

Or, "Floating Islands": All that the theme implies is that there should be "islands" and they should be "floating". What are the islands made of? What is on the islands? Why are they floating? What are they floating on? How difficult is it to get between them? Is the floating a problem, or is it desirable? What separates the islands? Do they interact with each other?

Remember that there are "theme" and "innovation" categories for a reason. If the theme seems to point to one specific kind of game, get a little creative with your interpretation. If it doesn't, then what's the problem? You can make your game as abstract or emotional, as intense or relaxing, and as simple or intricate as you want. The theme is just the flavor of the competition, and how you use it is entirely up to you.