Have you ever felt like making a game? I'm sure most of you have. But sometimes, I guess some of us feel like making more than just one game. We get all these ideas as we play games, watch TV, etc. But which one should you work on?


Technique 1: Attempt & Improve
That's right. Work on ALL the stuff you want to work on. I know it sounds very time-consuming, but for most people, it's more productive.

Let's say you want to work on a RPG, a RTS and a puzzle game. If you just focused on one game, eventually you'll end up thinking back on the other games and wondering what it would be like to work on them. In other words, you're wasting time daydreaming.

So don't daydream. Just get to work on them. Write full plans of the game from beginning to end. Don't worry too much about graphics, programming, coding, etc. Just jot down whatever you want to see in the game from beginning to end.

Then, code it, with minimum graphics. Just code whichever part excites you the most. Once you're done with the engine, or about 3/4ths done, you should probably remake it. Why? Because if this is the first engine of it's type, it's likely to suck. You'll realise better ways to do some things and if you don't do it better, you'll regret it later on. Unfortunately, the best way to figure out what's missing is to just do it first. A skilled programmer once said something along the lines of "..there's about 300% wastage in the gaming industry."

Now, if you're getting bored of one game, work on another. This way, you'll be able to seperate the "good ideas" from "your true calling". Yes, it's tedious, but it provides the most comfort in the end. If you're lucky, you'll end up bored with most of your ideas just after jotting down a few notes.

Oh, and I recommend you jot them notes down in digital format. With paper, you tend to lose the stuff you've written and you'll eventually end up rewriting them once the idea pops up again.


Technique 2: The nerd way
Yes, you can also follow the good old ideas your teachers told you: Write down the pros and cons of each game. Then figure out which one's the best.

I could write several paragraphs on this style, but you've probably learned much of the technique from school, seminars, parents, etc.


Technique 3: Give the people what they want
Ask your friends. Ask your parents. Ask your spouse(s). Ask the rest of the community. It's a simple, yet slightly annoying method.

This way, you'll know which idea gives you the most fame. However, this idea doesn't always give you want you want to work on, though. It just gives an idea of what people want you to work on. But if you care far more about others than you care about yourself, go ahead.