How to find game ideas with AI without losing your creativity

AI suggests seeds. You choose what grows.

A good brainstorming session isn't measured by how many of the AI's answers you keep. An imperfect suggestion can make you think of another mechanic, a memory, or an interesting constraint. Note that new idea, even if it moves completely away from the answer. The goal is to spark your imagination, then make a decision that is yours.

1. Start with three references and one constraint

Choose a game for its mechanic, an image for its mood, and a video for its rhythm. For a fictional dice roguelike, Dicebound, you could study Dicey Dungeons' equipment and Slice & Dice's rerolls. For each reference, write precisely what interests you. Add a constraint: one character, three enemies, and a two-minute fight. Distinguish what you observed from what you assume.

2. Ask for crossovers, not fifty generic ideas

Ask for three variants that combine your references in different ways. For each, require an interesting player decision, a reason to replay, and a design risk. Provide the necessary material: a link alone doesn't mean the assistant watched a video. In Impstash, Claude works from the notes, images and information available on the selection you share with it.

3. Push the idea further yourself

After each suggestion, write: “What this makes me want to try…”. For example, the AI suggests paying a retry with hit points. You might instead imagine a die that keeps the memory of its last result. Keep the original suggestion and your own idea separate. Alternate a few minutes of personal thinking with a new question to the assistant to avoid getting stuck on its first answer.

4. Compare before you choose

Evaluate the ideas with the same criteria: player decision, readability, prototype cost and fit with your intent. A surprising idea can be too expensive; a simple idea can produce a better test. Don’t ask the AI to guarantee originality or commercial success. Check similar games yourself and choose the idea whose fun you can observe the fastest.

5. Turn the lead into a playable test

For Dicebound: roll three dice, lock one, re-roll the others, and split the results between attack and defense. Prototype a single fight, with the enemy's intentions displayed. Have a few people play without explaining the strategy. Watch whether they understand the trade-off and want to try another split. Keep the references, the decision, and the question to check in the task brief.

A prompt to adapt to your game

I'm preparing a dice-based roguelike for a solo prototype. References: equipment constraints from Dicey Dungeons, the retry choices in Slice & Dice, a cream and coral palette. Constraints: one character, three enemies, no permanent progression system. Propose three different crossovers. For each one: the player's decision, the enjoyment sought, the risk and a two-minute test. Separate observations from hypotheses. End with a question that could help me come up with a fourth idea.

Replace the references and constraints with your own. The AI’s answers are leads to review; the choice remains yours.

References and communities to keep going

• Dicey Dungeons — Dice values turned into decisions: study equipment constraints.
• Slice & Dice — Visible enemy intents: compare risk, rerolls and dice teamwork.
• Dicey Dungeons — Creator notes and videos
• r/gamedesign — To discuss mechanics, rules, and design trade-offs.
• r/gameideas — To share a structured idea and explore its possibilities. Check the rules before publishing.