Guided game concept ideation — from zero idea to a structured game concept document. Uses professional studio ideation techniques, player psychology frameworks, and structured creative exploration.

When this skill is invoked: 1. Parse the argument for an optional genre/theme hint (e.g., roguelike , space survival , cozy farming ). If open or no argument, start from scratch. Also resolve the review mode (once, store for all gate spawns this run): 1. If review [full lean solo] was passed → use that 2. Else read production/review mode.txt → use that value 3. Else → default to lean See .claude/docs/director gates.md for the full check pattern. 2. Check for existing concept work : Read design/gdd/game concept.md if it exists (resume, don't restart) Read design/gdd/game pillars.md if it exists (build on established pillars) 3. Run through ideation phases interactively, asking the user questions at each phase. Do NOT generate everything silently — the goal is collaborative exploration where the AI acts as a creative facilitator, not a replacement for the human's vision. Use AskUserQuestion at key decision points throughout brainstorming: Constrained taste questions (genre preferences, scope, team size) Concept selection ("Which 2 3 concepts resonate?") after presenting options Direction choices ("Develop further, explore more, or prototype?") Pillar ranking after concepts are refined Write full creative analysis in conversation text first, then use AskUserQuestion to capture the decision with concise labels. Professional studio brainstorming principles to follow: Withhold judgment — no idea is bad during exploration Encourage unusual ideas — outside the box thinking sparks better concepts Build on each other — "yes, and..." responses, not "but..." Use constraints as creative fuel — limitations often produce the best ideas Time box each phase — keep momentum, don't over deliberate early Phase 1: Creative Discovery Start by understanding the person, not the game. Ask these questions conversationally (not as a checklist): Emotional anchors : What's a moment in a game that genuinely moved you, thrilled you, or made you lose track of time? What specifically created that feeling? Is there a fantasy or power trip you've always wanted in a game but never quite found? Taste profile : What 3 games have you spent the most time with? What kept you coming back? (Ask this as plain text — the user must be able to type specific game names freely. Do NOT put this in an AskUserQuestion with preset options.) Are there genres you love? Genres you avoid? Why? Do you prefer games that challenge you, relax you, tell you stories, or let you express yourself? (Use AskUserQuestion for this — constrained choice.) Practical constraints (shape the sandbox before brainstorming). Bundle these into a single multi tab AskUserQuestion with these exact tab labels: Tab "Experience" — "What kind of experience do you most want players to have?" (Challenge & Mastery / Story & Discovery / Expression & Creativity / Relaxation & Flow) Tab "Timeline" — "What's your realistic development timeline?" (Weeks / Months / 1 2 years / Multi year) Tab "Dev level" — "Where are you in your dev journey?" (First game / Shipped before / Professional background) Use exactly these tab names — do not rename or duplicate them. Synthesize the answers into a Creative Brief — a 3 5 sentence summary of the person's emotional goals, taste profile, and constraints. Read the brief back and confirm it captures their intent. Phase 2: Concept Generation Using the creative brief as a foundation, generate 3 distinct concepts that each take a different creative direction. Use these ideation techniques: Technique 1: Verb First Design Start with the core player verb (build, fight, explore, solve, survive, create, manage, discover) and build outward from there. The verb IS the game. Technique 2: Mashup Method Combine two unexpected elements: [Genre A] + [Theme B]. The tension between the two creates the unique hook. (e.g., "farming sim + cosmic horror", "roguelike + dating sim", "city builder + real time combat") Technique 3: Experience First Design (MDA Backward) Start from the desired player emotion (aesthetic goal from MDA framework: sensation, fantasy, narrative, challenge, fellowship, discovery, expression, submission) and work backward to the dynamics and mechanics that produce it. For each concept, present: Working Title Elevator Pitch (1 2 sentences — must pass the "10 second test") Core Verb (the single most common player action) Core Fantasy (the emotional promise) Unique Hook (passes the "and also" test: "Like X, AND ALSO Y") Primary MDA Aesthetic (which emotion dominates?) Estimated Scope (small / medium / large) Why It Could Work (1 sentence on market/audience fit) Biggest Risk (1 sentence on the hardest unanswered question) Present all three. Then use AskUserQuestion to capture the selection. CRITICAL : This MUST be a plain list call — no tabs, no form fields. Use exactly this structure: Do NOT use a tabs field here. The tabs form is for multi field input only — using it here causes an "Invalid tool parameters" error. This is a plain prompt + options call. Never pressure toward a choice — let them sit with it. Phase 3: Core Loop Design For the chosen concept, use structured questioning to build the core loop. The core loop is the beating heart of the game — if it isn't fun in isolation, no amount of content or polish will save the game. 30 Second Loop (moment to moment): Ask these as AskUserQuestion calls — derive the options from the chosen concept, don't hardcode them: 1. Core action feel — prompt: "What's the primary feel of the core action?" Generate 3 4 options that fit the concept's genre and tone, plus a free text escape ( I'll describe it ). 2. Key design dimension — identify the most important design variable for this specific concept (e.g., world reactivity, pacing, player agency) and ask about it. Generate options that match the concept. Always include a free text escape. After capturing answers, analyze: Is this action intrinsically satisfying? What makes it feel good? (Audio feedback, visual juice, timing satisfaction, tactical depth?) 5 Minute Loop (short term goals): What structures the moment to moment play into cycles? Where does "one more turn" / "one more run" psychology kick in? What choices does the player make at this level? Session Loop (30 120 minutes): What does a complete session look like? Where are the natural stopping points? What's the "hook" that makes them think about the game when not playing? Progression Loop (days/weeks): How does the player grow? (Power? Knowledge? Options? Story?) What's the long term goal? When is the game "done"? Player Motivation Analysis (based on Self Determination Theory): Autonomy : How much meaningful choice does the player have? Competence : How does the player feel their skill growing? Relatedness : How does the player feel connected (to characters, other players, or the world)? Phase 4: Pillars and Boundaries Game pillars are used by real AAA studios (God of War, Hades, The Last of Us) to keep hundreds of team members making decisions that all point the same direction. Even for solo developers, pillars prevent scope creep and keep the vision sharp. Collaboratively define 3 5 pillars : Each pillar has a name and one sentence definition Each pillar has a design test : "If we're debating between X and Y, this pillar says we choose " Pillars should feel like they create tension with each other — if all pillars point the same way, they're not doing enough work Then define 3+ anti pillars (what this game is NOT): Anti pillars prevent the most common form of scope creep: "wouldn't it be cool if..." features that don't serve the core vision Frame as: "We will NOT do [thing] because it would compromise [pillar]" Pillar confirmation : After presenting the full pillar set, use AskUserQuestion : Prompt: "Do these pillars feel right for your game?" Options: [A] Lock these in / [B] Rename or reframe one / [C] Swap a pillar out / [D] Something else If the user selects B, C, or D, make the revision, then use AskUserQuestion again: Prompt: "Pillars updated. Ready to lock these in?" Options: [A] Lock these in / [B] Revise another pillar / [C] Something else Repeat until the user selects [A] Lock these in. Review mode check — apply before spawning CD PILLARS and AD CONCEPT VISUAL: solo → skip both. Note: "CD PILLARS skipped — Solo mode. AD CONCEPT VISUAL skipped — Solo mode." Proceed to Phase 5. lean → skip both (not PHASE GATEs). Note: "CD PILLARS skipped — Lean mode. AD CONCEPT VISUAL skipped — Lean mode." Proceed to Phase 5. full → spawn as normal. After pillars and anti pillars are agreed, spawn BOTH creative director AND art director via Task in parallel before moving to Phase 5. Issue both Task calls simultaneously — do not wait for one before starting the other. creative director — gate CD PILLARS ( .claude/docs/director gates.md ) Pass: full pillar set with design tests, anti pillars, core fantasy, unique hook. art director — gate AD CONCEPT VISUAL ( .claude/docs/director gates.md ) Pass: game concept elevator pitch, full pillar set with design tests, target platform (if known), any reference games or visual touchstones the user mentioned. Collect both verdicts, then present them together using a two tab AskUserQuestion : Tab "Pillars" : present creative director feedback. Options mirror the standard CD PILLARS handling — Lock in as is / Revise [specific pillar] / Discuss further . Tab "Visual anchor" : present the art director's 2 3 named visual direction options. Options: each named direction (one per option) + Combine elements across directions + Describe my own direction . The user's selected visual anchor (the named direction or their custom description) is stored as the Visual Identity Anchor — it will be written into the game concept document and becomes the foundation of the art bible. If the creative director returns CONCERNS or REJECT on pillars, resolve pillar issues before asking for the visual anchor selection — visual direction should flow from confirmed pillars. Phase 5: Player Type Validation Using the Bartle taxonomy and Quantic Foundry motivation model, validate who this game is actually for: Primary player type : Who will LOVE this game? (Achievers, Explorers, Socializers, Competitors, Creators, Storytellers) Secondary appeal : Who else might enjoy it? Who is this NOT for : Being clear about who won't like this game is as important as knowing who will Market validation : Are there successful games that serve a similar player type? What can we learn from their audience size? Phase 6: Scope and Feasibility Ground the concept in reality: Target platform : Use AskUserQuestion — "What platforms are you targeting for this game?" Options: PC (Steam / Epic) / Mobile (iOS / Android) / Console / Web / Browser / Multiple platforms Record the answer — it directly shapes the engine recommendation and will be passed to /setup engine . Note platform implications if relevant (e.g., mobile means Unity is strongly preferred; console means Godot has limitations; web means Godot exports cleanly). Engine experience : Use AskUserQuestion — "Do you already have an engine you work in?" Options: Godot / Unity / Unreal Engine 5 / No preference — help me decide If they pick an engine → record it as their preference and move on. Do NOT second guess it. If "No preference" → tell them: "Run /setup engine after this session — it will walk you through the full decision based on your concept and platform target." Do not make a recommendation here. Art pipeline : What's the art st