Games Development / W1 - Individual Game Ideation

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22nd September 2025 - 2nd October 2025 (Week 1 - Week 2)

Sin Jun Ming 0364638

Games Development / Bachelor of Design in Creative Media / Taylor's University

W1 - Individual Game Ideation


Instructions

W1 - Individual Game Ideation

Instruction:

Individually come out with a game idea (or many ideas, remember the limitations), and make your first game pitch. Some lucky (or unlucky) students will be selected to do a 10-minute presentation of their game idea(s) next week in W2. No specific format for now (we’ll do Game Design Document in later class), so try to find the most creative and effective way to convey your game ideas. This may not end up being your Final Project but will still contribute to your Continuous Assessment grade. Hence document the process in your blog. 


1. Ideation

For the ideation stage, I first began by researching existing games on platforms like Steam to understand what kinds of genres and mechanics are currently popular. I explored a variety of games ranging from action shooters to puzzle-based strategy titles. This gave me a clearer picture of how different genres appeal to players, as well as which mechanics create replayability and engagement.

I remembered watching Squid Game, especially the scenes where players were forced into life-or-death situations. The high stakes and psychological pressure reminded me of Russian roulette, where survival depends entirely on timing, luck, and nerve.


Curious to see how this concept was translated into actual games, I began searching for similar titles and eventually discovered Buckshot Roulette. The game stood out because of its simple premise but extremely intense atmosphere.

2. Game Title

The maximum tension in these games became the foundation for my game, Mindshot. Rather than relying on fast-paced shooting or heavy mechanics, I wanted to build a 1v1 duel system where players constantly second-guess each other.

From there, I started pointing out the core game mechanics that made it engaging. To organize my thoughts, I wrote everything down in a Google Doc.

 

3. Game Mechanics

After shaping the initial concept, I moved on to defining the game mechanics that would bring Mindshot to life. Since the goal was to create a simple but tense 1v1 duel, I focused on designing actions that are easy to understand but allow for deep strategic play.





4. Gameplay Sample

After finalizing the basic mechanics, I tried out a gameplay sample to see how the flow would actually work in practice. The goal of this step was to test whether the actions — shoot, defend, and draw, interacted smoothly and to check if there were any issues or “bugs” in the rules.





5. Visual & Audio Style

Moving forward, I began to think about the visual and audio style for Mindshot. Since the game is built around tension and psychological pressure, the look and sound needed to reflect that same atmosphere.


6. Presentation Slide

Feedback

Week 2

Cool direction!


Reflection

Throughout this ideation process, I learned how important it is to build a clear foundation before moving into production. Starting from researching existing games and finding inspiration from Squid Game and Buckshot Roulette, I was able to understand what kind of experience I wanted players to feel, tension, strategy, and unpredictability.

By identifying the mechanics, testing gameplay samples, and visualizing the style and sound, I could see how each part connects to shape the overall player experience. Writing everything down in Google Docs also helped me organize my ideas and fix small issues early on, making the later design stages smoother.

Overall, this phase taught me that a strong concept doesn’t need to be complex, it just needs to create the right emotions and decisions for players. With the foundation of Mindshot now established, I am ready to move forward into prototyping and see how the game performs in actual play.

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