You may have heard some variation of the phrase “from limitation comes creativity.” Usually, this phrase is used in reference to a physical limitation. One such example would be an artist who has lost the use of their hand, who then paints with their feet. The interesting thing about limitations is that they narrow our available options and force us to problem solve. When limitations are applied to designing a video game it can help you focus and deliver a more refined end result. Although we’ve reviewed working with limitations in regards to specific hardware, you can get a completely different perspective when those limitations are self inflicted.
With the technology we have available today, it’s possible to create almost any game you could dream up. For some designers this can create the problem of simply having too many options, which can make it difficult to know where to start on your project; the end result can often be that your project doesn’t get started. As a child you may have sat down with a small box of crayons and scribbled away on some paper or in a book, just for fun. Now imagine, as a child, you were tasked with colouring everything on a page as accurately as possible. If you were given a standard box of 8 crayons, you’d likely end up making the sky blue, the grass green, the trees brown and so-on. Now imagine instead of that box of 8, you were given a box of 96 crayons with the same task. You’d have to choose whether the grass is yellow-green, forest green, olive, fern or shamrock. Would the trees be beaver, chestnut, raw umber or sepia?
Just making those decisions adds additional time on getting your finished product. You also have the additional possibility of second guessing your choices later on. Maybe there was a better option for the grass or the trees and you feel less confident about it by the time the picture is done. If you only had the original 8 options, instead of 96, it is much easier to make a choice and stick with it. When approaching game design with all of the development software and design tools available, we are working with a very big box of crayons. Continue reading →
Minus World 
