[PT#02] The Idea for Hit Games Begin with One Person’s Vision (Patreon)

The production process differs from one game company to another. Some companies, when launching a new project, begin by gathering multiple s

The production process differs from one game company to another.

Some companies, when launching a new project, begin by gathering multiple staff members to brainstorm ideas and work together to build the core concept of the game. But I believe that this isn’t a very effective approach.

Planning a game is the act of building a new world. That world has its own unique rules and internal logic. Why are things the way they are? The answer lies solely with the creator. Even if traffic lights were gold, silver, and bronze instead of red, yellow, and green—that would be fine. The reasons behind it don’t really matter. As long as the rules are clear and make sense within the world, players will follow them and enjoy the experience.

That may sound like an extreme stance, but that’s the mindset of game planning. If everyone starts brainstorming together, people will say things like, “Why gold?” “That’s hard to understand,” or “Silver? Really?”

Frankly, I’d probably say that myself.

But the creator’s choices, no matter how trivial they seem, are often tied together by invisible threads that connect to many other ideas. Those seemingly minor details can later become narrative or gameplay foreshadowing, enriching the overall experience.

So if your idea isn’t accepted because no one else understands it at this early stage, then the result of group planning is that only safe, average, and easily digestible ideas—ones that align with common sense—get approved. Game planning means thinking about play, and the rules of play are as diverse as the number of individuals creating them.

Let me say something a little harsh. Imagine a rookie director is given the responsibility to come up with a game concept. The programmers and graphic designers on the team, trying to be kind and supportive, all start offering ideas to help the rookie out. They discuss everything seriously for several days and come up with many seemingly fun ideas. Then they say, “Alright, we’re counting on you now, turn this into a great plan!” and pass it all to the rookie director, full of hope.

A few days later… the rookie burns out and quits.

This is fiction, but I’ve heard similar stories many times. And honestly, if you try something like that, the outcome is 100% predictable. Each idea, each rule, each flavor of humor—they all stem from different individuals and form separate worlds. Even a seasoned pro would struggle to merge such scattered, mismatched concepts into something coherent.

Even if a single person’s concept is hard to understand, if it has a consistent internal logic and rules, then it can be built into a game. That individual quirkiness becomes the game’s “feel”; the texture that players experience. People may love it or hate it, but if you want to create a truly original product, it has to start with one person creating most of the system and rules.

If, for some reason, group planning is still required from the very start, then perhaps each person should fully develop their own concept and then present it—like a set of complete game plans. That might be a more effective approach.

The time for collaboration should come after the core system is chosen. Once the foundation of the game is set, everyone’s collective input becomes essential to bring that system to life. Even if the setting is quirky or out of step with mainstream sensibilities, if the core gameplay is fun, you’ll want to find a way to make it accessible. That might be accomplished through graphics, a programming trick, or clever sound design.

Creating original gameplay is extremely difficult. It can be hard for others to understand just from a proposal document. But even if the idea seems plain or unconventional, you shouldn’t dismiss it at first glance—instead, look deeper to discover the fun that lies within.

Because the idea for a truly big hit? It only ever exists within the spark of one person’s inspiration.