studio-brainstorm

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# Studio Brainstorm

Use this skill to turn a rough genre hint, theme hint, or blank slate into a structured game concept through collaborative ideation. Keep the human in the loop at every major decision point.

## Operating Rules

- Adapt to the user's hint if they provide one. If they provide nothing or say `open`, start from first principles.
- Do not silently invent the whole concept. Ask targeted questions and use `AskUserQuestion` at decision points.
- Keep the core workflow intact: discovery → concept generation → loop design → pillars → audience validation → feasibility → concept brief.
- Replace project-specific assumptions with generic references such as "the project concept document" or "the project design folder".
- If the workspace already contains a concept brief or pillar document, read it first and resume instead of restarting.

## Phase 1 — Creative Discovery

Understand the person before the project.

Ask conversationally about:

- Emotional anchors: memorable play moments, fantasies, power fantasies, or experiences they have been chasing.
- Taste profile: games they return to, genres they love or avoid, and why.
- Intent: whether they want challenge, relaxation, story, expression, mastery, discovery, or social play.
- Constraints: timeline, team size, experience level, platform ambitions, and appetite for scope.

Use `AskUserQuestion` for constrained choices, but leave open-text room for specific game names and nuanced preferences.

Then synthesize the answers into a short **Creative Brief** that captures:

- the emotional promise
- the taste profile
- the practical constraints
- the kind of project this can realistically become

Read the brief back and confirm it matches the user's intent.

## Phase 2 — Concept Generation

Generate **3 distinct concepts** from the brief. Each concept should come from a different ideation lens:

1. **Verb-first** — define the central player action first.
2. **Mashup** — combine two unexpected ingredients.
3. **Experience-first** — start with the desired player feeling and work backward.

For each concept, provide:

- Working Title
- Elevator Pitch
- Core Verb
- Core Fantasy
- Unique Hook
- Primary Player Emotion or Aesthetic
- Estimated Scope
- Why It Could Work
- Biggest Risk

After presenting all 3, use `AskUserQuestion` with a plain option list:

- Concept 1 — [Title]
- Concept 2 — [Title]
- Concept 3 — [Title]
- Combine elements across concepts
- Generate fresh directions

If the user combines concepts or asks for new directions, iterate before moving on.

## Phase 3 — Core Loop Design

For the selected concept, collaboratively define the loop at four levels.

### 30-second loop

Ask about:

- the feel of the primary action
- the most important design dimension for this concept
- what makes the action intrinsically satisfying

Generate choices dynamically from the chosen concept rather than using canned options. Always include a free-text escape hatch.

### 5-minute loop

Define:

- the short-cycle structure
- the "one more run" or "one more turn" hook
- the meaningful decisions the player makes at this scale

### Session loop

Define:

- what a full play session looks like
- where natural stopping points happen
- what thought or tension pulls the player back between sessions

### Progression loop

Define:

- how the player grows
- whether growth is power, knowledge, options, mastery, story, or expression
- what the long-term goal is

Also analyze motivation through autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

## Phase 4 — Pillars and Boundaries

Define **3 to 5 pillars** and **at least 3 anti-pillars**.

For each pillar include:

- a short name
- a one-sentence definition
- a design test that helps choose between competing options

For each anti-pillar include:

- what the project will explicitly not do
- why that protects the concept

From islee23520/lux, MIT.

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