BP #1: Time-Box Ideation
Hard cap of 1–2 hours for ideation after theme reveal. When time ends, you commit to whatever is on the table.
“Don’t overthink your game’s mechanics.” — Hyper Holomayhem (LD37) [1]
Why It Works
Teams that spent more than two hours on the concept phase were not searching for a better idea. They were avoiding commitment. One Room Factory took three hours to decide after the theme dropped. One Room Hotel went through so many concept iterations it nearly abandoned the jam entirely. Both lost development time they never recovered. [1]
A decent idea executed well beats a great idea half-built. Kaitila makes the same point: create constraints before the jam to limit your choices. [2] The ideation timer is that constraint applied to the first decision of the weekend.
How to Apply
- Theme reveals: start a 90-minute timer immediately
- Each person pitches one idea, max 5 minutes
- Quick vote or designated decision-maker picks
- Concept is locked. Clock does not restart.
If nothing feels ready at 90 minutes, pick the least-bad one. The idea gets better through building, not through more discussion.
Methodology Connection
Methodology Connection
Agile timeboxing works on the same principle as Scrum sprints: a fixed window forces prioritization and stops open-ended discussion from consuming the schedule. Most jam teams treat ideation as open-ended when it is actually the phase with the most expensive time cost, since nothing shippable comes from it.
Related
- AP #1: Overthinking in Concept Phase: what happens when this breaks
- BP #2: Concept Lock on Day 1: what comes next