Brainstorming an idea

Team composition

The game you are making must fit the team. Adapt what you propose so that it works with your team composition and strengths.

Example: 

• Your team has 5 artists but 0 designers: make your game rely on visuals, and keep the gameplay interaction as simple as possible (e.g. Journey, Abzu)
• Your team has 4 coders, 1 designer and 0 artists: make a technically-focused (but less visually appealing) game (e.g. Tetris, World of Goo)

Scope and focusing your idea

Be wary of scope as well: it’s better to aim for less and do it right than to run out of time or rush your game over the finish line.

To that effect, I strongly recommend focusing on 1 core mechanic. “The core mechanic in a game will usually be the purposeful interaction that occurs the most frequently. In a platforming game, this is usually jumping. In a shooter, it is usually shooting.” (Charmie Kim, read the article here).

Example: 

• Tiny Wings (Andreas Illiger, 2011): has 1 mechanic (jump), 1 button (press the screen), and could easily be built in a short amount of time.