game design brainstorm methods
Structured game design ideation using formal frameworks like SCAMPER, Lotus Blossom, and Six Thinking Hats.
$10
Works with the AI tools you already use
Claude Code
Cursor
Codex CLI
GitHub Copilot
Gemini CLI+20 moreClaude CodeCursorCodex CLIGitHub CopilotGemini CLI
OpenClaw
Manus
Grok+17 agentsgame design brainstorm methods
Example session with this skill installed
Our RPG's crafting system feels like a chore. We need to make it more engaging. Run a SCAMPER session to find ways to fix the friction and add some excitement.
- Read your context and instructions
- Compiled the game design brainstorm
- Generated the UI component
I have analyzed the friction points in your crafting system. To move beyond incremental tweaks, I applied the SCAMPER method to challenge the "gather-and-wait" loop.
Crafting System Re-Design (SCAMPER)
| SCAMPER Action | Proposed Modification | Design Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Substitute | Replace static recipes with "Experimental Mixing" where ingredients have hidden properties. | Encourages player discovery over wiki-searching. |
| Combine | Merge the crafting UI with the combat screen (e.g., "Field Alchemy" during downtime). | Reduces menu fatigue and keeps players in the game world. |
| Adapt | Adapt the "Overclock" mechanic from our combat system into crafting for high-tier gear. | Creates a skill-based mini-game for better quality items. |
| Modify | Change crafting time from real-world minutes to "World Actions" (e.g., steps taken or enemies killed). | Aligns crafting progression with active gameplay. |
| Put to Other Use | Use "Failed Crafts" as consumable volatile explosives in combat. | Removes the sting of RNG failure and creates a secondary resource loop. |
| Eliminate | Remove the "Crafting Station" requirement. Allow crafting anywhere but with varying efficiency. | Increases player agency and flow. |
| Reverse | Instead of gathering for a recipe, start with a "Base Core" and extract ingredients from it to refine. | Flips the gathering loop on its head. |
Idea Clusters
- Skill-Based Outcomes: Moving away from binary success/failure toward player-driven quality (Adapt, Modify).
Combat Integration: Closing the gap between the "boring" menu work and the "fun" combat loop (Combine, Put to Other Use).
- Discovery Mechanics: Rewarding experimentation over rote memorization (Substitute).
Strongest Candidates
- Volatile Failures: Converting crafting junk into combat items solves the "waste of time" feeling immediately.
- Field Alchemy: Allowing basic crafting during exploration maintains momentum.
- Action-Based Completion: Tying progress to gameplay rather than timers removes the "mobile game" friction.
Next steps
- Define the "Action-Based" conversion rates (e.g., 100 steps = 1 minute of progress).
- Prototype the UI for "Field Alchemy" to see if it clutters the HUD.
- Draft a list of 5 "Failed Craft" items and their combat effects.
game-design-brainstorm-methods.tsx
TSX · React component
Example file from a real run - the skill writes it into your workspace.
Connects securely to your tools. The creator never sees your data.
What you get
About this skill
The problem
Game design discussions often devolve into aimless feature-creep or creative blocks where the team circles the same three tired ideas. Generic AI ideation usually produces bland, surface-level concepts that lack the mechanical depth or structural rigor needed for actual development.
What it does
- Analyzes your design bottleneck to select the most effective ideation framework (SCAMPER, Lotus Blossom, Six Thinking Hats, etc.).
- Executes structured brainstorming runs that follow the formal logic of the chosen method rather than just listing bullets.
- Identifies idea clusters and recurring themes to surface hidden design patterns.
- Filters noise to deliver a prioritized shortlist of mechanically viable candidates for prototyping.
Why this beats prompting it yourself
Standard prompts result in "idea spray" that ignores mechanical constraints and formal methodology. This skill enforces the internal logic of specific frameworks, like the morphological matrix or Brainwriting 6-3-5, forcing the model to explore dimensions it would otherwise skip. It moves past "cool ideas" into actionable design directions with clear next steps.
Use cases
- Applying SCAMPER to revitalize a stale combat system or inventory mechanic.
- Using "Worst Possible Idea" to identify and invert core friction points in player onboarding.
- Generating a Morphological Matrix to systematically combine theme, mechanic, and platform for new game concepts.
- Running a Six Thinking Hats session to critique a controversial new monetization or live-ops feature.
How to install
Works the same in every agent - Claude, Cursor, Codex, Copilot and 20+ more.
- 1
Download the ZIP
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- 2
Unzip into your skills folder
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- 3
Ask your agent to use it
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