Why Truly Original Games Are So Rare | Semi-Ramblomatic

Here’s the fun part: the numbers game you described? It’s been done. And pretty well. Check out Calculords on iOS.

The problem is that most original ideas will turn out to have been bad. Everyone thinks of the one or two games a year that struck gold and forgets about the hundreds that tried to do something new and just... sucked. (or got overhauled with some derivative but known mechanics to try and salvage something from the work).

He wasn't claiming that was an original gameplay idea, merely illustrating the process of trying to come up with something original. Switching lanes to adjacent ideas, seeing what comes out, etc. But yeah, that idea has been implemented since the flash era, at least.

Even then, typing words to damage enemies isn't the core game play loop of Mario Teaches Typing?

I guess Yahtzee never played Kitty Letter