[OneFlesh]

Interesting questions, but most of these answers are more about "settings" than "theme". I don't really care too much about the setting but the overall point/message/story-arc of the game (that kind of "theme") I prefer when it avoids the obvious cliches (evil one-dimensional conspiracies, magic vs technology, underdogs triumping etc)

But I care more about interesting, flawed characters; engaging dialogue and a well-paced plot - I'd play a game set in a compost heap if it had those

[mminnitt]

Hi everyone - I'm Matt. Hol and I work together and I'll also be on this project should we find a sufficiently popular idea.

I've had a read through the suggestions and compiled a list. If I've missed off your idea just shout out and I'll add it. Once the list is more or less exhaustive we'll get a poll going. I've added a few additional ideas on and some really cross over into one another but really it's trying to pin down the general theme of a game.

Next to each I've tried to list movies/games/books that I think give a good impression of what the core 'feel' of an idea is. The reason these are more general settings and themes is that it gets legally and morally awkward if we make a game out of someone elses fully-formed idea.

Cyberpunk [Bladerunner / Minority Report]
Police Negotiator [The Negotiator / Hostage]
Medival [Pillars of The Earth / The Name of The Rose]
Fantasy [Game of Thrones / Lord of The Rings]
Space [Moon / Alien]
Post-Apocalyptic [The Road / The Stand]
Thriller [Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy / Edge of Darkness]
Horror [The Orphanage / Dracula]
Stealth [Thief: The Dark Project / Hitman]
Period Mystery [Sherlock Holmes / Poirot]
Adventure [Indiana Jones / Tintin]
Mythological [Beowolf / Jason and the Argonauts]
Time Travel [Timeline / The Time Machine]

If anyone has any more ideas then just shout out! Also feedback on any of these is more than welcome, i.e. I'm fed up of [insert offending genre] games!

[cbman]

You missed out my shout for an erotic thriller?

To be honest though, you should make a game you have personal enthusiasm for, rather than some imagined demographic because otherwise your lack of passion for it will show and it won't be a very good game.

[zobraks]

Originally Posted by cbman

... you should make a game you have personal enthusiasm for, rather than some imagined demographic because otherwise your lack of passion for it will show and it won't be a very good game.

I fully agree. In other words:

Originally Posted by fov

How much do you think of the audience when you're developing a game? Would knowing that the demographic is 50/50 male/female (theoretically) change the game you created? Does it depend on the game?

Originally Posted by Vincent Carella aka serpentbox

Zero. Zilch. Nada. We never (I never) thought about a target audience at all. It may sound silly or even pompous to say that, but I approach game design the same way I approach writing a novel or a screenplay. It's about the story. If it moves me, chances are it will move people like me. If someone told me to do a game for girls, I'd balk at that. If someone told me to do a game for boys I'd say no. I just want to make something immersive, compelling, believable, fun, gut-wrenching and cool. And the stories find you. If you wait and listen, they find you, and when that happens, you know it's right. So if you're thinking about target audiences, you're thinking like a marketeer, and marketeers don't make good games. Marketeers make slop.

(quotes taken from Bad Mojo Redux chat)

[palilulac]

Originally Posted by TimovieMan

I'm with the school of "as long as the story is good, then I don't care what theme it has"...

good opinion

[Hol]

Originally Posted by cbman

You missed out my shout for an erotic thriller?

To be honest though, you should make a game you have personal enthusiasm for, rather than some imagined demographic because otherwise your lack of passion for it will show and it won't be a very good game.

We're both very passionate about making games and the list Matt posted earlier consisted of all the themes that we like and would love to cover at some point - several were inspired by others' comments on here. Unfortunately, no offence, but erotic thriller didn't appeal to us so it didn't make the list

I do completely agree with the comments here about doing what you're passionate about, the problem is I'm so passionate about games that I'm finding it difficult to narrow down the huge list of themes I'd like to do.

[Lucky Strike]

Definitly something to do with gangsters and organized crime. It'd be interesting to have a game set in the USA during prohibition and the main character was an ambitious mafioso.

I wouldn't mind a modern setting either but it'd have more charm if the game took place during the 30s/40s/50s/60s.

Correct me if I'm wrong but nothing like this has ever been done before and there's a huge potential for fantastic intricate storylines. Mob movies are the best. Scorcese, anyone?

[rtrooney]

Originally Posted by Arial Type

I can hardly imagine anyone watching a movie or playing a game where the main hero just wake up every morning, have coffee and spend the rest of his day in an office...

I tend to agree with Oscar, that "A day in the life..." might present an intriguing adventure concept.

As to the quote, there are several episodes of the Twilight Zone that explored this concept. And let's not forget the movie Truman, which took the concept to the extreme.

[teme]

I'd like to see a game like Enid Blyton's Famous Five or Secret Seven book series, but a little bit older characters (maybe 20-30 years old), set in idyllic British countryside in 1950's.

[zobraks]

Originally Posted by teme

I'd like to see a game like Enid Blyton's Famous Five or Secret Seven book series

You got it.

[Tamiil]

I'm with Oscar, there hasn't been a single game that's a straight up drama which deals with everyday issues. Catherine blew my mind in that regard, but it has those gimmicky nightmare sequences. It doesn't have to be "A day in the life..." I'd be more interested in "In the life.." showing the struggles, losses, relationships and death of one man's life.
Also, I'm into crime dramas a lot and every game that has such subject matter, you either investigate murders or you commit the crimes yourself. I'd love to see something in the vain of "Brooklyn Rules", where three buddies try to see the days through, while mafia war is going on around them. Another example is "Half Nelson" with its flawed and real main character who's a drug addict and also a teacher. A game showing the struggles of a drug addict would be awesome.
A period piece showing the life of a dutch, or a slave would be interesting as well. There are vast amounts of ways and subject matters to tell a story that games haven't explored yet and I hope adventure games will eventually evolve into that.

[Oscar]

Originally Posted by Tamiil

I'm with Oscar, there hasn't been a single game that's a straight up drama which deals with everyday issues. Catherine blew my mind in that regard, but it has those gimmicky nightmare sequences. It doesn't have to be "A day in the life..." I'd be more interested in "In the life.." showing the struggles, losses, relationships and death of one man's life.

Yeah, Catherine doesn't appeal to me at all due to the cartoony style. If it's a game about real life, a cartoon probably isn't the best way to go.

[Arial Type]

Has anyone tried an AGS called Ulitsa Dimitrova? It's a German game about Russian street urchin. It created a stir some time ago on several festivals and among Russian online users It's short, interaction is very limited, but it deals with real life (well, sort of).

[Tamiil]

Originally Posted by Arial Type

Has anyone tried an AGS called Ulitsa Dimitrova? It's a German game about Russian street urchin. It created a stir some time ago on several festivals and among Russian online users It's short, interaction is very limited, but it deals with real life (well, sort of).

Well that was an interesting diversion for a few minutes. Now all we need is some actual story and fleshed out characters, pump up presentation and we're there .

[Ascovel]

Originally Posted by Arial Type

Has anyone tried an AGS called Ulitsa Dimitrova? It's a German game about Russian street urchin. It created a stir some time ago on several festivals and among Russian online users It's short, interaction is very limited, but it deals with real life (well, sort of).

The author of this game made several other popular titles:

http://www.gamescenes.org/2011/10/in...or-adults.html

[diego]

I'm just rewatching Lord of the Rings, and somehow noticed that fantasy genre in adventure games tends to go into comedy more than fantasy itself. Now, i love comedy and some of my fav games are those, but i don't think we've seen for a long time "serious" fantasy themed adventure game, specifically epic fantasy, like those in RPG titles.

I also love historical medieval themes, without much fantasy, and although it's best suited for a strategy titles, it wouldn't hurt to see ag with that theme.

Furthermore, i'd love to see more classic mystery titles - yeah, i know "mystery" is one of the most recycled thing in genre, but rather than "conspiracy" and "secret organizations" thingy, i think more of a classic murder-mystery in the vein of Poirot and Sherlock Holmes.

[TimovieMan]

Originally Posted by diego

I'm just rewatching Lord of the Rings, and somehow noticed that fantasy genre in adventure games tends to go into comedy more than fantasy itself. Now, i love comedy and some of my fav games are those, but i don't think we've seen for a long time "serious" fantasy themed adventure game, specifically epic fantasy, like those in RPG titles.

Imho, playing an RPG at the easiest game setting is VERY close to playing an adventure game...

[thejobloshow]

How about some grandiose costume drama? I want to see the Barry Lyndon of adventure games. Add duelling pistols and make it action adventure, I don't mind.