How to Come Up with a Great Game Jam Idea—Fast

How to Come Up with a Great Game Jam Idea—Fast

You might be wondering—who am I to tell you how to generate good game ideas quickly?

Well, I won’t claim to be a top-tier programmer. In fact, I still struggle with coding. But when it comes to game ideas, I always manage to surprise people.

Need Proof?

I’ve participated in three game jams so far, and in every single one, my strongest scores were in theme interpretation, concept, and originality—the core elements of a great game jam entry.

Here are my results:

• Godot Jam 2024 #3 (66 participants)

  • Overall Rank: #43
  • Theme Rank: #27

• Pygame Jam 2025 (34 participants)

  • Overall Rank: #8
  • Theme Rank: #1

• Micro Jam #34 (64 participants)

  • Overall Rank: #8
  • Theme Rank: #3

I think that speaks for itself. Now, let’s get to the real topic—how can you come up with a great game idea quickly?

HOW COULD U GET GOOD IDEA TOO

People love the unexpected. Not everyone, of course—but game developers, especially in jams, are attracted to ideas that feel unique and out of box. Something they never saw coming.

And that’s my simple secret sauce for ranking high in the Theme category during game jams. Think differently. Surprise people.

Let’s break it down with some real examples from the jams I participated in:

• Godot Jam 2024 #3

Theme: Assemble

My Idea: A game where you assemble chemical elements to form compounds. The twist? You can't see the elements—you have to guess them.

Why It Worked: Most people likely interpreted "assemble" in a mechanical or puzzle-based way (e.g., building robots, fixing broken machines). But my take on assembling invisible elements through logic and chemistry was something fresh and unexpected.

• Pygame Jam 2025

Theme: Odd One Out
My Idea: A game where you're given chat messages, and you have to guess whether they are AI-generated or real.
Why It Worked: The theme "Odd One Out" could have easily led to spot-the-difference games or simple pattern recognition. Instead, I made a game that challenges players to differentiate between humans and AI—a concept that feels modern, relevant, and thought-provoking.

• Micro Jam #34

Theme: Defense & Time is Enemy
My Idea: A game where you try to download GTA 6, but end up downloading a virus instead. You then need to install a firewall, solve puzzles, and remove the virus before it spreads.
Why It Worked: Instead of a typical "defend your base" game, I turned cybersecurity into the battlefield. The enemy wasn’t an army—it was time itself, as the virus spreads while you scramble to stop it. This unique approach made it stand out.

By looking at these examples, you’ll see a pattern—each time, I approached the theme from a different angle than most people would.

How you could do the same?
-Just look at theme from angle no one would.