Game Writing

[Endy]

I'll be honest, I've been trying for over two years to write a game, and I really would like to know. How in the world do you all get these 24-hour games together? Or, for that matter, what is it that 'clicks' in your mind between a scramble of notes with limited coherence and an actual game?

[kumakami]

I find its more about writing down a tangent and then expanding from there. The Game I'm working on atm started as a silly idea for character creation. At least this is my madness...er..method

[Chainsaw Aardvark]

Welcome to 1km1kt Endy.

I've generally said that there are two ways to approach making a game. The first is to start with the rules you like (or rule pitfalls you don't like and how to avoid them) and then try to come up with a story that fits them. The second is just the opposite - begin with a story, then consider what game elements support that genre. (ie if its about super heroes, the injury rules should be rather forgiving. Less so if its about hunting Lovecraft style denizens.)

As to 24 hour games specifically, most seem to go the latter route, as you a very clear focus to those works. Most of them don't have pages and pages of background, but it focuses the tone and and answers three major questions - "who are you, what are you doing, and why?"

I tend to outline ideas and then fill in. Quite often the first thing I make for any game is all the section headings/chapter titles so I know what I need to write. Then I can work on each in turn, or should I get stuck, jump to the next and then come back later.

On my transitional designs, I work in a spiral notebook first. This frees me from the oh-so-many distractions on my computer, I can work just about anywhere, and most notably the work will get its first edit and revision just in the process of typing. However, that not really a luxury afforded within 24 hours, so those are written mostly chained to the desk.

[Jonathan Ridd]

I start with a premise which is nearly always derived or inspired by a film, video game or book that I've experienced and then try to find the game in it. I'll look at others in the genre and take themes from them also. I'm into feeling and creating vibe, an atmosphere, a definite texture so I have tend to expand first into the stats first. For instance in Snuff: Downloads of Death a horror survival game where serial killers, snuff producers and cultists sell downloads of their sick exploits on the internet,I wanted the stats to say something about the game so I thought of them as methods of survival and called them Suspect, Evade, Confront, Suffer, Solve, Use, Influence and Know. I'll then look for game specific mechanics to make the game work as it needs to encourage certain types of behaviour and gameplay to try and prevent certain pitfalls with the genre. Then lastly I'll flesh out the setting expanding in the case of snuff the kill sites, survivor groups and agencies set up to investigate them.

[SheikhJahbooty]

You just write!

You sit down at your keys and hit them. If you find yourself getting bogged down here, hurry to the end, skip stuff. If you get bored writing it, the reader, well...

And then you rewrite, (you might leave out different stuff this time) and the second or third time you do that you start to think that all that stuff you took notes on might have been good.

Then maybe you get together some friends to try the game, or you can't convince the scaredy cats who have no free time that you call your friends to try it, so you post it at or in the hopes that one of us will try it and tell you about it.

And then you rewrite again.

Obviously a 24 hour game might have to skip most of the rewriting and testing, but when the authors have been especially pleased with their 24 hour games, they do go back and do all that stuff.

[misterecho]

you make it sound much less daunting sir.