**How to Prototype a Game in Under 7 Days:

Tips and Tricks from 4 Grad Students Who Made Over 50 Games in 1 Semester**http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20051026/gabler_01.shtml

Quote from the article:

"

Handy Cut-Out List!Setup: Rapid is a State of Mind

  • Embrace the Possibility of Failure - it Encourages Creative Risk Taking

  • Enforce Short Development Cycles (More Time != More Quality)

  • Constrain Creativity to Make You Want it Even More

  • Gather a Kickass Team and an Objective Advisor – Mindset is as Important as Talent

  • Develop in Parallel for Maximum Splatter

Design: Creativity and the Myth of Brainstorming

  • Formal Brainstorming Has a 0% Success Rate

  • Gather Concept Art and Music to Create an Emotional Target

  • Simulate in Your Head – Pre-Prototype the Prototype

Development: Nobody Knows How You Made it, and Nobody Cares

  • Build the Toy First

  • If You Can Get Away With it, Fake it

  • Cut Your Losses and "Learn When to Shoot Your Baby in the Crib"

  • Heavy Theming Will Not Salvage Bad Design (or "You Can't Polish a Turd")

  • But Overall Aesthetic Matters! Apply a Healthy Spread of Art, Sound, and Music

  • Nobody Cares About Your Great Engineering

General Gameplay: Sensual Lessons in Juicy Fun

  • Complexity is Not Necessary for Fun

  • Create a Sense of Ownership to Keep 'em Crawling Back for More

  • "Experimental" Does Not Mean "Complex"

  • Build Toward a Well Defined Goal

  • Make it Juicy!

"