An idea for game experience building

We all know about the game jams, right?

If you don't, here's a link to a site that has plenty of information about jams that are happening now.

Well, here's an idea that I've come up with just now. See what you guys think.

What if we had a jam, maybe a month long, annual jam, in which game professionals work alongside game noobs? I can hear you saying that this is a weird idea. Maybe not. I don't know. It may be a bit difficult to coordinate, but really, this seems like a fantastic way for those new to the industry to get experience with game design, art, programming. If the industry professionals look over your work, give you critiques and advice in real time via a forum or chat box, and you work together to make something great.

Sign ups would be required.

If anyone knows any game designers, let them know. I think we could make something great!

What's in a game?

This is a question I think we should all be asking ourselves more often. Think about it, not all the games we play are really 'games', by a realistic sense of the word. Some are sadistic horror shows, others are really more like toys.

Let's break this up into two separate pieces, alright?

What a game is:
What is a game? A game, really, is a set of fun surprises, set to rules that allow more than one person to enjoy an activity. Break it down, it's an activity with rules, that's meant to be fun. So why on earth is this so difficult to manage? I think it comes down to a few things.

• Imagination
• Creativity
• "External Reality"

Let's go over those, they sound a bit confusing without context. 

Imagination is a person's ability to consider a more literal take on "every possible outcome". What's the realistic expectancy that the Hulk will smash through the wall and save the princess? I'm thinking it's probably pretty small. But look into the mind of a kid, who could easily see this playing out, and then the Hulk having a wonderful tea party with the princess and her friend Santa. It makes no sense, and is very unlikely to happen. And that's part of the point. Think of new ways out of it, challenge the player. Make this difficult, because if it's easy, it won't be fun. Chances are, they'll look up the answer to whatever riddles you come up with on Google if it's too hard, and if not, they'll feel accomplished. 

Creativity, put in a very specific and simple way, is not doing the same thing over and over and the once again. Some games and some themes are just played out. WWII is over. Spoiler alert, we won. The princess is in another castle, and your skills are probably enough. Put a new spin on old classics if you want to keep doing them. Stealth action WWII game, rather than shooter, (make it historically accurate though), or make the princess the one who actually has her kidnapper hostage. MAKE SOMETHING NEW! That is all I'll write there, but seriously...

External reality, as far as I know, is my own term. In all actuality, all it means is to make something relatable, but not realistic. We get enough realism in real life. I've never been in a cartoon, or able to jump a million miles. All the realism is enough to get people down, I think. There are definitely plenty of indie games that take advantage of this point, so why not more?

People are afraid to experiment right now, but if you stop thinking in terms of money and what's super popular, you might find a better outcome. Experiment, play around, and above all, make something that you would kill to play.