Walking: idea creation & game inspiration

Whilst walking is an effective means of processing thoughts, it can also actively contribute to new ones. The landscape, people and sounds that pass you by all contain fragments of inspiration. I used these fragments to gently begin the process of game planning.

Severnbeach is surrounded by industry, it is nestled amongst distribution centres, scrap heaps and roads, it’s the end of the line. As I walked through, a gaggle of kids on scooters screeched with delight. A girl was trying out some roller blades for the first time, cluching to her mother for support. When we are younger, we view the world differently – during school holidays I found myself bored, looking for things to fill the time with. What if we could transport ourselves to those hazy halfterm holidays and fill them with the magic we were wishing we could do? What if that scooter did have rocket boosters? Your brother really was a troll or the dude at the chippy did become a weasel at full moon? The aim, well that’s to find the source of the magic, beyond the endless motorway.

A friend I met during the walk had the idea of packets of information you could open during a walk. A series of themed envelopes you could take on a walk, opening them when confronted with a prompt – a church, a dark lane or maybe a bustling pub. These envelopes would contain potenial stories related to the prompt and maybe some factual information. They could provide the satisfaction of opening a little present, achieving something small and exciting.

These walks simulatneously inform ideas for new walks and new games. The next step will be getting down to some illustration and design.