Brainstorming is a structured or freeform process used to generate a wide range of ideas — quickly, without judgment. It helps designers explore mechanics, systems, themes, monetization, and narratives by focusing on volume over perfection.
Brainstorming is not about finding the answer. It’s about unlocking the field of possibilities.
1️⃣ Definition
Brainstorming is a creative expansion technique, used to produce diverse ideas around a specific prompt, problem, or opportunity. It welcomes wild, impractical, contradictory, or incomplete thoughts — because those often lead to breakthroughs.
📍Brainstorming is not the solution phase. It’s the permission to be wrong — usefully.
2️⃣ Why Brainstorming Matters in Game Design
Use Case | Benefit |
Pre-production | Explore concepts, aesthetics, mechanics |
Production | Solve bottlenecks, unblock content |
LiveOps | Invent seasonal events, systems, pacing ideas |
Narrative & worldbuilding | Build characters, factions, relationships |
Feedback response | Reimagine broken systems creatively |
📍If you feel stuck — stop designing. Start brainstorming.
3️⃣ Brainstorming Formats
Format | Description |
Freeform Dump | Write everything that comes to mind — no filter |
Word Association | Branch related terms from a seed idea |
Rapid Fire | Generate 50–100 ideas in a set time (e.g., 15–30 min) |
Constraint-Based | "Only one button," "No verbs," "No visuals" |
SCAMPER | Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to use, Eliminate, Reverse |
Mind Map | Visual branching of ideas or systems |
Prompt-Based | "What if...?", "How might we...?", "What would a player feel if...?" |
📍Different goals require different tools. Match format to intent: open or focused, fast or layered.
4️⃣ Game Design Prompts
Prompt | Focus |
“What if health was currency?” | System inversion |
“What verbs define our loop?” | Mechanical identity |
“What’s the fantasy — and how can we break it?” | Thematic contrast |
“How do we reward mastery without power creep?” | Meta progression |
“What’s the weirdest player choice we could support?” | Emergence, creativity |
“What happens if the system lies to the player?” | Narrative and agency |
📍The right prompt changes the quality of what you generate — not just quantity.
5️⃣ Team Brainstorming Principles
Rule | Why It Works |
No judgment | Encourages risk and originality |
Build on others | “Yes, and…” sparks momentum |
Embrace absurdity | Wild ideas often hide core truths |
Diverge before converge | Don’t edit while generating |
Facilitate cross-role input | Designers, writers, artists, coders think differently — and that’s the point |
📍Use shared spaces like whiteboards, sticky notes, Miro, Notion, or even verbal rounds.
6️⃣ What to Do After Brainstorming
- Cluster ideas by theme, verb, or system
- Cut duplicates or unplayable dead ends
- Score ideas (impact, feasibility, uniqueness)
- Select 2–3 top candidates for prototyping
- Archive leftovers — what doesn’t fit now may spark the next feature
📍Brainstorming ends with sorting — not with answers.
✅ Brainstorming Checklist
📍If you're only generating “sane” ideas — you’re not brainstorming. You’re editing.
Summary
Term | Brainstorming |
What it is | A generative process to explore creative possibilities without filters |
Why it matters | Unlocks depth, originality, and systemic variety — fast |
Used for | Systems, mechanics, events, narratives, UX, monetization, constraints |
Design goal | Move from blank page to promising direction — by embracing creative chaos |
📍Brainstorming is where games begin. It’s not what gets shipped — but it’s what makes the shipping worthwhile.