Discussion Need a Creative Game Idea? Join a Game Jam!

TIP: Join a Game Jam.

I've always been good at something. Started out as web developing and slowly getting better at game development. Whatever it is I've been doing. I've always struggled with coming up with unique and creative ideas.

I knew about Game Jams for a long time, but was always skeptical. I thought... am I good enough for a competition?

I recently joined my first game jam (finished it) and now in my 2nd one. They truly brought out some creativity with their themes and limitations.

The first one I joined had a theme of "Ink", which created my art concept (but, I'm not good with graphics either way). The limitation was, "Player must control two entities".

So, I created a Tetris game with some ink artwork and two boards the player can play at the same time.

From my searches on the internet, I have not found one single version similar to this. I would say my Tetris-style game is unique.

Out of 65 entries, I got #2 on Enjoyment and #15 overall. Considering my skill level, I consider that pretty good.


In my second Game Jam, the limitation is you must lose to win. I wasn't exactly sure how to proceed with that. So, I am creating a 2D Puzzle Platformer, where you have to decide if you want to live or die. If you die (falling in fire, for example), it could lead to where you need to go, or it can start you back at the beginning. If you live (a clearly safe path), it might not be as safe as you thought, in which you will be blocked by something that kills you. The trick is finding out if you want to sacrifice yourself (which might lead to safety or might lead to death) to find your way to the end of the game.

I'm not aware of any other platformer that might act in this way.

So, for the people struggling to find creative ideas. I recommend joining game jams.