{"author_link":"\/users\/themule","author_name":"theMule","author_uid":"themule","comments":[],"epoch":1776205764,"event":"LD59","format":"md","ldjam_node_id":426201,"likes":3,"metadata":{"p_key":"95103","p_author":"theMule","p_authorkey":"1367984","p_urlkey":"309709","p_title":"Theme-ing all over the place!","p_cat":"LDJam ","p_event":"LD59","p_time":"1776205764","p_likes":"3","p_comments":"0","p_status":"WAYBACK","us_key":"1367984","us_name":"theMule","us_username":"themule","event_start":"1776470400","event_key":"113","event_name":"Ludum Dare 59"},"node":{"_collation":{"body_sanitizer":"TextUtils::SanitizeHTML via existing importer","event":"LD59","removed_author":false},"_superparent":424249,"_trust":1,"author":367984,"body":"![ld59-themes-1.png](\/\/\/raw\/07d\/95\/z\/6fc85.png)\n\n  I, as many participants, am often disappointed by the populist vote that inherently finds the lowest common denominator of themes. That's fine. But I would like to share my view on the themes that made it through. Just like you, and you, and you, and....you? Really, you too? XD\n\n- \"Leave Something Behind\" and \"Falling Apart\" - These are so similar that they are nearly the same, thematically. Very    trivially different in the mechanical sense. That being said, they are interesting from a design perspective. Both specific and also open.\n- \"The wrong tool for the job\" - This is mildly interesting and makes a developer reconsider priorities, but also seems to be a bit gimmicky.\n- \"Chains\" - This is technically challenging and thematic. This is my favorite in this round, other than the tied two at the top. I'm actually hoping for this one to win. I know it's just a noun, but it's both an overloaded term and also mechanically complex and I already know I can hit at least 4 other themes with it, lol.\n- \"No Text in the entire game\" - Mostly a challenge, but it is so antithesis to literally ALL games that it both forces careful thought and consideration and breaks the paradigm of standards that I couldn't resist voting it up. Definitely in the top 5 for me even though it doesn't really prescribe the gameplay thematics themselves.\n- \"You are the Environment\" - This is tied with Chains, in my list. It requires a lot of thought and reversal of patterns from common game design.\nI'll touch on the neutrals briefly:\nDungeon - I love dungeon games as do many people. That's enough reason to accept it while not promoting it.\nLimited Movement - All movement is generally limited in games. It's a lazy, non-descript theme but it has potential for specific design and exploration of technical restriction.\nSide Effects - Games are made of side effects, so again, this is a bit weak as a theme, but one could probably really focus in on it as a core mechanic.\nShelter - Not particularly notable but it's decently both open and constricting as a theme.\nLayers, Horde, Out of Bounds - Again, these are just only slightly interesting and yet too generic and broadly applied to games in general.\nUnusual Communication - 'unusual' is doing a lot of work in this one. I had some ideas, and this is a hard one. That's why I didn't dislike it. I could like it.\n\nAll that being said; I'm glad to be excited and participating. And that's all that really matters to me :)","comments":4,"comments-timestamp":"2026-04-15T06:54:00Z","created":"2026-04-14T21:57:31Z","files":[],"files-timestamp":0,"id":426201,"love":3,"love-timestamp":"2026-04-17T12:06:06Z","meta":[],"modified":"2026-04-17T12:06:06Z","name":"Theme-ing all over the place!","node-timestamp":"2026-04-14T22:29:24Z","parent":426047,"parents":[1,5,9,424249,426047],"path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/59\/$426047\/theme-ing-all-over-the-place","published":"2026-04-14T22:29:24Z","scope":"public","slug":"theme-ing-all-over-the-place","subsubtype":"","subtype":"","type":"post","version":1346070},"node_metadata":{"n_key":"426201","n_urlkey":"309709","n_parent":"426047","n_path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/59\/$426047\/theme-ing-all-over-the-place","n_slug":"theme-ing-all-over-the-place","n_type":"post","n_subtype":"","n_subsubtype":"","n_author":"367984","n_created":"1776203851","n_modified":"1776427566","n_version":"1346070","n_status":"WAYBACK"},"source_url":"https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/59\/$426047\/theme-ing-all-over-the-place","text":"![ld59-themes-1.png](\/\/\/raw\/07d\/95\/z\/6fc85.png)\n\n  I, as many participants, am often disappointed by the populist vote that inherently finds the lowest common denominator of themes. That's fine. But I would like to share my view on the themes that made it through. Just like you, and you, and you, and....you? Really, you too? XD\n\n- \"Leave Something Behind\" and \"Falling Apart\" - These are so similar that they are nearly the same, thematically. Very    trivially different in the mechanical sense. That being said, they are interesting from a design perspective. Both specific and also open.\n- \"The wrong tool for the job\" - This is mildly interesting and makes a developer reconsider priorities, but also seems to be a bit gimmicky.\n- \"Chains\" - This is technically challenging and thematic. This is my favorite in this round, other than the tied two at the top. I'm actually hoping for this one to win. I know it's just a noun, but it's both an overloaded term and also mechanically complex and I already know I can hit at least 4 other themes with it, lol.\n- \"No Text in the entire game\" - Mostly a challenge, but it is so antithesis to literally ALL games that it both forces careful thought and consideration and breaks the paradigm of standards that I couldn't resist voting it up. Definitely in the top 5 for me even though it doesn't really prescribe the gameplay thematics themselves.\n- \"You are the Environment\" - This is tied with Chains, in my list. It requires a lot of thought and reversal of patterns from common game design.\nI'll touch on the neutrals briefly:\nDungeon - I love dungeon games as do many people. That's enough reason to accept it while not promoting it.\nLimited Movement - All movement is generally limited in games. It's a lazy, non-descript theme but it has potential for specific design and exploration of technical restriction.\nSide Effects - Games are made of side effects, so again, this is a bit weak as a theme, but one could probably really focus in on it as a core mechanic.\nShelter - Not particularly notable but it's decently both open and constricting as a theme.\nLayers, Horde, Out of Bounds - Again, these are just only slightly interesting and yet too generic and broadly applied to games in general.\nUnusual Communication - 'unusual' is doing a lot of work in this one. I had some ideas, and this is a hard one. That's why I didn't dislike it. I could like it.\n\nAll that being said; I'm glad to be excited and participating. And that's all that really matters to me :)","title":"Theme-ing all over the place!","wayback_source":[]}