Your game needs a theme.
Think back to the first game you can think of that really “grabbed” you – one that held your attention. Maybe you were a kid in an arcade. Maybe it was a game night with friends.
Something about it brought you back time and time again. What was the game about?
It wasn’t the dice or the meeples or the cards. It wasn’t the simple fact that it was a video game.
It was the theme.
Not all games have a strong theme, or any theme at all. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
It’s hard to see a theme in a game like checkers.
Games with a strong theme are memorable. One of the first games that really opened my eyes to the potential of board games was a game called Powergrid. You and the other players manage your power companies to connect most cities to the power grid across America.
I couldn’t even tell you the rules (it’s been too long – I really should go back and play it again), but I remember the look, feel, and excitement of playing it.
The theme and premise kept me hooked.
Years Later I started work on Atomic Edge, a Cold War-themed area-control strategy game. How did I choose the Cold War?
I followed my interests.
I have always been interested in history and was listening to Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History episode about the Cuban Missile Crisis.
He kept comparing it to a game of chess or “atomic poker” – emphasizing how both parties only had limited information and yet had to make potentially world-altering decisions based on it.
Suddenly I thought “Why isn’t this a game?”
I grabbed some index cards, poker chips, and Sharpies and got to work on a prototype. And so my game design journey began.
If you are developing a game, a solid theme can keep players, and yourself, locked in. A theme helps tell a story. It helps players inject themselves into the narrative and can leave them with memorable stories and experiences.
Working within a theme can help you craft a deeper, more engaging experience for your players.
Game development is a long and sometimes tedious process. Choosing a theme that interests you will help you stay focused and motivated through the lengthy development process.
Let’s say you want to develop a game – board game, video game, it doesn’t matter. Here are the steps that I took to start developing Atomic Edge:
- Start with a theme that you are interested in. It will help keep you motivated. If the theme doesn’t captivate you, you’ll lose interest.
- Think about the mood and emotions that you want the players to experience. How are those emotions conveyed by the theme?
- Create the end goal for the game. Your theme should help guide you.
- Think through the problems or sticking points that might come up on your way to the goal. Start building the mechanics around these.
Use the theme as a sort of guardrail to keep you moving toward the desired player experience.
A theme is not required for a game but it certainly does help. It can be used as a guardrail during development to help you move towards a desired mood and goal for your players. It can also keep you interested and motivated through a long development time.
What are some of your favorite games and how does the theme keep you hooked?