A Word to the N00bish

A piece of advice I wish I could have given myself a couple months back:

In a prototyping or rapid-development setting, stay away from genre descriptors, like “a platformer where this happens…” or “an rpg where the player can do this…”; These descriptors come equipped with mechanic baggage (like buttons, doors, platforms, text bubbles, menus…) that you will waste tons of valuable time programming, just so you can set up the arena for your gameplay. Instead, just worry about the core gameplay idea, the mechanic at the center of your vision. When you’re finished, if you really like your prototype, you can go back and flesh it out with the conventions of the genre.

Check out Super Hexagon for a flawless example of cutting the bullshit in favor of showcasing your new idea.