Is it just me or do you as well notice that young teenagers who have a passion for designing video games actually have some good ideas. I mean I have talk with some youngster's who are deffinitely interested in the field and they are very bright when it comes to design concepts. I rather they keep it to themselves, but I can deffinitely see a future of gaming in where games will have come along way in becoming the way they are now. Even college students and people in the gaming industry already starting to make a change and shift througout gaming history. Don't you agree?

I do agree. Young teens are one of the biggest customer bases for game companies. They know what's "cool" and what's not. They play the games out there, and they have good ideas about what they like and what they want to see.

Yes, many of them have a great passion for game development/design. But I notice a trend with most (but NOT all) teens. They think designing a game is just getting some tools, clicking some buttons and shipping the next world-beating MMO. :) You'll often see questions like "What program do I need to make a game?"... not realizing that sure, there are design tools (like world editors), but one needs A) a programmer B) to be a programmer oneself. "Click-together" games are nothing more than a living room novelty; rarely something anyone will even want to play for 5 minutes. I can't think of a single popular/successful game made without SOMEONE writing some code. :) That can be discouraging when you're interested in learning to develop games. "Damn, I have to write this computer code mumbo-jumbo?! WTF!!?", haha. And really, this isn't just teens. Plenty of adults have the same mis-perception, and think game development is just about learning how to use some magical program which does all the work for you. I thought, when I first became interested in trying out development, "...surely technology today has made programming/writing code a rare necessity.", and how WRONG I was!

My 2 cents.

Quote: good ideas.

Good by what criteria?

Quote: starting to make a change and shift througout gaming history.

Any examples?

Quote: one of the biggest customer bases

Disposable income, non-demanding life-style.

Quote: about what they like and what they want to see

Aka, fashion industry. Ideas have absurdly short life-span and rely on global machinery to profit from the fads before they fade.

I totally agree. Young teens have the greatest ideas because there minds are so open. I also agree with keinmann. When I first realized that I wanted to get into the gaming industry I though it would be some kind of program that did it all for you haha. Coming to realize that it is not like that in any way, I sure am glad I stuck with it even after figuring out theres so much more into it!

I agree with Antheus' scepticism. I'm not a historian, but AFAIK all the big hits, pioneer and industry-changer games were made by people of age >23 not by teenagers.

The problems with these kinds of ideas though, is that without any development experience, you're unable to properly flesh out the idea. It's only when you actually flesh it out that you discover the flaws in it, and refine it into a "good" idea.

Quote: Original post by Hodgman
The problems with these kinds of ideas though, is that without any development experience, you're unable to properly flesh out the idea. It's only when you actually flesh it out that you discover the flaws in it, and refine it into a "good" idea.

True. Once I had (few months ago) a pretty good idea about a puzzle game. Simple like minesweeper and that made it good. I even named it "domains". I made the game (at least the gameplay prototype), and it was just boring (luckily it took only a day to code it).

I don't thing that teenagers have a brilliant ideas.The true brilliant idea as usualn have a huge abilities for development inside and firstly common sence.
The most powerful stage of human's reason progress is laying between 25 and 35.
This is my imho and my 2 coins.
................
"Our life after 35 years old is a competition between neuron dedradation in brain and growing life experience" (c)Stanislav Lem

Quote: Original post by Krokhin
I don't thing that teenagers have a brilliant ideas.

They do, especially when it comes to upcoming technologies or trends.

But that does not make them viable or commercially interesting. They are, as all ideas, either common sense, just not known within their world, different take on existing idea or a catchy absurdity which others just like (like memes).

But ideas are also subject to luck. Even in hard science - a good idea needs to come at right time in right place among right people.

There was an article a while back on how Google generates "luck". It's all about taking care of the knowns to allow unknowns to succeed. This is also what business incubators do. Which idea will succeed is not known since it depends on adoption and gaining traction. What can be done is building an environment that is encouraging and fostering to those that would want to try.

Majority will still fail, but maybe a handful will gain just enough help to make it through.

Simple harsh reality today is that without monetary backing an idea will not succeed. This does not need to be in form of cash, altruistic efforts and benefactors as well as social acceptance all play big role - money is just prerequisite for those to succeed.

It has always been so. Galileo didn't invent all that much, he simply refined existing ideas due to having benevolent benefactors that others did not.

if teenagers were so keen on new and innovative ideas then COD: Black Ops wouldnt have broken the sales records.

NO. Teenages want explosions and guns. Alot of adults are also of this mindset.

It takes a keen interest, research and refinement to come close to anything "good".