Your sources of inspiration.

[Frostyfirefly]

What would you say are your sources of inspiration for the games you are working on?

For me, there are lots, but I think they all come down to: a) Tabletop rpgs and board games History c) Folklore and Mythology

I've always been a tabletop geek, anything related to epic quests and exploration gives me a nerdgasm. I am fascinated by history and badass historical characters, specially those of Asia, Eastern and North-Western Europe. And I have always been intrigued by legends, tales and amazing stories, such as the feats of the Gods from many places and fairy tales all over the world.

What about you guys, any particular place(s) where you draw your creative juices from? 

 

[headdie]

For me, its stuff I read, things i have watched, games i play, the mood I am in, history, sometimes life in general.  What ever hits me at the time I am working on something, or trying to sleep, I love the creativity of the latter, but hate what it does to my sleep.

 

[Frostyfirefly]

For me, its stuff I read, things i have watched, games i play, the mood I am in, history, sometimes life in general.  What ever hits me at the time I am working on something, or trying to sleep, I love the creativity of the latter, but hate what it does to my sleep.

So for you, basically anything can inspire you when it happens in the right place and the right time. That's pretty cool.

 

[hiromu656]

Most of my inspiration comes from art in general I would say. So, video games, movies, music and drawings. The game I'm working on right now's primary inspirations were from Bioshock and an awesome picture I saw on DeviantART lol

 

[Frostyfirefly]

Most of my inspiration comes from art in general I would say. So, video games, movies, music and drawings. The game I'm working on right now's primary inspirations were from Bioshock and an awesome picture I saw on DeviantART lol

Bioshock is amazing! Well, except for the ending which I didn't like, but it's still a great game. Interesting that, about music as inspiration, I've never tried to use a song as something to land an idea, specially one so graphical as a video game.

 

[Samsonite]

I'm still learning how to create and make all aspects of RPG work together. I'm just working on making basic maps and characters and story. I figured I'd just try to emulate what I love about the oldschool RPG's from NES and SNES. I guess my inspiration to make my own game comes from that. To copy, emulate and mimic will lead to an inspired, original game in the future, I guess.

 

[Frostyfirefly]

I'm still learning how to create and make all aspects of RPG work together. I'm just working on making basic maps and characters and story. I figured I'd just try to emulate what I love about the oldschool RPG's from NES and SNES. I guess my inspiration to make my own game comes from that. To copy, emulate and mimic will lead to an inspired, original game in the future, I guess.

Yes, imho, we need more old school inspiration in games; a lot of popular game creators (not all, but many do) forget what really makes a game fun and fascinating, Sure, they are crowd pleasers, but people won't remember them as classics in a few years.

 

[Omnimental]

I pull inspiration from everything.  History, culture, mythology, media, personal experiences...

I do love pulling from myth though.  It's like a weird form of fanfiction, adopting ancient heroes into modern tales.

 

[Frostyfirefly]

I pull inspiration from everything.  History, culture, mythology, media, personal experiences...

I do love pulling from myth though.  It's like a weird form of fanfiction, adopting ancient heroes into modern tales.

Yeah, that's the awesome thing about mythology, the characters trascend time and space, I can't imagine them disappearing from popular culture, not even in 10,000 years.

 

[Omnimental]

Yeah, seeing how you can adapt their stories into your own can prove very fun, and doing proper research on them can be strangely rewarding.  For instance, Hades is probably one of my favorite mythological gods, but he gets the short end of the stick more often then not when it comes to accuracy in modern depictions.  He's not the devil for cripe's sakes.

 

[masashi86]

Many ideas for my games and also short film screenplay ideas comes from thinking about situations of the world, the classical, What if... and then idea grows and gets more and more clear.

Sometimes when I'm searching an idea, there is like this flash of inspiration or something, and I know I want to do a project from this idea. Same was with the first game I'm making here. I just sat down and thought a little about ideas, and suddenly I got this absolute clear picture in my mind of the world of the game, it was so clear that all the main characters and whole core story was created almost instantly in my mind. And I had very strong sensation that this is the one I want to do.

Same has been with some screenplays I've written for short film, so something interesting is happening in my mind at those moments

Human mind is very interesting thing isn't it.

I'm sure many of the ideas comes from my personality, how I'm seeing the world, and that what I've experienced.

 

[Frostyfirefly]

Many ideas for my games and also short film screenplay ideas comes from thinking about situations of the world, the classical, What if... and then idea grows and gets more and more clear.

Sometimes when I'm searching an idea, there is like this flash of inspiration or something, and I know I want to do a project from this idea. Same was with the first game I'm making here. I just sat down and thought a little about ideas, and suddenly I got this absolute clear picture in my mind of the world of the game, it was so clear that all the main characters and whole core story was created almost instantly in my mind. And I had very strong sensation that this is the one I want to do.

Same has been with some screenplays I've written for short film, so something interesting is happening in my mind at those moments

Human mind is very interesting thing isn't it.

I'm sure many of the ideas comes from my personality, how I'm seeing the world, and that what I've experienced.

That sounds very Zen and very personal; awesome.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

Books, movies, games and real-life encounters

 

[Frostyfirefly]

Books, movies, games and real-life encounters

Real-life encounters could very well be the strongest source of inspiration; however, usually the boring encounters surpass the inspirational ones.

Or maybe you just have to learn how to perceive encounters as something more than meets the eye.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

sometimes... I like to keep an open mind on everything... plus real-life encounters is pretty broad...

 

[Ruby]

Roleplays. Creating a world from your imagination and writing them down is great, acting them out and developing your characters and their world is even better. And then to place them in a visual setting such as a game is amazing. Roleplaying directly inspires me to create games.

 

[Frostyfirefly]

Roleplays. Creating a world from your imagination and writing them down is great, acting them out and developing your characters and their world is even better. And then to place them in a visual setting such as a game is amazing. Roleplaying directly inspires me to create games.

I know! I love roleplaying as well, it's as if you are looking at different aspects of your personality and creating new things with them.

 

[Solo]

Anything can serve as a source of inspiration if you keep an open mind. From our own life experiences to people in general and the challenges they face, to the beauty of Nature, to history, mythology, spirituality, philosophy, the works. Oh, and video games/RPGs, too! Not to mention literature. And movies/television... and so on. It's impossible to list every source of inspiration.

That sounds very Zen and very personal; awesome.

I'm so curious to know just what you mean by that...

 

[Frostyfirefly]

Anything can serve as a source of inspiration if you keep an open mind. From people and the challenges they face, to the beauty of Nature, to history, mythology, spirituality, philosophy, the works.

I'm so curious to know just what you mean by that...

Well, you could say Zen is trying to perceive things in their natural or essential state, for example, if you see a guy driving an expensive sports car, some people could think "that bastard, he makes a lot of money and can afford that", others could think "he looks good, nice, so stylish", but those that pracitce Zen think "a man driving an expensive sports car".

And from that clearness of mind, you suddenly perceive other things clearly, like a domino effect. That's what I thought when masashi86 said how he gets ideas from the world and how those ideas become clearer and clearer.

The personal part is how he feels directly related to his own ideas, not as just something, but an extension of himself directly translated into film, games, etc.

At least, that's the impression I got from his post.

 

[Solo]

And from that clearness of mind, you suddenly perceive other things clearly, like a domino effect. That's what I thought when masashi86 said how he gets ideas from the world and how those ideas become clearer and clearer.

The personal part is how he feels directly related to his own ideas, not as just something, but an extension of himself directly translated into film, games, etc.

Whoa, story of my life!

Indeed, my work is the outward manifestation of my soul. That's how I value it. So many times, connections upon connections form that I couldn't have dreamed of. I get this amazing rush of creative energy, like a full-body tingling sensation. I'd rather have nothing else; no other gifts, no other possessions than my own creations.

I'm going to save what you said about Zen and clarity of mind, by the way. I could really benefit from it... thank you.