To read or not to read?

[MatrixGamer]

Don't throw out your old games. Make a hard copy and stick them in a box or note book. Periodically look at it and it will inspire you anew. Also you'll find that ideas that didn't work at that time may work later.

I keep a note book with me where ever I go. When I get an idea I jot it down. Some of those ideas are in my game now, others (many) aren't. Note books like this show your thought process during development. If you ever have to go to court over your games they are great evidence to show your influences and independence of influence.

Chris Engle
Hamster Press

[paulkdad]

Don't throw out your old games. Make a hard copy and stick them in a box or note book. Periodically look at it and it will inspire you anew. Also you'll find that ideas that didn't work at that time may work later.

Right. It'd be better to say be prepared to shelve your first (or any other) game... but don't automatically assume that's what you're going to do. You may be one of those people who has one good game in him, and who gets it right the first time (it happens all the time with novelists). Don't throw out a good game just because you think it's a rule that all first games are garbage.

I keep a note book with me where ever I go. When I get an idea I jot it down.

I did this, but found notebooks (even small ones) "clunky". I often get ideas when I'm driving, which is downright dangerous. That's why I switched to the DVR (digital voice recorder). It's also handier when reading another game, because I don't have to juggle two books at once. I do have to transcribe before I get more than thirty notes, though, or it becomes a burden.

No one creates their masterpiece on their first try...

And no one who is intent on making a masterpiece ever creates one. Artists, writers, composers, etc., just do what they do; history decides whether or not it's a masterpiece.

[MatrixGamer]

I did this, but found notebooks (even small ones) "clunky". I often get ideas when I'm driving, which is downright dangerous. That's why I switched to the DVR (digital voice recorder).

Do you combine this with voice recognition programing? I find I can scane written material so much faster than listen to it. Books can be clunky but I'm used to it. I dictate at work though and am looking forward to the time when I can do this reliably for writing. Someone told me they are up to 90% accuracy now which is pretty good.

The nice thing about books is they store on the book shelf well and are pretty durable. Recording and hardcopies (unless well bound) are like mandallas - ephemeral.

Chris Engle
Hamster Press

[paulkdad]

Do you combine this with voice recognition programing?

Not yet. Transcription is easy, though, for a couple of reasons. First, the DVR lets me review every note individually, in any order, and delete them when I'm done (far superior to tape recorders). Second, I use this nifty little thought-mapping program called Inspiration to organize my notes. Each note becomes a separate text box, making it a snap to transcribe. I organize different topics using colors, and print off a hard copy (thirty notes can be crammed on a single page) when I'm done. This typically takes about 2x the number of minutes of notes I'm transcribing. When I'm done, the DVR is empty, and I'm ready to start again.

The nice thing about books is they store on the book shelf well and are pretty durable.

And another nice thing about them is that you can draw in them too. This is the only drawback I've found to the DVR/Inspiration system: it eliminates everything but the words.

I guess it all comes down to how long you can hold a thought in your head while doing something else. For me, that isn't very long. I eventually got frustrated with feeling like I was going through the same steps over and over again. These days, whenever I'm reading RPG stuff my DVR is in my pocket and ready to go.

[MatrixGamer]

To bring this back to the topic of reading or not reading other people's work - this comes back to how you organize your thoughts. Can you maintain an independent line of thinking in the face of alternate voices? How you go about meditaions matters - it is a discipline.

Rene Descarte started his work meditating in an oven in Germany (No doubt trying to stay warm during the 30 years War.) Later he did it in bed from which rose very late. Sadly my little money/job addiction precludes this method. Consequently I've followed the path used by other Enlightenment thinkers - keeping a journal. I write down thoughts, make diagrams - plan out flow charts, maps, even doodles to clear my head. Because I'm writing them I can let them go. I don't automatically review them for content but instead allow the ideas to bubble and digest. I know that my mind is obsessive so thought will repeat no matter what I do - so the task in as much to let go of thoughts as it is to keep them.

This idea of using a DVR (especially if it could be typed out by a voice recognition program) is a new model for thinking. I'm not certain how it would work. I suspect it would not calm my obsessive mind so it might not be a good fit with my thinking style. There are many styles though.

When you think about reading other games look at how it affects your thinking. Self awareness will help you increase your efficency in using your brain. If you have a bad memory then constant review (which I think the DRV would yield) might be real useful.

This might be a worthwhile thread of its own - Namely how people roganize thoughts and pursue their creativity. I'm certain it has been looked at before but there is always a new cadre of people joining the Forge who might benifit from this kind of "Class."

I'll hold off on starting such a topic to give Ron a chance to tell me if he thinks it is a good use of forum space.

Chris Engle
Hamster Press

[paulkdad]

This might be a worthwhile thread of its own - Namely how people organize thoughts and pursue their creativity.

It might. But I'd be much more interested in the tools people use to accomplish specific goals. And this is certainly relevant to the "to read or not to read" question. When you read, so you use any tools to help you apply what you have learned?

How you go about meditaions matters - it is a discipline.

Actually, one of the concepts that has most influenced my game design came from a book on meditation. It is the concept of "odious rules". An odious rule is any unnecessary rule you apply to make your task more difficult than it has to be. Of course, the author was applying it to meditation, but I think it works wonderfully for game design. :^)