Prompt Factory
- Game Idea Generation & Brainstorming:
- Prompt Idea: “I want to create a simple web-based puzzle game for players aged 8-12. The game should involve [mention a theme, e.g., ‘saving endangered animals’ or ‘exploring an ancient ruin’]. Give me five unique game mechanics or puzzle types that fit this theme, along with a brief description of how each would work in a web browser.”
- Why it’s good: This prompt encourages creative thinking, defines an audience and theme, and specifically asks for web-friendly mechanics, guiding the LLM towards practical suggestions.
- Basic Game Logic & Flow Design:
- Prompt Idea: “Let’s design the core gameplay loop for a text-based adventure game where the player needs to [mention a simple goal, e.g., ‘find a hidden treasure’ or ‘escape a haunted house’]. Describe the starting scenario, three key choices the player can make, and the immediate consequences of each choice. Also, suggest a simple win condition and a lose condition.”
- Why it’s good: This helps users break down a game into its fundamental components (start, choices, consequences, win/lose), which is crucial for even the simplest games.
- Simple Visual Asset Description & Inspiration:
- Prompt Idea: “Imagine a pixel art style for a side-scrolling platformer about a [mention a character, e.g., ‘brave knight’ or ‘bouncing slime’]. Describe three distinct visual elements for the game (e.g., player character, enemy, background tile) focusing on their color palette, general shape, and any defining features, suitable for a beginner artist to draw or find similar assets online.”
- Why it’s good: This prompt helps users visualize their game, even without artistic skill. It focuses on descriptive language that can then be used to search for or generate visual assets.
- Basic HTML/CSS/JavaScript Structure for a Game Element:
- Prompt Idea: “I’m making a simple web game. Can you give me the basic HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code to create a ‘Start Game’ button that, when clicked, changes its text to ‘Loading…’ and then disappears after 2 seconds? I need the code to be as straightforward as possible for someone new to web development.”
- Why it’s good: This prompt directly asks for code, specifying the desired functionality and explicitly stating the user’s beginner level, which encourages the LLM to provide clean, commented, and easy-to-understand code snippets.
- Troubleshooting & Debugging (Simulated):
- Prompt Idea: “I have a JavaScript function in my web game that’s supposed to increase the player’s score by 10 when they click an enemy, but it’s not working. Here’s the code: [Paste a simplified, intentionally flawed code snippet, e.g., missing
+=
or incorrect event listener]. What are some common reasons this might not be working, and how can I fix it?”
- Why it’s good: This teaches students how to use LLMs for debugging. Even without a real bug, presenting a simulated one shows them the process of describing a problem and providing relevant code for analysis.
- Adding Interactivity & User Feedback:
- Prompt Idea: “How can I make my web game more engaging for the player? Give me three simple ideas for adding interactivity or feedback, like showing a ‘Game Over’ message, playing a sound effect when a specific action happens, or visually indicating when a player collects an item. For each idea, suggest what web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) would be primarily involved.”
- Why it’s good: This moves beyond core mechanics to user experience. It encourages thinking about how players interact with the game and how the game responds, while also hinting at the relevant technologies.