{"author_link":"\/users\/im-not-a-robot","author_name":"Im not a robot","author_uid":"im-not-a-robot","comments":[],"epoch":1725459332,"event":"LD56","format":"md","ldjam_node_id":395507,"likes":25,"metadata":{"p_key":"206926","p_author":"Im not a robot","p_authorkey":"1143083","p_urlkey":"443538","p_title":"Good Themes and Homographs","p_cat":"LDJam ","p_event":"LD56","p_time":"1725459332","p_likes":"25","p_comments":"0","p_status":"WAYBACK","us_key":"1143083","us_name":"Im not a robot","us_username":"im-not-a-robot","event_start":"1728000000","event_key":"115","event_name":"Ludum Dare 56"},"node":{"_collation":{"body_sanitizer":"TextUtils::SanitizeHTML via existing importer","event":"LD56","removed_author":false},"_superparent":395186,"_trust":1,"author":143083,"body":"I think most people would agree that this would be a bad theme:\n\n\"*Defeat a witch by burning the book that gives her power - also the book is hidden in a chest in the third room on the right*\"\n\nOf course this theme would still produce a variety of games - one can easily imagine 2D platformers, 3D shooters, puzzle games, etc... being made from this theme. Maybe the only way to burn the book is by drifting so hard into it that your tires go up in flames in the racing game you made. If we ignore the lengthiness for a moment, we can still agree: No theme should completely give away the objective or content of every game you could make from it.\n\n\"*Sulfur hexafluoride*\"\n\nThis is also a bad, or at least very weak theme. While it is more concise and less specific than our wizard theme, it still does not allow for any room in what the theme actually means. Maybe you can make a game about stealing sulfur hexaflouride, or a game about manufacturing sulfur hexaflouride, or a game about drifting so hard that your tires go up in flames in order to...\n\nIt's all about sulfur hexaflouride, because that word can only mean one thing.\n\nSo, I propose that a theme should be concise, nonspecific **and** have many homographs. \n\n> Homograph: One of two or more words that have the same spelling but differ in origin, meaning, and sometimes pronunciation.\n\nAn example of a homograph would be the word \"*tear*\", describing both \"*a drop of clear salty liquid secreted from glands in a person's eye*\", \"*a split in something caused by it having been pulled apart forcefully*\" and a few others. \nWith this perfect definition of what a good theme is, I present to you the objectively best themes possible:\n\n1. Run\n2. Set\n3. Go\n4. Take\n5. Stand\n\nOk, maybe this definition is not perfect after all - it seems we went too far with it. Too many interpretations are now possible: apparently the word \"*Run*\" has 645 different definitions in the Oxford English Dictionary. The subcategories get so deep the numbering system for them starts with capital roman numerals, then to lowercase roman numerals, on to arabic numerals, latin letters *and back to* lowercase roman numerals, so you get fun headings such as\n> II.i.44.f.ii.\n\nThis rambling has, in a way, just lead us back to what everyone already knows: a theme should be open to interpretation, yet specific enough so you can't just make anything.\n\nI think that there is something to learn from this though, which is: If you come up with a single-word theme, make sure that it has many homographs. If you can't name five (or let some ~~de~~generative AI come up with 20) it's probably a bad theme. What also seems to work nicely are words that are nouns and verbs at the same time.\n\n\"*The theme always sucks*\" some might say and while that is true, I'm mostly writing this because I don't feel like voting on over 2000 themes again. (ok, to be truthful, I'm mostly writing this because I'm bored)\nI think it's alright to be a little elitist about what makes a good theme; I think it's alright to shame people a little who submit \"*You don't play as the main character*\" for the tenth time; I think it's alright to try and quantify the unquantifiable.\n\nSo what did I - in my oh-so-great-wisdom - come up with for themes this time around?\n1. Cycle\n2. Pass\n\nI know they are maybe too generic and boring for most - and they certainly aren't perfect - but I appreciate boring themes. It's *us* who are supposed to give it life and make it interesting. So I advocate for **less** \"*Find a way to die*\", \"*Alien contact*\" and \"*Pyrotechnics*\" and **more** \"*Power*\", \"*Nest*\", \"*Order*\", \"*Break*\" or even \"*Cycle*\" or \"*Pass*\"","comments":10,"comments-timestamp":"2024-09-08T06:46:47Z","created":"2024-09-04T10:31:47Z","files":[],"files-timestamp":0,"id":395507,"love":25,"love-timestamp":"2024-09-27T21:38:04Z","meta":[],"modified":"2024-09-27T21:38:04Z","name":"Good Themes and Homographs","node-timestamp":"2024-09-04T14:15:32Z","parent":395506,"parents":[1,5,9,395186,395506],"path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/56\/$395506\/good-themes-and-homographs","published":"2024-09-04T14:15:32Z","scope":"public","slug":"good-themes-and-homographs","subsubtype":"","subtype":"","type":"post","version":1239741},"node_metadata":{"n_key":"395507","n_urlkey":"443538","n_parent":"395506","n_path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/56\/$395506\/good-themes-and-homographs","n_slug":"good-themes-and-homographs","n_type":"post","n_subtype":"","n_subsubtype":"","n_author":"143083","n_created":"1725445907","n_modified":"1727473084","n_version":"1239741","n_status":"WAYBACK"},"source_url":"https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/56\/$395506\/good-themes-and-homographs","text":"I think most people would agree that this would be a bad theme:\n\n\"*Defeat a witch by burning the book that gives her power - also the book is hidden in a chest in the third room on the right*\"\n\nOf course this theme would still produce a variety of games - one can easily imagine 2D platformers, 3D shooters, puzzle games, etc... being made from this theme. Maybe the only way to burn the book is by drifting so hard into it that your tires go up in flames in the racing game you made. If we ignore the lengthiness for a moment, we can still agree: No theme should completely give away the objective or content of every game you could make from it.\n\n\"*Sulfur hexafluoride*\"\n\nThis is also a bad, or at least very weak theme. While it is more concise and less specific than our wizard theme, it still does not allow for any room in what the theme actually means. Maybe you can make a game about stealing sulfur hexaflouride, or a game about manufacturing sulfur hexaflouride, or a game about drifting so hard that your tires go up in flames in order to...\n\nIt's all about sulfur hexaflouride, because that word can only mean one thing.\n\nSo, I propose that a theme should be concise, nonspecific **and** have many homographs. \n\n> Homograph: One of two or more words that have the same spelling but differ in origin, meaning, and sometimes pronunciation.\n\nAn example of a homograph would be the word \"*tear*\", describing both \"*a drop of clear salty liquid secreted from glands in a person's eye*\", \"*a split in something caused by it having been pulled apart forcefully*\" and a few others. \nWith this perfect definition of what a good theme is, I present to you the objectively best themes possible:\n\n1. Run\n2. Set\n3. Go\n4. Take\n5. Stand\n\nOk, maybe this definition is not perfect after all - it seems we went too far with it. Too many interpretations are now possible: apparently the word \"*Run*\" has 645 different definitions in the Oxford English Dictionary. The subcategories get so deep the numbering system for them starts with capital roman numerals, then to lowercase roman numerals, on to arabic numerals, latin letters *and back to* lowercase roman numerals, so you get fun headings such as\n> II.i.44.f.ii.\n\nThis rambling has, in a way, just lead us back to what everyone already knows: a theme should be open to interpretation, yet specific enough so you can't just make anything.\n\nI think that there is something to learn from this though, which is: If you come up with a single-word theme, make sure that it has many homographs. If you can't name five (or let some ~~de~~generative AI come up with 20) it's probably a bad theme. What also seems to work nicely are words that are nouns and verbs at the same time.\n\n\"*The theme always sucks*\" some might say and while that is true, I'm mostly writing this because I don't feel like voting on over 2000 themes again. (ok, to be truthful, I'm mostly writing this because I'm bored)\nI think it's alright to be a little elitist about what makes a good theme; I think it's alright to shame people a little who submit \"*You don't play as the main character*\" for the tenth time; I think it's alright to try and quantify the unquantifiable.\n\nSo what did I - in my oh-so-great-wisdom - come up with for themes this time around?\n1. Cycle\n2. Pass\n\nI know they are maybe too generic and boring for most - and they certainly aren't perfect - but I appreciate boring themes. It's *us* who are supposed to give it life and make it interesting. So I advocate for **less** \"*Find a way to die*\", \"*Alien contact*\" and \"*Pyrotechnics*\" and **more** \"*Power*\", \"*Nest*\", \"*Order*\", \"*Break*\" or even \"*Cycle*\" or \"*Pass*\"","title":"Good Themes and Homographs","wayback_source":[]}