07 - I Planned My Entire Game In Less Than A Minute - Here’s How.

Planning might just be one of the most difficult stages of a game jam. As game developers, we often think of ideas only to find one problem or another - it doesn’t fit the theme, it’s too boring, I don’t have enough time, etc. It can be hard to think of a creative concept that fits all the parameters of the jam, while being feasible to make in a short time period. A lot of developers have different ways of planning. Some spend more time than others, and the planning phase can take as long as several days, or just under a minute.

I prefer the latter. I’m the type to first look at the theme, think of a wild idea in my head, and then just start coding it without much or any thought. The majority - or even all - of my planning is done while I’m in the midst of designing it. At the beginning, I start with a rough, unpolished, and difficult-to-understand concept rich in potential, but shallow in feasibility. It’s only when I put myself in front of the keyboard and the code that things start to come together.

As I design, I make decisions according to the current state of the game. For example, when designing ‘A Game About Decisions’, I originally wanted the player to be able to type out what they wanted to say, letter for letter, from a pre-determined list of options. It was only when I played the test version of the game that I was able to infer that it might be easier to just show the player three big round buttons to click instead of having to type out everything they wanted.

Moments like this are what truly shape my game. A great analogy for this process is woodworking - starting with an unrefined, blank, and dull object. The vision then shapes it, turning it from a messy block into a unique and polished piece of work. 

Thanks for reading! Read more of my devlogs here:

00 - Devlog Overview - Homepage

01 - What Makes A Game Feel Unique?

02 - The Magic Of Sound Effects

03 - Here's A List Of All The Goofy, Wacky Easter Eggs I Included.

04 -My Interpretation Of The Theme - & Themes In General

05 - The Most Important Part of Game Design - Community

06 - The Psychology of Loading Screens & Intros

07 - I Planned My Entire Game In Less Than A Minute - Here's How