questidea

Questidea is a term used in game design to describe a proposed quest concept that may become a playable mission within a game. It serves as an early planning artifact intended to capture the core narrative, mechanics, and player actions without committing to full production.

A questidea typically specifies the objective, setting, protagonist motivation, required steps, potential obstacles, and the conditions for success or failure. It may also outline reward structures, progression impact, and branching possibilities driven by player choices.

In development workflows, questideas are created during brainstorming sessions and documented in a quest brief or design document. They are circulated to writers, artists, and programmers for feedback and feasibility assessment, ensuring alignment with game systems, tone, and schedule.

Questideas differ from fully realized quests; they are deliberately concise and flexible to support iterative prototyping. Teams evaluate multiple ideas through playtests and design reviews, selecting those with the strongest engagement and technical viability for full production.

Examples of questideas include scenarios such as recovering a stolen relic from a hidden fortress, guiding a reluctant NPC through a perilous journey, or resolving a diplomatic dispute that yields a strategic reward depending on player actions.

See also: game design, quest (video game), narrative design, design document.