# Game Design Five Options

> Generate and compare at least five game design solution options for a feature, system, UX issue, live-ops problem, or design challenge. Use when several ideas already exist, when a team needs broader comparison before choosing, or when one favorite answer is dominating too early and better alternatives may be getting ignored.

- Skill: `stanestane/game-design-five-options` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add stanestane/game-design-five-options`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/stanestane/game-design-five-options/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: Stanestane (https://skillmd.com/u/stanestane)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/stanestane/game-design-five-options

---


# Game Design Five Options

Force the design space open before it closes too early.

Use this skill when a team already has ideas and needs a structured way to compare them. The aim is to avoid premature convergence by putting several options side by side, then assessing their differences in value, cost, and risk.

Read `references/family-conventions.md` when you need the shared conventions for this GROW-derived skill family.

## What to produce

Generate:
1. **Problem statement** - what needs solving
2. **Five options** - distinct solution directions
3. **Pros and cons** - the upside and downside of each
4. **Rough comparison** - impact, cost, and fit
5. **Recommendation** - the best option or best test candidate

## Process

### 1. Define the problem
State clearly what outcome the options are trying to achieve.

### 2. Generate five distinct options
Push for real differences, not five tiny variations of the same idea.

### 3. Evaluate each option
For each one, describe:
- summary
- strengths
- weaknesses
- expected player impact
- implementation difficulty
- strategic fit

Optional: include SWOT-style notes if useful.

### 4. Prioritize
Recommend:
- the best immediate choice
- the fastest testable version
- any options that should be discarded or held for later

## Response structure

### Problem
- ...

### Five Options
1. ...
2. ...
3. ...
4. ...
5. ...

### Comparison
- ...

### Recommendation
- ...

## Fast mode
- What are five credible ways to solve this?
- Which one is strongest now?
- Which one is cheapest to test?

## Working principle

There is almost always more than one viable answer. Make the alternatives visible.