Weekend Design Challenge: Bad game ideas
One of the grim realities of game design is that you will have to be creative on demand. It's sometimes very daunting to be face with the same document you've been working on for the past two weeks. Sometimes you want to work on something else, but the true mark of a professional is the ability to stick with the task to completion.
A lot of times work goes on even when you're not directly concentrating on the task at hand. Sometimes good ideas come to you when you're not expecting them. Most designers I know have had inspiration strike in the middle of the night, or in the shower, etc. So, sometimes it can be helpful to do a silly, yet still related, task to get the creative juices flowing.
So, we'll do one of those exercises this weekend. Your challenge: come up with a truly bad game design. Mine is after the jump.
Bonus points for buzzwords and awful puns. Supreme bonus points if you describe an actual project you (almost) worked on.
My Little Pwny
Market research has shown that girls play games and girls like ponies. We're going to use this amazing facts to create a next-generation game that combines these two elements. Using the beloved nature of the My Little Pony brand, we will make a First-Person Shooter (FPS) game. In this game the players will take control of colorful ponies with charming names and put them in a no-holds-barred deathmatch arena. Weapons will include the sawed-off shotgun, the rocket-launcher, and the always favorite: BFE-2000 (Big Fancy Equine-2000). To meet ratings requirements, there will be no blood, ponies will disintegrate immediately upon death, only to respawn with only the basic weapon.
Plans for additional SKUs (including an MMORPG to be developed in 12 months) will follow.
Okay, what's your bad idea?
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Tax Return Duel
Players are given a basic summary or the business and then given a virtual cardboard box stashed full of receipts, bank statements, invoices, remittances, scribbled IOUs etc. These have to be looked at using a fancy 3D "virtu-paper" interface and manipulated with an on-screen hand"
The task is to fill the Tax Return for the period. You compete either online or against the cpu with levels described in qualifications and experience.
Comment by Dominic Fitzpatrick — 6 August, 2007 @ 1:53 AM
Well first there's this.
Secondly, in true Rockstar Games stylee...
Smack!
The third-person immersive heroin addiction game! You will roam the beautifully rendered urban jungle searching for likely begging spots, potential mugging victims and car steroes which can be sold off in search of the next fix!
Define and build your infinitiely configurable character through the varying levels including rolled smoking, dragon chasing all the way up to full on introvenous injection! Hide your "teacks" by injecting the groin! Find your veins as they slowly collapse over time or simply inject into an eyeball!
Seek out a source of clean needles or gamble everything on AIDS and Hep B! Is your dealer "straight"? Are you buying from a Fed? Is that hit clean or will it lead to abcesses and open gangrenous wounds? Are you shooting bleach powder?
Endless thrills, spills and wonderfully realized abject misery as you do your best to stay alive in a world that thinks of you as a criminal rather than a victim! How long can YOU stave off the inevitable?
Special collectors edition SKU contains length of slim rubber tourniquet, false needle and a warrant for your arrest. Microtransactions available to buy HIV-inhibiting medication via XBox Live!
Comment by Rich Bryant — 6 August, 2007 @ 3:07 AM
It's, like, an MMO.. but it's about WEED, man. LOL!
Comment by Azaroth — 6 August, 2007 @ 12:45 PM
Coin Toss Online.
Coin Toss Online takes the action of the original "Coin Toss" with the blood-pumping excitement of competing against hundreds of thousands of other "tossers" across the world. Coin Toss Online has something for everyone. For quick play, simply login, select an opponent, and play "Single Toss Death Match." If you've got more time, try "Best 2 out of 3." Or join in the ladder events and carve your name into Coin Toss Online history!
Features include:
o The world's first 100% PvP online game based completely on coin tossing.
o One on one single-flip "death match" play
o Global ladders (reset monthly)
o Support for guilds
o Micro-payments for coin skin customization (Impress everyone with your "Rai Stone!")
o "Odds calculator" in HUD
o Built-in voice chat
o Pre-order to get a free Franklin Mint "Coin Toss Online" plastic coin and game map.
o And more!
Comment by Amber — 6 August, 2007 @ 4:01 PM
Army Men: Faceoff!
In this game players are given control of an army man, who they can 'kit out' with various military gear from around the world. Different weapons and accessories can also be provided. Once kitted out, the real mission begins: Players must make their army man face off against a competitors army man on the catwalk. Using an innovative mixture of mouse controls and timing-based gameplay, players must 'strut their stuff' and be judged in the ultimate man-on-man competition! There is no action like catwalk action!
Featuring:
Note: To be honest, for all of the 'bad game designs' I half-expect that there are a minority of people out there who really would enjoy them. Even bad designs are halfway to somewhere. Somewhat related (Research Paper): Why bad ideas are a good idea
Comment by Jpoku — 7 August, 2007 @ 2:59 AM
For a laugh, we talked up a design that I should probably not post the details of; the name should tell you all you need to know: Sim Pimp. Imagine our delight when a director comes back from E3 with a head full of GTA and pitches, amongst other staggeringly bad ideas, our Sim Pimp idea right back at us.
Comment by Mox — 8 August, 2007 @ 4:14 AM
I think it's been done:
Pimp War and I only WISH it were a joke.
Comment by Ophelea — 8 August, 2007 @ 5:48 PM
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Comment by Tholal — 9 August, 2007 @ 11:22 AM
MMO Pong
Each player has the edge of a regular polygon with the same number of sides as players. Minimum of 3 obviously, maximum of however many the server/clients can cope with :)
Number of balls in simultaneous play is based on number of players.
Team mode where you can use special balls to rez "dead" team members.
Apart from vanilla pong (bats balls and open space, yawn), maybe obstacles + assorted trajectory modifying construsts, powerups (given to last person to hit the ball) and the like.
Comment by paul — 10 August, 2007 @ 6:10 AM
Weekend Design Challenge: Ninjas!
[...] for at least a few people. Yeah, the topic is a bit silly, but this isn't the challenge about bad game ideas. Go post there if you have a bad Ninja (etc.) [...]
Pingback by Psychochild’s Blog — 19 August, 2007 @ 4:52 AM
Doh!
I want a new simulation game -- Pit Bull Fighter Tycoon! I bet you could get the license for Vick's image really cheap now too!
Honestly, I'm ashamed for the rest of you guys for not thinking of this idea first.
Comment by Bobby Thurman — 25 August, 2007 @ 8:33 AM
Third Webomatica Contest: Bad Video Game Ideas
[...] more brainstorming fodder, here’s a link to some awful video game ideas. Also check out some actual, terrible video games like Cheetamen (here’s a history site), [...]
Pingback by Webomatica — 12 September, 2007 @ 6:11 AM