unity-brainstorming

Unity Game Brainstorming — Mechanics, Levels & Narrative

Structured creative thinking for game design — from raw idea to actionable concept

When to Use This Skill

• Stuck on what mechanic to add next
• Designing a new level, area, or encounter
• Exploring narrative direction or story beats
• Expanding on an existing mechanic or system
• Breaking out of a creative block
• Comparing design approaches for a feature

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Core Principle: Diverge First, Converge Later

  Game Design Thinking Flow

  DIVERGE -----------------------> CONVERGE

  +---------------+           +----------------+
  |  Generate     |           |  Evaluate      |
  |  ---------    |  EXPLORE  |  ----------    |
  | * Quantity    | --------> | * Feasibility  |
  | * No judgment |           | * Fun factor   |
  | * Wild is OK  |           | * Scope fit    |
  +---------------+           +----------------+

  Rule: Never evaluate while generating.

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Brainstorm Methods

Classic Brainstorm (Solo or with Claude)

1. Define the design problem clearly (2 min)
   Example: "How might we make the second world feel distinct from the first?"

2. Generate without filtering (10 min)
   - Aim for 10-20 raw ideas minimum
   - Include bad ideas — they unlock good ones

3. Combine and extend (5 min)
   - Merge similar ideas
   - Push promising ones further

4. Evaluate and select (5 min)
   - Feasible for current scope?
   - Fun to play, not just clever on paper?
   - Pick 1-3 to prototype

SCAMPER for Game Mechanics

Apply to any existing mechanic to generate variants:

Letter	Technique	Game Design Question
S	Substitute	Swap a core property — what if gravity pulled sideways instead of down?
C	Combine	Merge two mechanics — what if the jump also activated a puzzle element?
A	Adapt	Borrow from another genre — how would a sokoban box work in your game?
M	Modify	Change scale or intensity — make the mechanic very fast, very slow, or tiny
P	Put to other use	Use an obstacle as a tool — an enemy you ride instead of avoid
E	Eliminate	Remove a standard feature — what if there's no jump? no health bar? no death?
R	Reverse	Flip the goal — instead of moving the player, move the world