I read some months ago that to be a good game designer is a bit like being a Renaissance artisit, you have to know a bit of everything, in very different fields of study. So what do you guys do to get new ideas, concepts ? Do you read poetry ? Do you study medieval history ? What are the hobbies that will then influence the way you see Game design ? I ask this because I can''t stop being annoyed at the quality of some games, that just seem to not take any input from existing design in non-computer environment (RPG and RTS namely). And yes I know coding is not that easy, but still ... for sure military strategy has brought "better" things than Tank Rush. just curious to see the answers. Are designers geeks or actually literate people youpla :-P

I always wanted to ask that question
Well, one of my major sources of inspiration are books.Books can really inspire me, give me ideas about plots or characters, even places.Stephen Donaldson''s "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever " was the book that inspired me most.Then there''s also Bernard Cornwell''s "Stonehenge", a must-read for fantasy RPG designers.And if you want great character and places (and a good read), I also suggest David (& Leigh) Eddings''"The Belgariad" and "The Malloreon".And you have to read "Belgarath the Sorcerer" and "Polgara the Sorceress".David & Leigh Eddings have also written "The Rivan Codex", in which they explain how they created the world of the books I mentioned.Very interesting, especially for designers (and writers).
I am also inspired by music.When I listen to Loreena McKennitt or Iron Maiden ("7th Son of A 7th Son")I always get new ideas.
I''ll add more later.

This Day All Gods Die

For the "design" of things, as I have been doing lately in the "What''s with stats" and related threads, I''m usually reading psychology links, and checking the web for psychology/sociology and story writing resources.
I find the web a very inspirational place to be. You''ve got an idea that seems like it could belong in Perception Psychology? Look it up! Who knows what you might find.


Give me one more medicated peaceful moment.
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Exactly, you can save yourself a lot of money on books by checking the net first for electronicaly printed material. I personally think you can save yourself a lot of hardwork by working on game designs that you already have a lot of knowledge and background in. Example, if your a big sports fanatic then why not design sportish games. This will save you a lot of unneccessary work.

It''s also a major advantage if you are the imaginative kind, this is one of my strengths which i''ve come to rely on quite heavily.

But when i''m looking for material to read at the library or bookshop which could help me with game designing then i tend to do my searching in two ways:
1. Look for a small breif book on the subject that would be a quick and informative read or
2. Find a big book, but in this case it would be more used as a group of small books which i would be selective on the chapters that need to be read.

But all in all it really comes down to the game your making, a RPG would require probably the most research of all compared to a strategy game which relies more on maps and combat systems (which you''ll have a hard time finding literature for anyhow )





I love Game Design and it loves me back.

Our Goal is "Fun"!

WAGNERS what its all about, a bit of dylan bob, turner , sonic youth + dostoevsky thrown in for good measure, dont forget to shake it all about mate.

and btw fuck poetry

Drugs and Alcohol. Oops...Sorry that''s Stephen King''s inspiration.


Actually, I just have really weird and screwed up dreams that usually make great movie or game ideas. The thing I love about my dreams is that I can carry on a good dream over multiple days and really play the stories out.

If I like the outcome of the dream, or even portions of that dream, I write it down for future game/book material.

Usually I plan on a theme for a dream, but the nights that I don''t, I usually get the really cool stuff.

borngamer


Man was born to game, we only work to pay for our toys!

More : Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones, Bruce Dickinson, Nick Cave ...and John Williams-the guy that made the music for Star Wars, Jurassic Park, JFK etc.I *love* the Episode 1 Soundtrack.

MadKeith & Paul :you''re right, the web is very useful too.Especially if you''re doing research on something (Runes, Druids, Buddhism where some of the things that I needed info on and found it on the web).


This Day All Gods Die

my turn.

Well, my sources are wide and varied. In fact, I just *love* finding stuff, anything, about *ANY* topic. Usually I read a good book, and then try to find the sources the author might have used to find inspiration.
For instance I am reading the Name of the Rose, by Umberto Ecco. The amount of details in this book is massive. So I looked up on the Net, and lo and behold, there is useful information. Though the problem of the Internet is the lack of indepth sources. There is certainly a great deal of references to books and written sources, but finding a full report or book on a particular topic is quiet rare, except for some real classic. For instance, I have been looking for Sun Tzu''s Art of War for a long long time, as well, Miyamoto Musashi''s Book of Five Rings wasn''t very easy to find (those two are a must read for strategists worldwide), but more recent books, that would study modern warfare, are still not there (or I haven''t ben looking hard enough, still haven''t found On War by Clausewitz).
One danger though, is the presence of amateur information, that might not be accurate. So I always try to check with other sources, and big dusty books.
Languages as well, are a hobby of mine. Very useful because they imply that you also discover the civilisation. German and all the Wagner mythology, English and the story of endless fight of France vs England, bits of Irish (I am living in Ireland), memories of Latin (with all the mythology and classics such as Ulysses, Enee, the gods, etc), I decided to look up Japanese sites to be able to write titles that would mean something, and so on.

Anyway.

I was asking because I have an idea that I have been trying to actually do for a long time.
What about a section on "inspiration" for Gamedesign.net ?
Something where people would give review on sites, books, anything, that would have inspired them in some way. Not something like the Reference section exactly, I don''t want things that are already related to programming or computers, rather stuff like a painting (Ridley Scott says he decided to do Gladiator after seeing a painting of a dying gladiator), a book, an article, music. All those things that are not really relevant at first sight, but when you need them, you are happy that someone put it on the Net

What do you think ? I must say that I would be more than happy to help such an archive ... my bookmarks are quiet massive, disorganized, and varied (from porn to the history of medieval religious orders, from computer art to 3D mathematics, from ants and their lifestyle to the commented version of the Art of War...) and i have dreamed of organising them in some way for a long time now.

youpla :-P

ps :
ZedZeek, you must be from Co Donegal, for sure, or maybe Co Leitrim !
Borngamer, my friends say that they get the strangest dreams when they have been smoking various vegetal substances ...

Hi.
I think that my variant is the strangest one, but it is the most effective one.
I take my inspiration from my dreams...
Well... of course i don''t have usual dreams. For about 2 years already i''m practicing lucid dreaming & dream control (special technology).
I think u had some dreams where u remembered that ur dreaming & started controlling it & making everything u wanted.
So I''ve got about 3-4 dreams a night (which i do remember exactly & which are 100% controlled by me.


Nail [Nail Studio]

The Mars books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, another good source of ideas is The Elric Saga by Michael Moorcock.

"A man can't just sit around." 'Lawn Chair' Larry Walters (1982)