Never agreed more to anything.
I don’t find it hard to come up with ideas, particularly. Last night, for example, watching a PBS Nature video about Penguins (episode 2 of 3-part series), just about every second dramatic scenario shown seemed like it could be turned into a decent little game with a bit of tweaking. Penguins are cute, too.
Animals in general, and nature & science videos in general can provide lots of inspiration. But some days it seems like just about anything could be turned into a game. Some things lend themselves more to strategy than first-person, of course, or to another game type.
I have long entertained the idea of having a first-person game from the point of view of a young mountain lion that has left “home” to establish its own territory, and blunders into civilization. There are many instances of this happening in real life, here in California. I suppose the scenario could be handled from almost any perspective (e.g., you are a state Ranger tasked to capture the animal before it hurts anyone). The thematics are nice in that encroachment on habitat is current & relevant. Could be a good 3D game with neat overland running animations, but would probably require a big team to do well. Not so good for 2D?
Maybe the issue with ideas is to not dismiss them too quickly. Give them time to simmer, play around with them. Also, try and be open to whether or not they strike some sort of internal chord or resonance. I suppose the mountain lion scenario appeals to me because of feeling a bit of a connection to the problem faced by the animal. Maybe the key is to note whatever you come across in life that feels cool or interesting personally, even if it doesn’t make sense as a game at first, even if it seems to have dark or embarrassing elements. Then, just try playing around with it, try applying different game models to different aspects, and see if something pops out.
I was always partial to baths for inspiration. It worked for Archimedes.