Practical Advice for Creative Projects - Extra Credits Gaming

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How do great game ideas happen? Join us for practical advice on how to create unique and original game ideas into fantastic content for your developing game.
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#ExtraCredits #Gaming #GameDesign

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[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Thanks For these videos! Can't get enough of them!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤

[@DragoniteSpam]

It bears mentioning that you should also be able to differentiate between having ideas about a plot/setting and having ideas about game mechanics. "A game about going to magic school" describes both Skyrim's College of Winterhold and Harry Potter, and the two are obviously a little different. Having an idea about plot/setting is fine, but if you want to get people hooked on your gameplay (or if you want to convince a publisher to fund it) you need to focus on the game mechanics.

[@arnaldosantoro6812]

Also FF8 matches

[@RorikH]

I remember a GDC talk by a publisher about elevator pitches and he said, "don't tell me about your lore, just don't."

[@ScorbunGame]

Same also applies to any creative work, if you can't zero in on what elements make YOUR story unique from the crowd of hundreds of other stories with the exact same concept your work is just going to come off as generic and uninspired.

[@StefanLopuszanski]

Yeah, a lot of what is mentioned here isn't really gameplay but just lore / art / fluff. Really the thing that makes great games stands apart and do well is the crunch. They do bring up some stuff in that but not enough.

[@HauntakuTV]

@@ScorbunGame You can actually do exactly what other games do but do it better than them. Being "better" is all about the execution of the concept.

[@RorikH]

I like the list thing. I've heard a similar writing tip, which is: Write down ten bad ideas for what should happen next. As most people aren't good at coming up with that many bad ideas, one of them will probably end up being good.

[@deyesed]

I feel like it would also prevent me from attaching too strongly to an idea just because it's mine.

[@Its-Just-Zip]

My one thing to add is: not just discard an idea because you crossed it off your list. Plenty of successful games violate stuff like the first 5 minutes hook (looking at you Eve Online and Planetside, although both have gotten better there recently). Crossing an idea off mostly just means it needs more development before you can consider making it.

[@unfortunatelyevil1767]

"Does your team have the skills to create the game?" has wiped out my entire list >.>

[@R8Spike]

Think smaller then

[@MiseFreisin]

I suggest coming up with a new list of ideas: How do we get those skills?

[@unfortunatelyevil1767]

@R8Spike Tic Tac Toe, but 3d, and on paper, and played only by myself it is~

[@HauntakuTV]

Even if you have no skills, you can still obtain such skills through trial and error.

[@JMcMillen]

One of the best things about game development was from Yahtzee Crowshaw (who has made his own games) and that is one of the most important things is "What is the primary gameplay loop" or what are the players going to spend the vast majority of their time doing. Now there are certainly going to be secondary and tertiary gameplay loops, but those should be to support the primary.

[@nidohime6233]

If I could add something for creative people is you don´t have to put all your ideas in the same basket. It might be tempting to add everything you want for the "ultimate videogame" you have on your mind like deep customization, 50 something endings, great combat system, 200 unique NPCs and so on, but in practice is much better to have one good idea done well than 20 mediocre ones put together. Besides you can still use those unused ideas for future projects, they could end blending together even better.

[@HauntakuTV]

Less is more. If you have ideas that don't fit one game, make it the core feature of another game.

[@bensteinhauser784]

Imagine the ultimate soup. Would it literally be all of your favorite foods mashed into a blender? Restraint is a necessary ingredient of success.

[@philipwolfe4231]

I'd love additional videos on how to design those stand-out moments: A novel idea never before seen, visually unique snapshot, the first 5 minutes, and especially a truly memorable ending.

[@brockmckelvey7327]

I remember late one nignt openly sharing a bunch of game concept ideas I had been thinking about with my friend. After finally getting through the ones I had spent the most time thinking about ("my darlings"), they shared with me that the one they thought would be best was one I hadn't spent as much time thinking about, because all the ones I had really been turning around in my mind all seemed really similar to each other. Sharing the ideas out loud with that friend also showed me which ones I was most confident would actually be good, as opposed to the ones I just thought of for myself as a gamer (forgetting about everyone else).

[@Turbo_Waitress]

I love this idea vetting advice. For me, I am having the worst time getting my game actually started. I have a small scope idea so I can manage it. Art and story, check. Game mechanics in my head and prototyped on paper, check. But actually building the game js so intimidating. I have a little programming experience, very limited Unity dev experience, but I am finding the steps of how to actually construct the game itself so hard and I am sure my limited experience is part of that. I wish there was scaffolding or a roadmap for the technical side of game dev, but I know that’s hard because every game is so vastly different. I almost feel overwhelmed by the amount of information out there and am having a hard time breaking down how to build up the technical bones of the game.

[@kevinmbrooks]

Check out Mark Brown's Developing series here on KZbin. The latest video might be especially helpful.

[@Turbo_Waitress]

@@kevinmbrooksthank you!

[@tobirivera-garcia1692]

theres also a video made by jonas tyroller called “The World’s First Reverse Devlog”. Its a pretty interesting way of stripping down how a game is made by gradually destroying it.

[@_korbo_]

The trick is, pay someone who actually knows how to program, or properly learn how to yourself. Making a game isn't just having ideas.

[@Deselous]

As someone who watches a lot of documentaries about why some games fail, it usually boils down to they didn't ponder enough on one or more of those 3 factors. Great video for thought and a great way for others to have a starting direction.

[@SharurFoF]

"If you can't envision at least one incredible visual for a game idea" RIP Tetris

[@R8Spike]

Tetris' visual is the theme of 4

[@Delmworks]

Tetris is simple but it’s also iconic, so I think that’s a bad example…. The early rogulikes like net hack, on the other hands..

[@SharurFoF]

@@Delmworks I'm not saying Tetris has bad, or the worst, visuals. But it's surely a stretch and a half to call them incredible. Of course regardless of how you feel about Tetris in particular, as you point out, visual wow factor isn't always relevant.

[@MAlanThomasII]

Tetris was also sold at a time when graphics were not at the modern standard. It was on a monochrome platform when most of the world first saw it. I don't think you could sell it as-is today without its history and brand recognition behind it. Even cheap, simple, ad-supported shape-puzzle games on mobile are far more visually stimulating at this point.

[@_korbo_]

​​@@SharurFoFit's really not that far fetched to imagine a great exciting visual for the moment when you clear 4 lines at a time, lights fireworks, numbers popping up, everything that those games already do

[@filipDcve]

THAT was why Luffy was in the thumbnail?! Awesome hahaha

[@LionHeartSamy]

Wait, so why was Luffy featured here lol? Did the point / joke fly over my head?

[@filipDcve]

around 1:05 he says "now you're really stretching"... it's... a pun, I guess I think it's awesome because he's there even without being actually relevant Meaning that One Piece has become popular enough to be referenced for an unrelated joke, maybe?

[@jigglypuffdude]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="299">4:59</a> really didn't need to get called out in an Extra Credits video, but I guess I can finally fix my hand pain

[@spooky6703]

That was sudden and unnecessary

[@HauntakuTV]

Just try not to get carried away with your ideas for a game. I've been working on a RPG for over 10 years and it kept switching to a platforming game during development hell so now I'm turning it into a platformer. Also, a point-and-click game I was working on lost that feature when I finished it. It's "Candlelight" on my itchio if anyone is interested.

[@louismessil4658]

"If there's nothing you can make cmpelling in the first 5 minutes" Laugh in Paradox game, XD (I know their first hour experience actually sucks, but it's still fun XD)

[@johnnydarling8021]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="252">4:12</a> Shots fired! They be doin' my boi dirty there. Praise the Great GabeN.

[@postapocalypticnewsradio]

PANR has tuned in. PANR is not creative, but endeavors to be. Edit: This is good advice. Thank you. Though I'll be using it for writing, not for game making.

[@extracredits]

Fantastic Idea!

[@christopherg2347]

Extra Credits 2014: "Fail Faster" Extra Credits 2023: "So, here is how you actually do it."

[@jobobminer8843]

Wow. This was a great video. It's been a bit but I'm happy to see some cool stuff here again. Thanks for the video 🤠

[@harrygameprod]

I really like the concept that the creator of Deus Ex, Warren Spector, calls "The One New Thing". Your original game doesn't need to be revolutionary in the most basic ways, but it's important for it to have one major new thing that people have never seen before. Deus Ex is a 1st person shooter like many others, but you have the ability to solve problems either via combat, stealth, or hacking. And when you do start prototyping your ideas, I believe in polishing the core gameplay loop as much as you can. I once read about how Shigeru Miyamoto kept testing and refining Mario 64's jump and run animations until they felt really smooth and fun to play with, because that's the core, that's what the players will be doing over and over.

[@hndrwn]

Creative Assembly, you need this video before you develop that mess called Hyena 😂

[@Richforce1]

And maybe not make it drag.

[@Delmworks]

Finally, actually decent advice for people with way too many ideas and way too few skills...like myself!

[@johnnydarling8021]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="90">1:30</a> The weirder the premise, the better. How about a game about throwing birds at pigs? Or fighting off waves of zombies with strategic gardening. Or FlappyBirb.

[@aidenharris5296]

Or better yet kids that vandalize property and have magic skateboards they use to run away from cops

[@TJ-vh2ps]

This is really great advice for any project!

[@HardCodedGaming]

The "gripping first five minutes" rule gets a little more generous if you're targeting Paradox fans XD (I say that with nothing but love)

[@jasonlyons1575]

This one was a great video for not just video games, but for designing dungeons and dragons campaigns

[@Bedwyr7]

Quadruple bonus points to the artist for the deep cut Look Around You reference.

[@Stratelier]

I am currently writing (for Nanowrimo) a story based on a certain prompt, but I'm also on the side thinking "if not the _story_ per se, the _setting_ might be worth making a game around".

[@TheCreepypro]

we thank you for sharing some really good advice!

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

You guys always make My day with these! You're awesome 😊😊😊😊❤❤❤❤

[@llSuperSnivyll]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="152">2:32</a> Every open world game designer: "I have no idea what this means" The part about focusing it on what you can do is what I'm doing with the game I'm making in my free time. It's a ROGUE-like (not just in gameplay, but visually), but with an editor where players can share dungeons and program virtually all the elements present in them. It's great for me because I'm awful at UI and visuals, let alone at drawing.

[@HauntakuTV]

Could you try making a video about autism representation in video games? I'm sure you can find some really good examples.

[@ArturCzajka]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="138">2:18</a>, <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="157">2:37</a> you've crossed-out Dwarf Fortress & Factorio twice already XD

[@CyberKinetiks]

One important question is left though. What if you cross ALL of the ideas off the list by the time you reach the end of this guide? Make a game about empty lists?

[@pangake]

very convenient video seeming as i was in the middle of drafting game ideas while this was uploaded, haha.

[@hamstermk4]

At the "think about what you have to make this game" I was thinking about a vast library of 3d Assets I had purchased from the Unity store on holiday sale.

[@HauntakuTV]

You can't use certain assets for a game you plan to sell. You have to read the licences.

[@grapeshott]

Complex games can also be good sometimes, like Paradox games or Total War games...

[@StefanLopuszanski]

I'm a game dev with a marketing background and have taught game dev too. A lot of this is true but I would say that a lot of it isn't useful or meaningful and is just "fluff" that probably shouldn't stop an idea or execution. For me there are a few things I always highlight to students and others, especially the ones you covered but glossed over. The unique selling proposition (USP) and target market is hugely important. If your game doesn't stand out with some specific gameplay feature it most likely won't do well. Also, even the seemingly best ideas can flop when playtested. Create a fast and basic prototype and see if people enjoy it and want to see more. Case in point games that started in a game jam like Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes and Baba Is You. Incredible games that stand apart and the graphics and art and lore and everything else doesn't matter. Just great gameplay that is unique and something that people want to buy and play.

[@aidenharris5296]

So usp do a prototype and good gameplay.

[@StefanLopuszanski]

@@aidenharris5296 : I do a ton of prototypes, but 90%+ of them fail. It is very difficult to have a good idea that works in reality as you imagine it might due to emergent properties and the complexity of design in general.

[@angreed66]

Honestly every strike off the listed had me immediately come up with counter-examples so it bears reminding that those are only guidelines.

[@HealyHQ]

Excellent advice!

[@superswag7205]

i have no interest in making games but the fact they put my top 3 favorite games in one thumbnail i ended up watching it thru 😭

[@wariodude128]

Not sure if I could come up with thirty game ideas. I have come up with a number of ideas from the most random of places though.

[@videosammy]

If any of this just fills you with dread and takes away your motivation, then game design is DEFINITELY not for you and you should look at something different. Game design is filled with all kinds of positions that need to be done. You might not end up directly affecting the game but the work you might end up doing will definitely help out the people who do, so they can concentrate on working on the game, while you run support for your teammates. So dont be afraid to look at other things that dont have to do with video games, you might still end up there without knowing it. Good luck 😊👍

[@HauntakuTV]

Game design is for everyone and even a bad game is good. You're contributing to the arts and helping other devs get inspired.

[@videosammy]

@HauntakuTV no its not. Cause otherwise, everyone would be able to pull off designing a game without any problems or glitches. And even companies who have made games struggle to make decent games too.

[@madmanjerry7074]

liking simply cause hollow knight was in the thumbnail

[@DarthBiomech]

What if I ran out of ideas left standing before I got to the end of the list though?

[@JohnnyEscopeta]

This is not a video to know if you idea is good, is to know if *your idea is commercially viable* which are two different things.

[@HauntakuTV]

Commericially viable usually means creatively void.

[@ChrisDeJack]

"If it take 10 hr to get to the good stuff, strike it off your list" I think the Paradox interative dev never got the memo on that one...

[@kierannurmi5488]

Doesn't the first five minutes rule basically rule out a sizable amount of games made by Paradox? You absolutely can't explain Crusader kings in 5 minutes.

[@aze94]

Tywin Lannister simulator

[@Lightmagician60]

when you said to come up with 30 ideas i kinda had a realiation i was past that step you wheren't talking about full concepts you where talking about single ideas you spring off from i'd write down ideas for games, if ideas seemed compatible, i'd put them together an idea i've had went like this 1) what if someone made an a Modern .Hack? 2) oh you could add the social and time mechanics from Persona 3) [much later] MMO tab target combat was designed to challenge your micro management, however due to static cooldowns it was quite easy. what if you used this in a Single player game where your whole party was the hotbar... oh that can work in the .Hack style game idea in a weird sense, if you have a bunch of unoriginal ideas, but put those together to get something a little original

[@tutus3dall-starsmultiversa646]

Remember kids: an unoriginal idea isn't necessary bad! For example, Kaiserreich's premise is the humble "What if Germany won WWI?", but manages to make an extremely good mod with tons of lore and fun mechanics

[@rainrune9073]

(<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="253">4:13</a>) 1, 2, Alyx

[@ccggenius]

"If there's nothing you can make interesting in the first 5 minutes and it takes 10 hours to understand, cross it off your list". Classic Monster Hunter's ears are burning.

[@joseluispcr]

So writen version 1 what iníquo seling point 2 what incredible visual 3 can be amazing in 5 minutes of game play? 6 your ideia match your tem capabilites? 7 Can match the budget and schedule or need lot of content? 8 can you make a amazing end? 9 do you have a audience for you? 10 for the price your game Will be you Will get Sales enough. 11 why is amazing? IF a game ideia Services all questions that is a good ideia

[@stevejakab274]

A good game idea doesn't necessarily have to be totally innovative or new. BG3 doesn't actually do anything that hasn't been done in other RPGs, it just does them much better than previous iterations.

[@hunterculpepper1973]

Luffy and behind him sans hollow knight and mae mawbraski or whatever

[@chrisowens4550]

Did anyone else get the mid-roll ad for sex toy, or do I just need to clear my history?

[@yokoboo]

It's one thing to go through the list and know your game is something that would be pitch-worthy, but knowing no one is going to want to pick up an mmo idea is just disheartening. There are just some industry inhibitions that feel insurmountable. Doesn't stop me from plugging away at the design doc, but it's sad to think it's not something that is ever likely to be picked up.

[@Sioox]

So I started with 1 Billion ideas, I ended up with -1. Not sure where I reduced my idea count by 2.

[@victortung747]

Makes me wonder how did "Gollum" not get crossed off the decision makers' idea lists .........

[@HauntakuTV]

The game as a concept was pretty cool, but the execution failed because the higher-ups limited funding and rushed the devs. There was no way the game could succeed because the suits wanted a new yacht

[@TheDefiniteArticle_]

That was 10 things is did nae know boot you Mr Piano

[@Artista_Frustrado]

an italian stereotype jumping on turtles while eating mushrooms would never be a good idea, now a Italo-American stereotype *from Brooklyn*...

[@FaustoPego]

New style, huh?

[@bananatassium7009]

help i recognize but can't pinpoint the character next to sans and hollow knight in the thumbnail it's driving me insane

[@R8Spike]

Niko one shot

[@cybershockgames1434]

Mae Borowski from 2017’s Night In The Woods

[@MiseFreisin]

Darude Sandstorm

[@ImVeryOriginal]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="254">4:14</a> H... Half-Life 3 cancellation confirmed?

[@edwardnygma8533]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="300">5:00</a> I did not need to be called out like this so unexpectedly, dammit. But thank you.

[@CristanMeijer]

If you don't want to get published, but just want to make a game, then stop thinking about it, and just make anything. Don't make good-looking art or think it all the way through, but just make anything playable from beginning to end. Focus on iterating quickly rather than making it perfect. Let the game be influenced by what you can make, rather than thinking it all out beforehand and then finding out you can't actually make that game. I'd only think about the points of the video once you've already made at least 1 (crappy) game.

[@markguyton2868]

Thank you for making me realize all my ideas are bad... I appreciate it :\

[@TennessseTimmy]

First thing you need to ask yourself: Does this youtuber actually have any experience making games

[@nickvinsable3798]

🤔 . . . Yeah, I’ve got two game ideas (another set, but that is more movie/tv show turned into a game shtuff 🤷‍♂️). My ultimate endgame goal is actually in regards to a new kind of hardwear, a User Interface (UI) that is based off of _Sword Art Online_ ‘s NerveGear, & its technically classified as Medical Equipment (just think of it as a tag, just like how I want church run healthcare centers to stock up on contraceptives for non-contraceptive reasons, i.e. a ‘tag’ that church run healthcare centers are okay with), thus there is a risk that hackers could reprogram people for evil reasons. Until then, I’d like to build some field experience in building a self-updating objective system for a non-NerveGear game that’ll bring the adult player(s) a sense of life fulfillments & such…

[@Cheddarwars]

I only clicked cus I saw monkey d luffy lol

[@Touhou20246]

To be honest I have thought of video game ideas when I was younger but I was never able to be completely original examples being lego ww2, ww1, civil war, revolutionary war, Korean War and Vietnam war in Lego video game format so yeah I don’t know how to think of original ideas that much.😅👍🏻

[@-jeff-]

It used to be great ideas for video games, but now it's turned into great ideas for monetization schemes masquerading as video games.

[@blackmagemasher4031]

Shouldn't the title be Practical Advice from Creative People?

[@emmetjames2482]

Sans Skeleton