Hey all! :smile: I hope you are having a great day! The rest of this writeup can sound curt or blunt so I just want to preface by saying you are all wonderful and amazing people! this is just meant to educate a bit more! :smiley:

So I finished these yesterday and have been ruminating since...

For those of you that are new, this is par for the course. The theme that is picked is never good. I think in general that can be attributed to the fact that people don't really know what makes a good theme, so they suggest the game they want to make, or some random meme.

The theme is meant not to confine the programmer into a single path, but rather to create a starting point for the genesis of whatever game they make. :seedling:

So here's my basic rules:

1. One word. If it's more than one word it likely breaks the rest of the criteria. instant slaughter.
2. Not a character or class. (e.g. wizard).
3. Not a location or mood. Since mood is a criteria for voting, the programmer should be allowed to choose.
4. Not limiting hardware or scope. Some people cannot make 3d or online multiplayer, so it shouldn't be required.
5. Not a mechanic. The theme is meant to shape mechanics, not be the mechanic. examples below.

One good rule of thumb is: "can I see a puzzle game, a sidescroller AND an rpg in this theme?"

In practice, this may look like this:

Instead of "only 2 colours," which confines the player's creativity and product, "colours" is more clear, succinct, and open to creative interpretation.

Instead of "tax all the wizards", "taxation" allows for infinitely more interpretations and chances for unique games. taxation on you? on stats? on winnings? on enemies? on npcs? as a story beat? much better.

instead of "you are the villain," "villainy" as a concept alone already opens the door to more interpretation, though I think it still breaks the 2nd rule, forcing the game to have a villain in the first place. themes like this should therefore be avoided altogether.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to share your thoughts! If you have any other rules that could clarify or refine this list, feel free to let me know!

Ben Walter