1. The Organic Nature of Game Ideation:
Game Ideas Arise from Solitude
and Mature by Bouncing
Annakaisa Kultima
University of Tampere
FINLAND
annakaisa.kultima@uta.fi
Future Play 2010, Vancouver

2. My Background
Project Manager/Researcher,
University of Tampere, Finland
Games and Innovation (GaIn)
gamesandinnovation.com
Previous projects:
GaS, Games as Services
GameSpace, Design and evaluation methods
for casual mobile multiplayer games
INFIM/TRIM/Game Research Lab
Trim.fi, gamelab.uta.fi
Future Play 2010, Vancouver

3. Game Ideation
Ideation/idea generation (creation)
Game ideation
= The processes of coming up with new game ideas
Research questions:
What are the informal practices?
What are the experiences with formal approaches?
What is a game idea?
Future Play 2010, Vancouver

4. Ideation and creativity
Idea generation is generally recognized as a critical part of
innovation (Clapham 2003)
Idea generation is relatively structured and explicable
process (Mumford & Gustafson 1988, Perttula 2006)
Studies show that creativity training has the highest impact
on originality of the ideas (Clapham 2003, Harkins &
Macrosson 1990)
Patterns of thinking are difficult to break (de Bono 1970)
Studies indicate a strong relationship between the number
of idea generation techniques and the number of
successful products (Parnes 1961, Sowrey 1989)
Future Play 2010, Vancouver

5. Brainstorming
Has become a general term, referring to
any kind of group ideation session
Originating from advertising world
Popularized by Alex Osborn
Applied Imagination (1953)
Basic setting:
Criticism is ruled out
Free-wheeling is welcomed
Quantity is wanted
Reacting to ideas of others
Future Play 2010, Vancouver

6. Brainstorming
Research:
Production blocking, social loafing, fear of evaluation, (Furnham &
Yazdanpanahi 1994)
Instructions and setting matters
Need for facilitation, “go for quantity instead of quality” (Rossiter &
Lilien 1994)
Several other techniques developed
Brainwriting, Bodystorming, SCAMPER, etc.
Game idea generation games
http://www.mycoted.com/Category:Creativity_Techniques
Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques,
Michalko 2006
Future Play 2010, Vancouver

7. Games Industry
Games are idea-based products
(Tschang & Szczypula 2006)
Innovation within games industries is considered to be
mainly incremental and it seems to be rather common
that ideas are drawn from other games and similar
domains (Fullerton et al. 2006, Hagen 2009)
Room for systematizing processes
(Tschang, 2007)
Brainstorming doesn't (always) work
(Gabler K. et al. 2005; McFadzean 2000)
Future Play 2010, Vancouver

8. Data
23 game professionals from 8 Finnish game companies
Various current roles, game designer experience
or other idea related role
Two interview settings; 2005 and 2007
Semi-structured, thematic interviews
2005: idea generation practices as a side topic
2007: concentrated on idea generation practices
Future Play 2010, Vancouver

9. Findings
Social aspect
Ideas are generated in solitude
Matured and further developed by bouncing
Informal practices
Seeking inspiration: various sources
Purposeful activities: retreating, walking, google pics, wikipedia,
being always on watch, prototyping
Formal practices
Brainstorming, Mindmaps, Six Thinking Hats,
Double Team + various brainwriting techniques
Future Play 2010, Vancouver

10. Findings
Challenges of brainstorming (group ideation)
Production blocking, fear of evaluation
Inadequate understanding of the technique
Fear of loosing creative freedom
Sense of inefficiency (too big groups, ideas far-fetching)
Practical reasons (scheduling)
Game idea
from one-liners to eight-page formal design documents
Mechanics
Change (idea as starting point, ambivalence…)
Challenge of selecting and evaluating ideas
Future Play 2010, Vancouver

11. Conclusions & Discussion
Need for education and training
curricula, company practices/processes
organic practices should be acknowledged and further developed
Ideas arise from solitude
solitaire techniques
Change is seen ambivalently
starting point / fundament
Idea selection is a particular challenge
inspirational value of an idea?
Recent changes in the industry?
Future Play 2010, Vancouver

12. Future Research
Innovation attitudes among game
professionals (2009)
Survey opened:
www.gamesandinnovation.com/survey
What is the status of games industry
with idea generation?
Are ideas recorded and if so,
are they revisited?
Results to be expected next Autumn
Future Play 2010, Vancouver

13. Thank you!
Annakaisa Kultima
University of Tampere
annakaisa.kultima@uta.fi
aakoosgamelab.com
gamesandinnovation.com
gamelab.uta.fi
uta.fi
Future Play 2010, Vancouver