{"author_link":"\/users\/incobalt","author_name":"incobalt","author_uid":"incobalt","comments":[],"epoch":1492819306,"event":"LD38","format":"md","ldjam_node_id":17777,"likes":11,"metadata":{"p_key":"86381","p_author":"incobalt","p_authorkey":"1001938","p_urlkey":"297840","p_title":"What to Do When the Announced Theme Isn't Working for You","p_cat":"LDJam ","p_event":"LD38","p_time":"1492819306","p_likes":"11","p_comments":"0","p_status":"WAYBACK","us_key":"1001938","us_name":"incobalt","us_username":"incobalt","event_start":"1492732800","event_key":"69","event_name":"LD 38"},"node":{"_collation":{"body_sanitizer":"TextUtils::SanitizeHTML via existing importer","event":"LD38","removed_author":false},"_superparent":9405,"_trust":7,"author":1938,"body":"(I've already seen people unhappy about themes, so here's me guide on working with themes you don't like from December.)\n\nIt\u2019s inevitable. When the theme is announced, more than a handful of people don\u2019t know what to do with it. The theme might be too esoteric or vague. The theme might be too restrictive. It could suggest a particular kind of game, and that\u2019s not the kind of game they want to make. Maybe they just simply don\u2019t like the theme. We're a diverse community, and so the theme doesn't work right away with every one of us. This was me when \u201cAn Unconventional Weapon\u201d was announced for LD 32. If this is you, this post is here to help you work through the theme so you can get to working on your game. Don\u2019t give up at the start because you don\u2019t like the theme! Remember, Ludum Dare is about making a game. The theme is there to help. This post is meant to be encouraging and helpful.\n\n### What is a Theme?\n\nFirst things first, let\u2019s explore what a theme is and how it helps you. A theme is a starting point. It\u2019s there to combat the blank page problem. Many writers will tell you that the hardest part of writing is staring at a blank page and writing down the first words. With a theme, the first words are already written, so it\u2019s easier. You don\u2019t have to think about literally everything that could go into a game. You\u2019d be paralyzed with thinking if you did. So a theme is there to get you started. It\u2019s there to narrow down the possibilities, so that you can get to making your game quicker. After all, you don\u2019t have that much time to be dwelling on the concept. You need to start making your game as soon as you can!\n\n### What the Theme is Not\n\nThe theme is not a prescription. The Ludum Dare theme is not there to say that you absolutely must make the same game that everyone else is going to make. It\u2019s just a starting point. Your game concept might morph to have very little to do with the theme, and that\u2019s ok. Not every part of your game needs to drip theme. In fact, too much theme can be overwhelming. The theme can be a challenge. The theme can be a crutch. The theme can be whatever you need it to be. You\u2019re the one making the game, after all. The theme isn\u2019t there to hinder you. It\u2019s there to help you and make things easier.\n\n### Working With the Theme\n\nSo, the theme has just been announced, and you don\u2019t know what to do with it. The theme doesn\u2019t make sense, or it sounds silly, or it seems completely unhelpful. It might just sound bad to you, and you don\u2019t understand how it could have won the vote. It\u2019s there, and you want to make a game with it, but you don\u2019t know how. Don\u2019t quit! There are options for you! Here are some things you can do to make it work.\n\n### Just Go With It\n\nMany themes suggest a very obvious way to be built. Sometimes, we overthink it and want to try to do something really different, but if this is giving you problems, just go with what the theme suggests. Sure, it may not be glamorous or spectacular, but what\u2019s even less is not making a game at all. During LD 34, there were a bunch of laments from people about how the \u201cGrowing\u201d theme just suggested to them that they should make a snake game. People didn\u2019t want to make something that everyone else was going to make. Don\u2019t worry about if other people will be doing your idea. That\u2019s ok! What\u2019s important is that you make a game. This is the most straightforward approach to using a theme. It doesn\u2019t appeal to everyone. I personally don\u2019t like to do this, but in LD 34, we also got the theme of \u201cTwo-Button Controls\u201d and I just took that at face value. I didn\u2019t have time to worry about how it fit in with my game, so I just went with the most obvious decision: left and right mouse buttons. If this isn\u2019t the method for you, read on! If it is, then go make your game!\n\n### Play With the Theme\n\nThemes are just words. Words are language, and we have years upon years of experience playing around with words. Languages develop over time by morphing and changing to suit situations and cultures. As themes are just words, we can play around with them. You can take the words of the theme and consider what they actually mean. You can take the words and make a pun out of them. You can take how the words sound and make them sound a little different. You can add spaces, make punctuation, smash words together, or obliterate letters. Type it into a search engine and see what comes up. Check it out on an image search. Run it through a translator a few times. It\u2019s ok. They\u2019re just words. You\u2019re the one with ideas.\n\nLD 32 \u201cAn Unconventional Weapon\u201d was particularly annoying to me because I don\u2019t like making games about combat or fighting. To arrive at my concept, I asked myself, \u201cWhat is a weapon, really?\u201d A weapon is a tool. It\u2019s a means to an end. It doesn\u2019t have to be a physical object, it just has to be something that is used. So, an unconventional weapon is something that is used to achieve an end, but which isn\u2019t used in the way we expect it to be. A person can be used as a tool if they are manipulated and their expectations are played to. The result was a game where the player was used to cause an end through the expectation that they should be following the on-screen mission prompts. It was a far stretch from the words of the original theme, but it was a game I could feel excited to make. By playing with the words of the theme, I was able to make a theme I didn\u2019t like, into a theme I did.\n\nLooking at the theme of \u201cAn Unconventional Weapon\u201d, there are other things you could do to manipulate it. Unconventional contains the word \u201cconvention\u201d, so maybe you can make a game that is set at a convention. Weapon could become \u201cweap-on\u201d, and even though it's misspelled, you could have a game where someone weeps on something. Play with the theme. It\u2019s yours to do with as you please.\n\n### Get Help\n\nPeople, especially veterans of Ludum Dare, like helping others get over that initial hump of the concept phase and onto making a game. Everyone is wrestling with the theme, and so everyone is going through the same process. Some people, especially those with a lot of experience, will have an easier time with it, though, and it won\u2019t hurt to ask for help deciding on a concept for your theme. You can use the Ludum Dare IRC channel to talk it out with people who hang out in there (usually these are people who have been with LD for a while). There\u2019s the [reddit](https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/ludumdare\/) page if you\u2019re more open to that format. You can even ask your friends, post on twitter, whatever you want. I would say that the best place for this is probably the IRC channel. You don\u2019t need to know anything about IRC to use it, just use the link on the page (http:\/\/ludumdare.com\/compo\/irc\/ for LD 37, not sure for 38), type in any name you want (or leave the default) and hit start, then ask away. Be open and kind with your questions. Understand that people are probably working on the same thing you are. Sometimes, there are people sitting in the IRC that aren\u2019t doing LD because they don\u2019t have time, but they\u2019re happy to help out people who want it. Mention the half ideas you have. Say what you don\u2019t want to do. This will help people give you better advice and it might help other people in the same situation.\n\n### See What Others are Doing\n\nPeople livestream. They post about what they\u2019re doing. They talk about it in the IRC and on reddit. See how other people are interpreting the theme. Ask them how they got there, if it seems unclear. Some people might toss out ideas you think are really cool and get you thinking. Try not to just go to one of these places and copy what someone else is doing. That\u2019s a bit underhanded, but you can use these as a springboard. Plus, it can suggest a way of looking at the theme that you hadn\u2019t thought about. If someone says an idea that you really like and get excited about, ask them if you can do something similar. Add your own personal flair to the idea if you\u2019re doing this. Treat it as a starting point. Also, who knows, the other person may get just as excited as you about the idea, and you end up jamming on it together as a team.\n\n","comments":1,"comments-timestamp":"2017-04-22T00:02:49Z","created":"2017-04-21T23:48:35Z","files":[],"files-timestamp":0,"id":17777,"love":11,"love-timestamp":"2017-07-28T05:18:25Z","meta":[],"modified":"2017-07-28T05:18:25Z","name":"What to Do When the Announced Theme Isn't Working for You","node-timestamp":"2017-04-22T00:01:46Z","parent":17741,"parents":[1,5,9,9405,17741],"path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/38\/phaeton\/what-to-do-when-the-announced-theme-isnt-working-for-you","published":"2017-04-22T00:01:46Z","scope":"public","slug":"what-to-do-when-the-announced-theme-isnt-working-for-you","subsubtype":"","subtype":"","type":"post","version":21806},"node_metadata":{"n_key":"17777","n_urlkey":"297840","n_parent":"17741","n_path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/38\/phaeton\/what-to-do-when-the-announced-theme-isnt-working-for-you","n_slug":"what-to-do-when-the-announced-th","n_type":"post","n_subtype":"","n_subsubtype":"","n_author":"1938","n_created":"1492818515","n_modified":"1501219105","n_version":"21806","n_status":"WAYBACK"},"source_url":"https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/38\/phaeton\/what-to-do-when-the-announced-theme-isnt-working-for-you","text":"(I've already seen people unhappy about themes, so here's me guide on working with themes you don't like from December.)\n\nIt\u2019s inevitable. When the theme is announced, more than a handful of people don\u2019t know what to do with it. The theme might be too esoteric or vague. The theme might be too restrictive. It could suggest a particular kind of game, and that\u2019s not the kind of game they want to make. Maybe they just simply don\u2019t like the theme. We're a diverse community, and so the theme doesn't work right away with every one of us. This was me when \u201cAn Unconventional Weapon\u201d was announced for LD 32. If this is you, this post is here to help you work through the theme so you can get to working on your game. Don\u2019t give up at the start because you don\u2019t like the theme! Remember, Ludum Dare is about making a game. The theme is there to help. This post is meant to be encouraging and helpful.\n\n### What is a Theme?\n\nFirst things first, let\u2019s explore what a theme is and how it helps you. A theme is a starting point. It\u2019s there to combat the blank page problem. Many writers will tell you that the hardest part of writing is staring at a blank page and writing down the first words. With a theme, the first words are already written, so it\u2019s easier. You don\u2019t have to think about literally everything that could go into a game. You\u2019d be paralyzed with thinking if you did. So a theme is there to get you started. It\u2019s there to narrow down the possibilities, so that you can get to making your game quicker. After all, you don\u2019t have that much time to be dwelling on the concept. You need to start making your game as soon as you can!\n\n### What the Theme is Not\n\nThe theme is not a prescription. The Ludum Dare theme is not there to say that you absolutely must make the same game that everyone else is going to make. It\u2019s just a starting point. Your game concept might morph to have very little to do with the theme, and that\u2019s ok. Not every part of your game needs to drip theme. In fact, too much theme can be overwhelming. The theme can be a challenge. The theme can be a crutch. The theme can be whatever you need it to be. You\u2019re the one making the game, after all. The theme isn\u2019t there to hinder you. It\u2019s there to help you and make things easier.\n\n### Working With the Theme\n\nSo, the theme has just been announced, and you don\u2019t know what to do with it. The theme doesn\u2019t make sense, or it sounds silly, or it seems completely unhelpful. It might just sound bad to you, and you don\u2019t understand how it could have won the vote. It\u2019s there, and you want to make a game with it, but you don\u2019t know how. Don\u2019t quit! There are options for you! Here are some things you can do to make it work.\n\n### Just Go With It\n\nMany themes suggest a very obvious way to be built. Sometimes, we overthink it and want to try to do something really different, but if this is giving you problems, just go with what the theme suggests. Sure, it may not be glamorous or spectacular, but what\u2019s even less is not making a game at all. During LD 34, there were a bunch of laments from people about how the \u201cGrowing\u201d theme just suggested to them that they should make a snake game. People didn\u2019t want to make something that everyone else was going to make. Don\u2019t worry about if other people will be doing your idea. That\u2019s ok! What\u2019s important is that you make a game. This is the most straightforward approach to using a theme. It doesn\u2019t appeal to everyone. I personally don\u2019t like to do this, but in LD 34, we also got the theme of \u201cTwo-Button Controls\u201d and I just took that at face value. I didn\u2019t have time to worry about how it fit in with my game, so I just went with the most obvious decision: left and right mouse buttons. If this isn\u2019t the method for you, read on! If it is, then go make your game!\n\n### Play With the Theme\n\nThemes are just words. Words are language, and we have years upon years of experience playing around with words. Languages develop over time by morphing and changing to suit situations and cultures. As themes are just words, we can play around with them. You can take the words of the theme and consider what they actually mean. You can take the words and make a pun out of them. You can take how the words sound and make them sound a little different. You can add spaces, make punctuation, smash words together, or obliterate letters. Type it into a search engine and see what comes up. Check it out on an image search. Run it through a translator a few times. It\u2019s ok. They\u2019re just words. You\u2019re the one with ideas.\n\nLD 32 \u201cAn Unconventional Weapon\u201d was particularly annoying to me because I don\u2019t like making games about combat or fighting. To arrive at my concept, I asked myself, \u201cWhat is a weapon, really?\u201d A weapon is a tool. It\u2019s a means to an end. It doesn\u2019t have to be a physical object, it just has to be something that is used. So, an unconventional weapon is something that is used to achieve an end, but which isn\u2019t used in the way we expect it to be. A person can be used as a tool if they are manipulated and their expectations are played to. The result was a game where the player was used to cause an end through the expectation that they should be following the on-screen mission prompts. It was a far stretch from the words of the original theme, but it was a game I could feel excited to make. By playing with the words of the theme, I was able to make a theme I didn\u2019t like, into a theme I did.\n\nLooking at the theme of \u201cAn Unconventional Weapon\u201d, there are other things you could do to manipulate it. Unconventional contains the word \u201cconvention\u201d, so maybe you can make a game that is set at a convention. Weapon could become \u201cweap-on\u201d, and even though it's misspelled, you could have a game where someone weeps on something. Play with the theme. It\u2019s yours to do with as you please.\n\n### Get Help\n\nPeople, especially veterans of Ludum Dare, like helping others get over that initial hump of the concept phase and onto making a game. Everyone is wrestling with the theme, and so everyone is going through the same process. Some people, especially those with a lot of experience, will have an easier time with it, though, and it won\u2019t hurt to ask for help deciding on a concept for your theme. You can use the Ludum Dare IRC channel to talk it out with people who hang out in there (usually these are people who have been with LD for a while). There\u2019s the [reddit](https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/ludumdare\/) page if you\u2019re more open to that format. You can even ask your friends, post on twitter, whatever you want. I would say that the best place for this is probably the IRC channel. You don\u2019t need to know anything about IRC to use it, just use the link on the page (http:\/\/ludumdare.com\/compo\/irc\/ for LD 37, not sure for 38), type in any name you want (or leave the default) and hit start, then ask away. Be open and kind with your questions. Understand that people are probably working on the same thing you are. Sometimes, there are people sitting in the IRC that aren\u2019t doing LD because they don\u2019t have time, but they\u2019re happy to help out people who want it. Mention the half ideas you have. Say what you don\u2019t want to do. This will help people give you better advice and it might help other people in the same situation.\n\n### See What Others are Doing\n\nPeople livestream. They post about what they\u2019re doing. They talk about it in the IRC and on reddit. See how other people are interpreting the theme. Ask them how they got there, if it seems unclear. Some people might toss out ideas you think are really cool and get you thinking. Try not to just go to one of these places and copy what someone else is doing. That\u2019s a bit underhanded, but you can use these as a springboard. Plus, it can suggest a way of looking at the theme that you hadn\u2019t thought about. If someone says an idea that you really like and get excited about, ask them if you can do something similar. Add your own personal flair to the idea if you\u2019re doing this. Treat it as a starting point. Also, who knows, the other person may get just as excited as you about the idea, and you end up jamming on it together as a team.\n\n","title":"What to Do When the Announced Theme Isn't Working for You","wayback_source":[]}