How Much Can You Make with Idea Prioritization?

Balancing boundless inspiration with disciplined execution defines successful game development. Indie developers often face a painful truth: not every brilliant idea can, or should, make it into their game. This is where objective idea prioritization becomes not just an advantage, but a necessity for your game’s success and your sanity.

The Cost of Unchecked Ideas: Feature Creep and Burnout

The allure of a new mechanic or a compelling narrative thread is powerful. However, succating to every creative whim leads directly to feature creep. This insidious phenomenon bloats development timelines, drains resources, and dilutes the core vision of your game. You start with a focused concept and end up with an unmanageable Frankenstein’s monster of disjointed features.

Beyond the technical hurdles, emotional attachment to every idea is a major pitfall. Each concept feels like a “darling” you can’t bear to “kill.” This emotional burden paralyzes decision-making, leading to indecision and, ultimately, burnout. A game development log or game dev journal is crucial here. Tracking game development progress helps you see the broader picture, not just individual features.

The Power of the Journal: Objectivity Through Structure

To combat feature creep and emotional attachment, adopt a structured journaling habit. This isn’t just about jotting down thoughts; it’s about systematically evaluating ideas. A game dev journal transforms fleeting inspirations into actionable data, allowing you to objectively rank and discard concepts. This process is about making tough decisions that lead to a more focused and profitable development cycle.

Your game development log becomes a battleground where ideas fight for their right to exist. It forces you to move beyond gut feelings and apply a critical lens. This structured approach helps solo developers stay consistent with devlogs, a powerful tool for self-accountability.

Your Idea Journaling Habit: A Step-by-Step Guide

Here’s how to implement a journaling habit that helps you objectively evaluate and prioritize game ideas:

Step 1: Capture Every Idea Immediately

Whenever an idea strikes—a new mechanic, a character concept, a story beat—capture it immediately. Don’t censor yourself. Use your game dev journal as a brain dump. The goal here is quantity, not quality, at this initial stage. This ensures no potential gem is lost.

Step 2: Categorize and Tag Your Concepts

Once an idea is captured, categorize it. Is it a core mechanic, a secondary feature, a narrative element, or a visual concept? Use tags for quick organization. For example, “Gameplay_Core,” “Story_SideQuest,” “Art_Environment.” This systematic approach to your game development log makes retrieval and comparison much easier later on.

Step 3: Define Evaluation Criteria

Before you start judging, define what “success” looks like for your game. These are your evaluation criteria. Common criteria include:

• Feasibility: Can you realistically implement this with your current skills and resources?
• Impact: How significantly does this idea improve the player experience or core gameplay loop?
• Alignment: Does this idea align with your game’s core vision and genre?
• Uniqueness: Does it offer something distinct or does it feel generic?
• Monetization Potential: If applicable, how does this feature contribute to your game’s commercial viability?
• Development Time: How much effort will this feature require?

Assign a numerical scale to each criterion (e.g., 1-5, where 5 is excellent). This allows for quantitative comparison in your game development log.

Step 4: Objectively Score Each Idea

Now, go through your captured ideas and score them against your defined criteria. Be brutal and honest. This is where “killing your darlings” begins. For instance, an amazing concept might score low on feasibility if it requires advanced AI you haven’t mastered. Write down your reasoning for each score. This transparency in your game dev journal prevents you from second-guessing later.

Step 5: Prioritize Based on Scores

After scoring, rank your ideas from highest to lowest. The top-scoring ideas are your priorities. These are the concepts that align best with your game’s vision and your capabilities. Ideas that consistently score low across the board are candidates for removal. This clear hierarchy in your game development log streamlines your next steps.

Step 6: The “Kill” Pile and the “Maybe Later” Pile

Ideas that score poorly go into the “Kill Pile.” These are concepts you actively decide not to pursue for this particular project. This is crucial for avoiding feature creep. Ideas that score moderately but aren’t top priority can go into a “Maybe Later” pile. These are not discarded permanently but are put on hold for future projects or updates. A dedicated game development log helps organize these distinct categories.

Step 7: Regular Review and Iteration

This is not a one-time process. Regularly review your ideas, especially as your game evolves. New insights or technical breakthroughs might change the feasibility of a previously “killed” idea. Your game dev journal should be a living document, constantly updated and refined. This iterative process allows you to continuously track game development progress and adapt.

Implement This Crucial Step Today

Implementing this journaling habit will transform your game development process. It provides clarity, reduces indecision, and ensures you focus on what truly matters for your game’s success. It’s the best way to track game development progress in a meaningful, actionable way.

To make this crucial step even easier, consider using a tool specifically designed for this purpose. Our Idea Journaling Tool for Game Devs helps you capture, categorize, and evaluate concepts systematically. It’s built to streamline the entire process, ensuring you can focus on building, not just brainstorming. Take control of your ideas and your development cycle today.