Oh darn it. 5 of my favourite themes. Only vote for one.

...I think I'll just die now.

Voted.

Question:

Don't you think

have a fair amount of overlap between them? :D

Please, please let Sandbox win! I love sandbox games!

@Coyoten: I think

are pretty similar, too.

In the end, I voted for Failure. Because it would have more room for interpretation than Achievements.

Immediately after I clicked "submit", I felt regret.

Blackwolfe: Although the story of Pandora's Box is a story about consequences, when you consider the two as independent themes for games, I think you get something pretty different. While "consequences" would probably result in gameplay mechanics that center around the ramifications of the players' actions, I think "Pandora's Box" would be more likely to inspire games that consider the question of what would actually happen after Pandora's Box had been opened, i.e., it would reflect the game developers' ideas of what complete chaos would look like. But that's just my interpretation; and that's the point, everyone will have a different interpretation of the theme, no matter what it is.

I had trouble choosing between Pandora's Box, Multiple Endings, and Transform; Pandora's Box I felt would inspire the greatest amount of creativity from developers, while Multiple Endings would emphasize the actions of the player on a level that's relevant to story, which I always love. I eventually decided to go with Transformation on the logic that it ought to involve about as much creativity as Pandora's Box, and I can't imagine a game involving transformation that wouldn't be fun to play. (Maybe I'm stuck on fond childhood memories of E.V.O: The Search for Eden, though.)

In any case, the top twelve choices voted in are all great, and I can't say I'd be unhappy with a single one of them winning. With the possible exception of "Escape", anyway, which I fear could result in two dozen room escape clones.

Eh Achievements has been done. I'm picked something new.

@Arikiko: You feel that you failed? Congratulations!

Seriously though, I'm just happy my suggestion's made it this far! :)

I'm so excited! Curious as I am I wonder: Will you post the results of the first massive poll? Maybe when everything is finished, so no one gets biased?

@Arikiko
I had the same two vote dilemma (as one was my suggestion). Voted achievements but i would also want Failure winning (Forsythe suggestion).

After voting it came to me that achievement has potential but also has a easy route of "Oh I'll just add some standard achievements". As for Failure it is just pure potential. So i also felt some regret after voting ... but your and my votes even out, so nothing lost :)

Even if failure or achievements lose i hope they still will be an inspiration for separate games. As well as the rest of suggestions.

The Casual Gameplay Design Competition Theme Finalist Poll?

*passes out from lack of oxygen*

Psychotronic, consider your furniture moved! XD

Anyway, I voted for Escape myself. Probably not gonna make it, but it's the one thing I know I'll easily come up with ideas for.

And just out of curiosity, just how many votes did the monkey army get?

by far the best posting/discussion for months!

VERY excited about a) the results and b) the competition

Well done JIG team, proud to be part of it all

j

Plz let MULTIPLY ENDINGS win! I really love those kinds of games like Ray and Ray II

Oh wow, the theme I picked

made it into the top 12.
That's great :D
Also, I hope you get some cool entries for CGDC6, I look forward to playing them! (unfortunately, i'm not all that much of a developer yet XD)

I wasn't sure whether to vote for transform or multiple endings... I voted for transform on the basis that it could be interpreted in more ways than multiple end

First of all, what place was Giant Flaming Monkeys in? And second of all, how could anyone actually vote for it?!?! My suggestion was obviously not serious. It shouldn't have been in the first poll at all.

I think we all played on with the joke of Giant Flaming Monkeys. I don't think anyone ever seriously thought it would make it. Besides, setting monkeys on fire and giving them growth hormones would certainly violate all kinds of animal rights laws.

Giant Flaming Monkeys: The Ralph Nader of CGDC6

I voted Illusion. Something interesting there, at least.

Oh please, oh please, I want to see some 4th wall break games! Judging by the comments here, there's not much of a chance, but I can dream, can't I?

I was leaning towards Consequences or Multiple Endings... but Pandora's Box was too shiny.

Guys, I'm pretty sure if failure wins the sheer irony would be enough to kill us all.

Anyway, what happened to asking if we're a developer or not? Or was my choice from the last poll remembered?

I'm really hoping most of these don't make it. Ok, well, duh... but you get what I mean? To me, things like "escape" and "sandbox" aren't competition themes, they're already-tired game genres.

Pandora's Box was too tempting. +1 Pandora.

What exactly does the "pandora's box" theme mean?

A few of my favorites made it. In the end, I voted for "failure". There are just so many possible ways to interpret it.

Achieving the Giant Flaming Monkey Trophy would be ultimate.

I was torn between:
Sandbox
Pandora's Box
Multiple Endings

But I ended up choosing Sandbox, since it was the least likely to lead to any point and click room escape games, which I hate.

And SMOO 8), Pandora's Box was a box that Zeus gave to Pandora with instructions that she should not open it; she gave in to her curiosity and opened it, and all the miseries and evils flew out to afflict mankind. A game with a Pandora's Box theme could, for example, be one with power-ups, but you only see a rainbow coloured orb for a power-up, and cannot tell if the power-up is good or bad until you pick it up and discover what the power-up does.

According to Wikipedia:

"In Greek mythology, Pandora's box is the large jar (πιθος pithos) carried by Pandora (Πανδώρα) that unleashed many evils on mankind - ills, toils and sickness - and hope."

Perhaps (Escape) you should (Escape) announce that there (Escape) is a (Escape) prize for the (Escape) person that (Escape) first (Escape) left the winning (Escape) idea in your (Escape) initial solicitation (Escape) of ideas (Escape)? ;)

Something good always comes out of these design competitions. :)

I picked Explore, because there's no more casual gameplay to me than mere exploration. It's relaxing, but you can still have a dynamic range of difficulty: as challenging as Within a Deep Forest, or as easy as Tanaka's Friendly Adventure.

Can anyone recommend a good game of exploring?

[Edit: There's a tag for that: https://jayisgames.com/tag/exploration -Jay]

I also narrowed it down to 2 choices, Multiple endings and Breaking the 4th wall...

I ended up going with breaking the 4th wall due to the different ways of interpreting it - however I'm noticing a lot of interest in the multiple endings vote though, and as somebody already said, I really wouldn't be dissappointed with any of these choices.

Tags are good. :) Thanks Jay.

I hope Pandora wins! I'd love to see what people come up with for that.

Although it's probably not going to win, I picked Explore. By the way, what place was GFM in?

I was stuck between failure and illusion (...that sounds sort of...deep) but went with the currently unloved "Illusion"

Some really beautiful (looking) concepts of games pop into my mind when thinking of the idea of "Illusion". The tricky thing would be to keep things from being cheap (no platformers with trick floors PLEASE).

Glad GFM wasn't seriously considered. Enjoyable as a joke, not really as a game theme. I am amused with the final themes, and admit that while I chose Failure, I wouldn't mind choosing any of the others (maybe except common ones like escape - one a week is more than enough :P).

I'll be happy as long as escape doesn't win. Too much room for more escape the room games. Pun not intended.

I went with failure, partially because I was the one who suggested it (:P) and partly because it just seems like an interesting theme to me: What kind of games would people design, based on a theme of failure?

I went with exploration or discovery. Those were my top two, and I can't remember which one I picked in the end (I voted yesterday) :D Anyway, looking forward to starting this competition!

I picked multiple ending, which apparently nobody else here had chosen.

@V2Blast: Now, now, I suggested Failure up at the 2nd post of the original (long) comment thread, though I'm simply grateful for all the attention it's been paid. ;) (or was that humor I failed to catch?)

I'd have thought "discovery" and "explore" overlapped a lot, too... but then again, not necessarily. The discoveries of exploration are just one kind. I voted for "failure," in the end, as that seems the most original. I'm kinda excited, though, that "Pandora's Box" got in. I suggested that one.

Oooohhh. Tomorrow the voting closes! Oooohhh. I can't wait!

Well, that's it, then.

[Edit: Yep, voting has closed. Check back Thursday for our next You Are Games feature. :) -Jay]

I missed out on the poll. Is there a way to see the list of finalists? Thanks!

Here are the finalists that were voted on, presented in a random order:

• Sandbox

• Illusion

• Multiple Endings

• Transform

• Achievements

• Discovery

• Breaking the 4th Wall

• Pandora's Box

• Consequences

• Escape

• Failure

• Explore

Is there not any way at all to see the pictures?
Everyone?
Anyone?