Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Game Ideas from Other Media
Books, movies, television, and other entertainment media can be great sources of
inspiration for game ideas, so long as the ideas include plenty of activity. Cop
shows from the 1970s inspired the game
Interstate '76
(see
Figure 3.1
). Movies such
as the James Bond series often inspire games. Any story containing exciting action
with something important at stake can form the kernel of a game. Think over the
topics you've read and the movies you've seen and ask yourself whether any of the
activities in them could serve as the basis for a game.
FIGURE 3.1
Interstate '76
was
a great game
inspired by another
medium
—
television.
You can't, of course, steal other people's intellectual propert y. Even if the
Pirates of
the Caribbean
ride at Disneyland seems like the basis for a great game, you can't
make it without Disney's approval. But you can certainly make a lighthearted game
about pirates—as LucasArts did with its
Monkey Island
series.
You should also look beyond the usual science fiction and fantasy genres and
beyond the usual sources like novels and movies. How about poetry? Beowulf's
epic battle with the monster Grendel and then his even more terrible battle with
Grendel's mother in a cave at the bottom of a lake sound like the basis for a game.
“The Charge of the Light Brigade” might make you wonder about cavalry tactics.
Would a game based on cavalry warfare be interesting to anyone? It's worth think-
ing about.
