Random Theme Generator for Parties, Spirit Weeks, Art and Game Jams

One press gives you a theme and a line on how to run it, for a party, a spirit week, a sketchbook, a photo shoot, a playlist, a story or a game jam.

Random Theme Generator for Parties, Spirit Weeks, Art and Game Jams

  1. Mirror worldTwo views of one level sit side by side, and a move in one is mirrored in the other.
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Tip: the space bar makes a new one.

Theme of the day

 

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Random Theme Generator for Parties, Spirit Weeks, Art and Game Jams: how it works

This random theme generator asks one thing first: what is the theme for? Choose a chip, then press to pick a random theme and a line on how to run it: what guests wear to a Masquerade ball, what to sketch for Tiny worlds, what Only one button asks of a game. All 533 themes are our own.

Seven chips, seven kinds of theme

The chips keep different kinds of theme apart: Party 136, Spirit week 66, Drawing 94, Photo shoot 67, Playlist 61, Writing 73 and Game jam 63. With no chip on, the theme randomizer draws from all 533. For a spirit week, turn on that chip and set the size to 5: one press is Monday to Friday. Lock the days you like and press again for the rest. The full list below prints each theme once, under its first chip, so some headings there count fewer.

What makes a theme easy to join

A theme works when nobody has to ask what it means, so every line names things to do today: wear one color, bring a wrapped book, sketch a village inside a lightbulb. For a school week, mix in days that need only a normal closet, such as Wacky socks or Inside out, so cost keeps nobody out.

Tips

  • Write "one item counts" on the invitation. A hat in the theme is enough, and shy guests still join in.
  • For a month of drawing, set the size to 10, press three times and write the 30 prompts on a calendar.
  • The address keeps the chip, so a link ending in #g=spirit-week opens on spirit week themes for the whole committee.

Questions and answers

How do I pick a random theme for a party?

Turn on the Party chip and press. The card names the theme, and the line under it says what guests wear, what to set out and one thing to do. If it does not suit your group, press again, or draw 3 and let the guests vote.

What is the difference between a topic and a theme in writing?

A topic is the subject in a word or two, such as revenge or home. A theme is what the story ends up saying about it. Under the Writing chip the card is the topic, and the line beneath is a question your story can answer.

What makes a good game jam theme?

A few words that can be read more than one way, such as Only one button or The map is wrong. Jams commonly last 24, 48 or 72 hours, and the theme is usually announced shortly before the start. These 63 are our own, not the list of any named jam.

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All 533 themes

Show all 533 themes

Party 136

  • 1920s jazz night Fringe, feathers and bow ties, a jazz playlist, and a five-minute Charleston lesson.
  • 1950s diner Milkshakes, burgers, a checkered floor and a jukebox playlist; rolled sleeves and full skirts.
  • 1980s prom Big hair, bright eyeshadow, a balloon arch, slow songs and a shiny photo backdrop.
  • 1990s Denim, scrunchies and windbreakers; play the era's party games and pass around disposable cameras.
  • A whole day in one evening Breakfast at 6 pm, lunch at 7, dinner at 8 and a midnight snack at 9; change the lights each hour.
  • Album listening night Play one album start to finish with no skipping; hand out cards to rate every track.
  • Aliens have landed Green everything, antenna headbands, and a crashed saucer of foil pans on the lawn.
  • All aboard Tickets punched at the door, a train made of cardboard boxes, and whistles to take home.
  • Alphabet Pick a letter, or use your own initial; the costume, the snack and the song all start with it.
  • Animals Ears, tails and face paint; move like your animal until someone guesses what you are.
  • Art studio Aprons, one canvas each and the same subject for everyone; hang a gallery at the end.
  • Backwards party Invitations written in reverse, clothes on backwards, dessert first and hello at the end.
  • Backyard campout Tents or blanket forts, flashlights, toasted marshmallows and stories after dark.
  • Backyard mini golf Build nine holes from cups, ramps and books; each guest designs one hole.
  • Bake-off Everyone decorates the same plain cupcakes; judges score blind on looks and taste.
  • Beach day Shorts, sunglasses and towels as capes; beach balls, ice pops and a sprinkler if it is warm.
  • Bike parade Decorate bikes and scooters with streamers and spoke cards, then ride a loop with music.
  • Black and white Wear only black and white; checkerboard tables and a photo wall that looks like an old film.
  • Blanket fort Build one giant fort from every sheet in the house; the snacks and the movie happen inside.
  • Board game tournament Four tables, a 30 minute timer, and winners move up a table each round.
  • Book characters Come as a character from a book and carry the book; ask each person for a one-line pitch.
  • Book swap Each guest brings a wrapped book with three clue words on the paper; choose without peeking.
  • Breakfast for dinner Pancakes, waffles and a toppings bar at 7 pm; pajamas welcome.
  • Brick builders Bins of building bricks, timed build challenges, and a display shelf for the results.
  • Bubble party Giant wands made of string and sticks, a kiddie pool of mix, and a bubble-in-a-bubble contest.
  • Bugs and butterflies Wings and antennae, a bug hunt with magnifying glasses, and ants-on-a-log snacks.
  • Cardboard city Collect boxes for a month; guests build and paint a town big enough to crawl through.
  • Carnival Ring toss, a bean-bag throw and a prize table; guests pay for games with paper tickets.
  • Chocolate tasting Six bars from mild to dark, broken into squares; guests rank them on cards before the reveal.
  • Circus Red and white stripes, a juggling lesson, popcorn, and a ringmaster hat for the host.
  • Color wars Split into teams by color; every game earns points and the winning color takes a trophy.
  • Come as your future self Dress as yourself at 80, or in the job you want, and give a short speech from the future.
  • Comedy club A stool, a microphone and a brick-wall backdrop; each guest tells one joke, and groans count.
  • Construction zone Hard hats, cones and caution tape; build towers from boxes and knock them down.
  • Cozy night in Blankets, soup in mugs, battery candles, thick socks and a basket for phones.
  • Decades Everyone picks a decade and dresses for it; the playlist moves forward ten years every half hour.
  • Detectives Trench coats and magnifying glasses; plant five clues and one missing cake.
  • Dinosaurs Dig for toy bones in a sandbox, press fossil prints into salt dough, and roar at the door.
  • Disco A mirror ball, flares and sequins, a dance floor marked with tape, and one line dance to teach.
  • Do-good party In place of gifts, guests make cards or pack care kits for a local shelter, then eat cake.
  • Dragons Paper wings, a hunt for dragon eggs made from painted stones, and red fire punch.
  • Dress as a food A banana, a taco, a carton of fries from a yellow shirt and paper; vote for the most edible look.
  • Enchanted forest Fairy lights, green and gold, flower crowns to make, and toadstools cut from paper.
  • Escape room at home Lock a prize in a box, hide three codes in puzzles around one room, and set 45 minutes.
  • Fairy tale Come as any storybook character; read one tale aloud with guests acting the parts.
  • Fancy dinner at home Formal clothes, place cards and three courses, even if the main is mac and cheese.
  • Farmyard Plaid and overalls, a visit to a petting farm or a table of toy animals, and haystack snacks.
  • Fashion show A runway of tape, a dress-up box, and a commentator with a hairbrush for a microphone.
  • Favorite things Every guest brings one favorite thing under five dollars, wrapped, and explains it before the swap.
  • Festival at home Wristbands, a lineup poster, two stages in two rooms, picnic blankets and face glitter.
  • Field day Sack race, egg and spoon, three-legged race and tug of war, with ribbons for every event.
  • Four seasons Split the room or the grades into four seasons, each with its own clothes, snacks and music.
  • Friendly monsters Googly eyes on everything, a monster freeze dance, and cupcakes with too many eyes.
  • Full moon picnic Pick the next full moon; white clothes, round foods and a late walk by moonlight.
  • Game show Buzzers, a host and two teams; write the questions about the guest of honor.
  • Garden tea party Florals, hats, finger sandwiches and mismatched cups on a table outside.
  • Gold and glitter Gold, sequins and metallic balloons; spray thrift-store trophies gold and give them as prizes.
  • Harvest festival Pumpkins, plaid, warm apple cider and a pie table; try apple bobbing with tongs.
  • Hats Any hat gets you in; keep a box of spares by the door and vote for the tallest.
  • Haunted house Cobwebs, battery candles, a touch-and-guess box and a ghost story circle.
  • Home arcade Borrow consoles and set up stations; guests win paper tickets and trade them at a prize table.
  • Ice cream social Three flavors, ten toppings, and a contest for the tallest sundae that stays standing.
  • Inventors' fair Give each team a bag of junk and 40 minutes to invent something, then pitch it to the room.
  • Jungle safari Khaki and binoculars; hide toy animals around the yard and hand out spotting lists.
  • Karaoke night A microphone, a lyrics screen and a sign-up sheet; duets count double.
  • Kite day Build simple kites from paper and straws in the first hour, and fly them in the second.
  • Knights and castles Cardboard shields to paint, a castle doorway, and a quest with three challenges.
  • Lantern walk Make paper lanterns with battery candles, then carry them around the block at dusk.
  • Lip-sync battle Draw songs from a hat, two minutes to prepare, props encouraged, and the crowd votes by cheering.
  • Magic show Each guest learns one simple trick in the first half hour, then performs it for the group.
  • Make your own superhero Invent a hero: a cape, a mask and one odd power written on a name tag.
  • Masquerade ball Formal clothes and masks; decorate plain masks at the door and unmask together at a set time.
  • Messy play Old clothes only; paint with feet, make slime, and hose everyone down at the end.
  • Mismatch Clashing patterns, odd socks and shoes from different pairs; give a prize for the loudest outfit.
  • Musical theater Come as a character from any stage show; a sing-along screen and a curtain-call photo.
  • Mystery basket cook-off Teams get the same five ingredients and 30 minutes; judges score taste and looks.
  • Mystery dinner Send each guest a character card a week ahead, plant clues, and reveal the culprit over dessert.
  • Neon Neon shirts, bright laces and glow sticks; under a black light, white clothes glow too.
  • Noon year's eve Count down to noon instead of midnight so small kids can join; balloons drop at twelve.
  • Obstacle course A course around the yard, a balance beam made of tape, a crawl tunnel and a silent-walking contest.
  • One color Pick one color for clothes, food and decorations; blue is harder than it sounds.
  • Open mic Poems, songs and jokes under five minutes; a lamp for a spotlight, and snaps in place of claps.
  • Outdoor movie night A sheet, a projector and blankets; hand out popcorn in paper bags and print tickets.
  • Outer space A dark room, glow stars and foil on everything; launch straw rockets for distance.
  • Pajamas Pajamas, robes and slippers all day or all night; serve breakfast food whatever the hour.
  • Paper airplanes Fold, decorate and compete for distance, hang time and accuracy through a hoop.
  • Paris cafe Small tables, croissants, hot chocolate, and an artist's corner for one-minute portraits.
  • Passport party Each room is a country with a snack and a stamp; guests fill a paper passport.
  • Penguins and polar bears Black, white and ice blue; an ice-cube melting race and a waddle relay with a ball between the knees.
  • Picnic in the park Blankets, baskets and lawn games; ask each guest to bring one thing to share.
  • Pirates Stripes, eye patches and a treasure map; September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day.
  • Pizza workshop Dough balls and bowls of toppings; each guest builds one, names it, and the group votes.
  • Plant a pot Each guest paints a small pot and plants a seedling to take home.
  • Polka dots Dots on clothes, balloons and cupcakes; hand out sticker dots to anyone who forgot.
  • Pool party Inflatables, relay races and a splash contest, with one adult who does nothing but watch the water.
  • Puppet theater Sock puppets to make, a table on its side for a stage, and a five-minute show per team.
  • Puppy adoption Each guest adopts a toy puppy, names it, fills in an adoption card and makes it a collar.
  • Puzzle race Identical 300-piece puzzles, one per team; first finished wins, and trading pieces is cheating.
  • Race cars Checkered flags, a tape track on the floor, box cars to decorate, and a pit stop snack bar.
  • Rainbow Each guest or each class takes one color, then everyone lines up in rainbow order for the photo.
  • Read-in Everyone brings a book, reads in silence for 40 minutes, then talks about it over snacks.
  • Red carpet awards Dress up, walk a red runner, and hand out silly awards with acceptance speeches.
  • Robots Foil, boxes and dryer hose; build a costume in teams, then hold a robot dance contest.
  • Rock stars Inflatable guitars, temporary tattoos, band names on name tags and a lip-sync stage.
  • Roller rink Book a rink session; bright socks, one slow-skate song and a limbo pole.
  • Scavenger hunt Teams, a list of 20 things to find or photograph, and one hour on the clock.
  • Science lab Goggles and lab coats from old shirts; slime, vinegar volcanoes and drinks in beakers.
  • Silent disco Everyone brings headphones and starts the same shared playlist at the same second.
  • Soda fountain Syrups, sparkling water, fruit and tall glasses; each guest invents a drink and names it.
  • Spa day Robes, cucumber water, face masks and a nail bar; keep the lights low and the music slow.
  • Sports jersey Any team, any sport; add minute-long games and keep a scoreboard on the wall.
  • Spy mission Dark glasses, code names at the door, and a laser maze made of string in the hallway.
  • Stargazing party Blankets, a star chart and hot drinks; cover flashlights with red film to protect night vision.
  • Summer solstice Hold it on the longest day of the year; eat outside, wear yellow and stay out until dark.
  • Sunrise breakfast Meet before dawn somewhere with a view; bring a thermos, pastries and blankets.
  • Sweet shop Jars of candy with scoops, paper bags, balloon lollipops and a guess-the-count jar.
  • Taco bar One long table of fillings; guests build their own, and the sauces are labeled by heat.
  • Talent show Every guest gets two minutes on a taped-off stage, and everyone wins a category.
  • Teddy bear picnic Every guest brings a bear; bears get name tags, their own plates and a check-up station.
  • Thrift store formal Everyone wears a formal outfit that cost under ten dollars, and brings the receipt.
  • Throwback Dress like a photo of yourself from ten years ago and bring the photo as proof.
  • Tie-dye Wear tie-dye, or dye plain white shirts together a week ahead so they are dry in time.
  • Time travelers Each guest arrives from a different year, past or future, and stays in character for an hour.
  • Tiny food Everything bite-sized: slider burgers, mini pancakes and one-inch pizzas on doll plates.
  • Trivia night Six rounds of ten questions, teams of four, a picture round and a guess-the-number tiebreaker.
  • Tropical Bright shirts, sunglasses and sandals; fruit punch, paper flowers and a limbo pole.
  • Tutti frutti Fruit-print clothes, a smoothie bar, watermelon slices and pineapple bowling.
  • Twins Pair up and dress alike; trios count, and anyone without a partner gets matched at the door.
  • Ugly sweater The louder the sweater the better; set out tinsel, felt and glue for late decorators.
  • Under the sea Blue streamers hung from the ceiling, a bubble machine, and fish-shaped snacks.
  • Unicorns Pastels, horn headbands to make, rainbow fruit skewers and a pin-the-horn game.
  • Western Denim, boots, bandanas and hats; hay-bale seats, chili and cornbread.
  • Winter wonderland White and silver, paper snowflakes, a hot chocolate bar and a snowball toss with rolled socks.
  • Wizard academy Robes, wands made from sticks, a potions table of fizzy drinks, and teams drawn from a hat.
  • World food potluck Each guest brings a dish from a place they love, with a card saying what it is.
  • Year 2000 Butterfly clips, glitter gel, flip phones as props, and pop from the turn of the century.

Spirit week 41

  • Anything but a backpack Carry books in a laundry basket, a wagon or a cooler; set a size limit for the hallways.
  • Blackout Everyone in black for the big game; pair it with a whiteout later in the season.
  • Camouflage Camo prints from head to toe; teachers pretend they cannot see anyone at roll call.
  • Class colors Each grade gets one color; take the photo from a balcony so the blocks show.
  • Club shirt Wear the shirt of any team, club or group you belong to, in school or out of it.
  • College shirt A shirt from any college, trade school or service branch; counselors set up a table at lunch.
  • Comfy day Sweats and hoodies; turnout is high, so put it on Monday to start the week strong.
  • Denim Denim on denim: jackets, jeans, even a denim hat.
  • Dress like a parent A parent on a Saturday: visor, cargo shorts, travel mug, keys on a clip.
  • Dress like a teacher Students copy a teacher's well-known look, and the teachers come dressed as students.
  • Dress to impress Ties, dresses and blazers; schedule it on picture day or the day of the dance.
  • Dynamic duo Pairs come as two things that belong together: salt and pepper, sun and moon, lock and key.
  • Every holiday at once Each grade takes a holiday, or everyone mixes them: bunny ears with a witch hat.
  • Everyday heroes Dress as a real-life helper such as a nurse, a firefighter or a crossing guard, and invite some in.
  • Flannel Plaid flannel shirts; an easy fall day, since most closets have one.
  • Future career Dress for the job you want in 20 years and carry one prop that explains it.
  • Go green Wear green and bring a reusable bottle; run a recycling sort race at lunch.
  • Group costume Three or more people share one idea: a box of crayons, a deck of cards, the four seasons.
  • Historical figure Come as someone from your history book and be ready with one true fact about them.
  • Inside out Shirts inside out and backwards; it costs nothing, which makes it right for a short week.
  • Kindness day Wear a kind message, printed or taped on; hand out compliment cards at the door.
  • Mustache day Stick-on or drawn mustaches for everyone, staff included; put a photo booth in the hall.
  • Number day Wear a number: a jersey, a price tag, a birthday; line up in order for the photo.
  • Opposite day Dress as your opposite: the quiet one in neon, the athlete in a suit, the teacher as a student.
  • Out of season Dress for the wrong season: scarves and mittens in June, shorts and sunglasses in December.
  • Pink out Everyone wears pink; it is often tied to a fundraiser, so choose the cause first.
  • Pun day Dress as a pun: carry a "Go, ceiling" sign to be a ceiling fan, or wear a suit as a formal apology.
  • Rhyme without reason Pairs dress as two things that rhyme and have nothing else in common: a goat and a boat.
  • School colors Head to toe in school colors; count each class and give the points to the highest share.
  • Scientist day Lab coats from old white shirts, goggles and wild hair; the science staff run a lunchtime demo.
  • Shades Sunglasses all day, indoors included; agree a rule for tests before the day.
  • Socks and sandals The forbidden pairing, on purpose; the brighter the socks the better.
  • Stripes Stripes in any direction; mix horizontal and vertical if you are brave.
  • Stuffed animal day Bring one stuffed animal that fits in your bag; no costume needed, and small kids love it.
  • Tourist Loud shirt, camera, map and sunscreen on the nose; easy from any closet.
  • Vocabulary day Pick a word, dress as it, and wear the word on a card; it costs nothing and teachers love it.
  • Wacky hair Gel, pipe cleaners and temporary color; judge at lunch so the styles survive the morning.
  • Wacky socks Tall, odd or pulled over the pants; the easiest day of the week and a good first spirit day.
  • White lie shirts Write a harmless lie about yourself on a plain white shirt, such as "I am always on time".
  • Whiteout Everyone in white; it looks sharpest under stadium lights at an evening game.
  • Workout gear Sweatbands, tracksuits and leg warmers; end the day with a staff against students game.

Drawing 94

  • Abandoned places An empty pool, a fairground under snow, a classroom with a tree through the floor.
  • Album art for an invented band Name the band, pick the genre, then design the square.
  • Animals with jobs A heron delivering mail, a badger doing accounts, an octopus working a diner grill.
  • Bakery window Trays of bread, a chalk sign, the street reflected in the glass, a dog waiting outside.
  • Birds with attitude A pigeon who owns the block, a judgmental owl, a gull mid-theft, a smug robin.
  • Boats A houseboat, a paper boat in a gutter, a ship in a bottle, a rowboat full of plants.
  • Book cover redesign Redraw the cover of the last book you read, or of a book that does not exist.
  • Botanical study One plant drawn five ways: whole, leaf, flower, seed and cross-section.
  • Breakfast Your actual breakfast from above, or breakfast for a giant, a ghost or an astronaut.
  • Bridges Rope, stone, a fallen tree, a bridge built by two towns that disagreed on the design.
  • Cats in odd places In a sink, on a fridge, inside a guitar case, in a box two sizes too small.
  • Character turnaround One invented character from the front, side and back, plus three expressions.
  • Clocks A pocket watch in pieces, a sundial at night, a town clock with thirteen hours.
  • Cluttered shops An antique shop, a key cutter's booth, a yarn store, a shop that sells only clocks.
  • Costume design Dress one character for a desert, a ball, a storm and a heist.
  • Cozy rooms A reading nook, a kitchen in winter, an attic studio, a bath with a window.
  • Crowns A crown of twigs, a crown of ice, a crown of bent forks; draw who wears each.
  • Crystals and caves Geodes, stalactites, a glowing pool, a miner's lamp lighting a vein of quartz.
  • Deep sea An anglerfish, the eye of a giant squid, a diver's lamp in black water.
  • Desert road Mesas, the shadow of one cactus, a roadside diner, a lizard on a warm rock.
  • Doors A round door in a hill, a door in a tree, a vault, a door ajar with light behind it.
  • Dragons in small places A dragon in a shoebox, asleep in a teapot, guarding a jar of buttons.
  • Eyes off the page Look only at the subject, never the paper; draw slowly and do not peek.
  • Flags of nowhere Design flags for an island of cats, a moon colony, a town of people who cannot sleep.
  • Floating islands Waterfalls pouring into sky, rope bridges, a lighthouse with nothing beneath it.
  • Food with faces A nervous egg, a smug croissant, a bowl of soup that looks tired.
  • Forest spirits Invent the guardian of one tree, one stream and one patch of moss.
  • Fossils and bones An ammonite, a bird skull, a trilobite, a museum skeleton seen from below.
  • Four elements Earth, air, fire and water as people, as animals or as houses.
  • Fruit cut open A pomegranate, a kiwi, a fig, a lemon slice held against the light.
  • Future fashion What people wear 200 years from now: the materials, the pockets, what the hat does.
  • Garden at night Moths at a lamp, snails on a path, white flowers glowing, a fox crossing the lawn.
  • Ghosts doing chores A ghost folding sheets, vacuuming, trying and failing to hold a mug.
  • Giants A giant asleep as a hillside, a giant's lost button, a giant tying a shoe beside a house.
  • Half and half Split a face, a house or an animal down the middle: day and night, real and robot.
  • Hands Hands tying a knot, holding a bird, covered in paint, reaching out of water.
  • Houses for animals A badger's study, a swallow's mud apartment, a hermit crab's renovated tin can.
  • Imaginary instruments A harp strung with rain, a twelve-valve horn, a drum you play by walking.
  • Insects up close Beetle shells, a mantis face, moth antennae, pollen packed on a bee's legs.
  • Inside a bag Tip out a backpack and draw every object, labeled like a museum case.
  • Keys and locks Ornate keys, a lock with a face, a ring of keys for doors that no longer exist.
  • Knights off duty Armor on a laundry line, a knight fishing, a helmet used as a flowerpot.
  • Laundromat Rows of spinning drums, one lost sock, fluorescent light, someone waiting with a book.
  • Light through windows Dust in a sunbeam, stained glass colors on a floor, blinds striping a sleeping cat.
  • Lighthouses In a storm, in a desert, abandoned, or lived in by someone with too many cats.
  • Machines that should not exist A cloud vacuum, a sock-matching engine, a clock that runs on tea.
  • Maps of made-up places Coastline first, then mountains, roads, a compass rose and three odd place names.
  • Masks A festival mask, a welder's mask, a mask that shows what its wearer hides.
  • Mushrooms A mushroom house, a fairy ring, gills seen from below, spores drifting like smoke.
  • Myths in the modern day A sphinx hosting quiz night, a minotaur reading a mall map, a phoenix at a fire drill.
  • Negative space Draw the gaps: the shapes between chair legs, fingers or branches.
  • New constellations Join the dots of the night sky into a bicycle, a teapot, a sleeping dog.
  • Night market Lanterns, steam rising from pots, a fortune stall, a cat under a table.
  • Nine expressions One face in nine boxes: joy, envy, boredom, dread, pride, relief and three of your choice.
  • Old tools A hand drill, a rusted key, a sewing machine, scissors with worn handles.
  • One character, five ages One person as a baby, a kid, a teen, an adult and an elder; keep one feature constant.
  • One continuous line Draw a face, a bike or your own hand without lifting the pen once.
  • One tree, four seasons One tree in four panels, or one scene split down the middle between two seasons.
  • Overgrown A bicycle swallowed by ivy, a mossy phone booth, a greenhouse that burst its walls.
  • Playing cards Redesign the four kings, or invent a fifth suit and draw its ace.
  • Polite monsters A troll holding a door, a kraken waiting in line, a yeti writing a thank-you card.
  • Postage stamps A set of six tiny stamps on one subject: local birds, clouds, street food.
  • Potion bottles Twelve bottles, each a different shape, with labels that hint at what they do.
  • Rainy day Umbrellas seen from above, a crowded bus stop, drops racing down glass.
  • Reflections in odd places A puddle showing a different sky, a portrait in a spoon, a window at night.
  • Retro future The year 2000 as imagined in 1950: bubble cars, robot butlers, moving sidewalks.
  • Robots with feelings A robot watering a plant, one learning to dance, one reading a letter twice.
  • Rooftops Water tanks, antennas, laundry lines, a roof garden, a cat crossing between buildings.
  • Sea monsters on old maps Draw the creature in the corner of the map, and the tiny ship that found it.
  • Self-portrait as something else Draw yourself as an animal, a building, a weather system or a playing card.
  • Shadows that do not match A child with a dragon's shadow, a cat casting a lion, a lamp post casting a tree.
  • Shoes and their owners Draw five pairs of shoes and let each pair tell you who wears them.
  • Skeletons having fun Skeletons on a picnic, playing in a band, walking a skeleton dog.
  • Snowed in A cabin buried to the windows, tracks leading away, ice on a lantern.
  • Space travelers A suit covered in patches, a ship's cramped galley, a postcard from a ringed planet.
  • Staircases Spirals, a stair to nowhere, steps cut in a cliff, a ladder into clouds.
  • Still life with a story Three objects on a table that tell you what just happened in the room.
  • Storm at sea A small boat, a big wave, a lighthouse beam, gulls flying sideways.
  • Street corner One corner near you, drawn from life: signs, wires, cracks, the detail nobody notices.
  • Sun and moon As siblings, as rivals, as dance partners, or as two ends of one creature.
  • Things with wings A moth, a paper plane, a winged shoe, a maple seed spinning down.
  • Thirty-second sketches Set a timer: ten objects, thirty seconds each, no erasing.
  • Three colors only Choose three colors before you choose the subject, and use nothing else.
  • Thumb-sized people A teaspoon for a boat, a thimble for a bucket, thread for climbing rope.
  • Tiny worlds A city in a teacup, a forest on a turtle's back, a village inside a lightbulb.
  • Trains and stations A sleeper car, a platform at dawn, a station clock, a train on a long viaduct.
  • Treehouses A one-room hideout, a whole village, a treehouse library with a rope elevator.
  • Underwater city Coral towers, a bus pulled by seahorses, streetlights made from anglerfish.
  • Vehicles from nature A beetle bus, a seed-pod glider, a snail-shell camper, a fish submarine.
  • View from a bus window Reflections layered over the street, a stranger's hat, rain on the glass.
  • Weather as a character Fog as a shy giant, a thunderstorm with a temper, a breeze that steals hats.
  • Witch's kitchen Labeled jars, a cauldron on a gas stove, herbs drying, a cat asleep on the recipe book.
  • Wrong hand Draw a simple object with your other hand; the wobble is the point.
  • Your desk right now Everything within reach, exactly as it sits; no tidying first.

Photo shoot 65

  • A day in the life Follow one person from alarm to bedtime: twelve frames, one an hour.
  • Alphabet hunt Find all 26 letters in shapes that are not letters: a gate for H, a hose for S.
  • As close as it gets Go as near as your lens will focus: frost, fabric, an eye, the edge of a leaf.
  • Autumn leaves Leaves glow with the sun behind them; throw a handful and shoot a burst.
  • Baking mess Flour in the air, dough on hands, an apron, and side light from a kitchen window.
  • Band photo Four friends, a brick wall, nobody smiles, and everyone looks a different way.
  • Beach at dawn Wet sand mirrors the sky; add footprints, a long dress or a kite for movement.
  • Black and white street Strong light, strong shadow, people crossing; convert it and push the contrast.
  • Blue hour city Shoot just after sunset, while the sky is deep blue and the street lights are already on.
  • Bookworm Stacks of books, glasses, a lamp and steam from a mug, shot in a window seat.
  • Bright umbrella A bright umbrella on a gray street, lit from behind by a shop window.
  • Candlelight Candles on a table at arm's length, hair tied back, everything else dark. Battery candles work too.
  • Color blocking Bright clothes against a painted wall in a clashing color; scout the walls first.
  • Color hunt Pick a color and photograph only that for an hour; show the results as a grid.
  • Dancer in the city A wide sidewalk or an empty plaza, a jump, a jacket that flows; count in and shoot bursts.
  • Diner booth Milkshakes, a checkered floor, window light, and a jukebox if you are lucky.
  • Doors of one street Every door on one street, framed the same way so the set hangs together.
  • Double exposure Blend a profile portrait with trees or a skyline, in the camera or in an app.
  • Empty playground Early morning, long shadows from the swings, one person on the slide for scale.
  • Fairground at night Brace the camera on a fence and use a slow shutter so the rides draw circles of light.
  • Fairy lights A dark room and a string of warm lights held close to the lens for a blurred glow.
  • Film noir One hard lamp, window blinds, a hat, black and white, deep shadows across the face.
  • Flat lay Arrange objects on a plain surface near a window and shoot straight down.
  • Flower field Shoot low through the nearest flowers so they blur into color; stay on the paths.
  • Foggy morning Get out before the fog lifts; trees, street lamps and figures fade in layers.
  • Forced perspective Hold the sun, lean on a far-off building, stand in a friend's palm.
  • Forest path Overcast days give even light; place the subject in a gap where the light falls.
  • Frame within a frame Shoot through doorways, branches, a car window, a hole torn in paper.
  • Freeze the splash Bright light, a fast shutter, and a strawberry dropped into a glass of water.
  • Golden hour portraits Shoot in the hour after sunrise or before sunset, when daylight is redder and softer.
  • Grocery store aisle Bright packaging for a backdrop and a cart for a prop; go at opening time and ask first.
  • Hands at work A baker, a mechanic, a knitter; ask first, use window light and crop close.
  • Hometown tourist Shoot your own town as if for a travel guide: a landmark, a meal, a street, a portrait.
  • Leading lines Railings, roads and shorelines; place the subject where the lines meet.
  • Levitation Jump shots, or stand on a stool and edit it out; loose clothes sell the float.
  • Library stacks Shoot down the aisle with the subject reading on the floor, a pile of books for a seat.
  • Light trails A footbridge over a road, a tripod or a wall, and a shutter of ten seconds or more.
  • Lots of empty space One small subject and a lot of nothing: a wall, a sky, a single bird.
  • Make it look expensive Pick a dull object, a bar of soap or a spoon, and light it like a luxury ad.
  • Market day Stalls, stacked fruit, hands and scales; buy something before you ask for a photo.
  • Neon signs After dark, stand the subject close enough for the sign to light the face.
  • Night sky Get away from town lights, steady the camera on a bag and use your longest exposure.
  • Panning Follow a cyclist at a slow shutter so the rider stays sharp and the street streaks.
  • Parking garage Concrete and painted lines below, sky on the open top deck; go on a quiet Sunday and ask the operator first.
  • People waiting Bus stops, benches, queues and platforms: eyes on the clock, feet tapping. Ask before you shoot a face.
  • Pet's-eye view Put the camera on the ground at their height and squeak a toy for the head tilt.
  • Pets as royalty A cushion, a draped cloth, window light from the side, and treats held above the lens.
  • Pocket mirror Hold a small mirror in the frame to show what is behind the camera.
  • Puddles and glass Puddles, shop windows, car hoods, sunglasses; flip the photo and see which way up is better.
  • Rainy window Focus on the drops and let the city blur behind; any bus or cafe seat will do.
  • Recreate an old photo Same people, same place, same poses, years later; bring the original to match the angle.
  • Rooftop at sunset A public roof terrace or observation deck you are allowed on, the city behind and wind in the hair.
  • Self-portrait without your face Your hands, your shadow, your desk, your shoes by the door.
  • Shadows Hard midday sun and a fence, a colander or a plant; let the shadow be the subject.
  • Silhouettes Put the subject in front of a bright sky and set the exposure for the sky.
  • Snow day A bright scarf against white; overexpose a little so the snow does not turn gray.
  • Soap bubbles Shoot them against something dark so the rainbow film shows; a bubble machine saves your breath.
  • Sports in action Sit low on the sideline with a fast shutter and follow one player for a whole quarter.
  • Symmetry Stand exactly in the middle of a corridor, a footbridge or a staircase, and keep the camera level.
  • Textures Rust, peeling paint, bark, knitted wool; fill the frame and collect twenty.
  • Three generations Grandparent, parent and child in the same chair and the same pose, one after another.
  • Through glass Shoot through a drinking glass, a prism or a jar of water for bends and rainbows.
  • Toys in the wild Small figures outdoors at their own scale: a puddle is a lake, moss is a forest.
  • Vintage family album Thrifted clothes, a stiff pose and a plain wall; then fade the colors warm.
  • Window light portrait One window, no lamps, the subject turned three-quarters; a white sheet bounces light back.

Playlist 61

  • 8-bit energy Chiptune, synths and fast loops; music that sounds like level one.
  • A to Z 26 songs with titles from A to Z; Q and X are the fun part.
  • Campfire Acoustic only: nothing you could not play on one guitar.
  • Cities in the title Every title names a city; order them into a route you could drive.
  • Cleaning the house Loud, fast and familiar; one song per room, and the room is done when the song ends.
  • Closing tracks Only the last song from an album, so the whole playlist feels like an ending.
  • Colors in the title Every song has a color in its title; try to finish the rainbow in order.
  • Cooking dinner Forty minutes of warm, mid-tempo songs, with nothing that makes you stop chopping to skip.
  • Cover versions Every track is a cover; argue about each one against the original.
  • Days of the week One song for each day, Monday to Sunday, played in order.
  • Drum intros The first sound you hear has to be drums, alone.
  • Duets Two voices on every track; hand out the parts before you press play.
  • Every word by heart No looking anything up: if you can sing it start to finish, it goes in.
  • Falling asleep Each song slower and quieter than the one before it.
  • Fifteen-second test Play the first 15 seconds of each song to the group; it stays only if nobody says skip.
  • Genre roulette Ten genres, one song each, in an order that should not work.
  • Guess the theme Build the playlist around a secret link and make your friends work it out.
  • Hand claps There are claps somewhere in every track; clap along or it does not count.
  • Happy tune, sad words Bright melodies over heartbreaking lyrics; read the words to check.
  • Haunted hallway Slow, eerie and full of echo; songs that sound like an empty house at 3 am.
  • Instrumentals only No words at all; good for studying, and harder to fill than you would think.
  • Key changes Every song lifts to a new key near the end; sing along and feel it go up.
  • Letters and phone calls Songs written as a letter, a call or a message to one person.
  • Local only Artists from your town, state or region; ask at a record shop for the deep cuts.
  • Loved at thirteen The songs you played on repeat at thirteen. Be honest.
  • Moon and stars The moon, stars, planets or satellites in the title or the chorus.
  • Names in the title Every song is named for a person; a bonus point if you know someone with each name.
  • Numbers in the title Count up from one, a song for each number, as far as you can get.
  • One country, fifty years Pick a country and find ten songs from it, spread across five decades.
  • One song per decade From the 1950s to now, one track each; the order tells a history.
  • One-word titles Single-word titles only; harder still, make the words form a sentence.
  • Over seven minutes Long tracks only, for a drive, a bath or a big drawing.
  • Pass the phone Each person adds one song in turn and links it to the last by a word or a year.
  • Planning a heist Cool, tense and jazzy, with one track for each member of the crew.
  • Rainy Sunday Slow, soft and a little sad: piano, brushed drums and room for the sound of rain.
  • Road trip sing-along Only songs where everyone in the car knows the chorus.
  • Songs about animals One animal a track and no repeats; build a zoo.
  • Songs about food Every title names something you could eat; serve the menu at the party.
  • Songs about friends Friendship only, no romance; they are rarer than you would expect.
  • Songs about home Leaving it, missing it and going back.
  • Songs that build Every track starts small and ends huge.
  • Songs your parents played The music of car rides and kitchens, from before you chose your own.
  • Soundtrack to a movie that does not exist Invent the plot first, then score it: opening, chase, heartbreak, finale.
  • Space travel Launch, drift, a strange planet, homesickness, re-entry: one song for each stage.
  • Story songs Verse by verse, something happens to someone; listen as if it were a short film.
  • Study session Steady and wordless with no sudden changes, and two hours long so you never touch it.
  • Sunrise to midnight Order the songs by time of day, from a quiet dawn to a late walk home.
  • Ten languages Ten songs in ten languages you do not speak; look up one line from each.
  • Titles that ask a question Every title is a question, and the next title should almost answer it.
  • Track ones Only the first song from an album: songs that were built to open something.
  • Twelve months Twelve songs, one a month; the title or the chorus has to name the month.
  • Under two minutes Nothing longer than 2:00; see how many moods fit into half an hour.
  • Villain's entrance Songs for walking into a room as the bad guy: heavy bass and a slow strut.
  • Walking home like the main character Ten candidates for the song that plays over your closing credits.
  • Walking in step Songs with a steady beat you can walk in time to; test each one on the sidewalk.
  • Weather report Rain, sun, wind, thunder and snow, ending on a clear sky.
  • Whistling Every track has a whistled hook.
  • Windows down Summer songs that win you over in the first ten seconds.
  • Workout ladder Each track a little faster than the last, then two slow ones to cool down.
  • The year you were born Songs from that one year only; ask older relatives what they remember hearing.
  • Your life in ten songs One song for each era of your life, in order, each with a one-line reason.

Writing 73

  • Ambition What does your character step over on the way up, and do they look down?
  • Appearance and reality The most admired house on the street. Go inside.
  • Belief and doubt Someone stops believing in the thing they built a life on. It need not be religion.
  • Belonging Someone gets into the group at last and finds they liked the outside better.
  • Betrayal Write it from the betrayer's side, and make the reader nearly agree.
  • Change Your character is the last to notice that everything has already changed.
  • Class and money A borrowed coat at a rich friend's house.
  • Coming of age Pick the single afternoon when your character stopped being a child.
  • Community A street loses power for three days, and neighbors meet for the first time.
  • Courage Make the brave act small, quiet and seen by nobody.
  • Duty against desire A promise to a parent stands against the one thing your character wants.
  • Exile Your character can never go back. Give them one object from there.
  • Failure Your character fails in public. Write the next morning.
  • Fate and choice A prediction comes true only because someone tried to dodge it.
  • Fear The thing your character fears arrives, and it is not what they pictured.
  • First love Tell it from forty years later.
  • Forgiveness An apology arrives ten years late. Decide whether the door opens.
  • Found family Four strangers share a kitchen for a winter. Who starts cooking for the others first?
  • Freedom Your character gets the freedom they begged for. Show the first frightening morning of it.
  • Friendship Write the end of a friendship with no fight in it.
  • Greed Enough is on the table. Your character reaches for more.
  • Grief Show it through chores: the mail, the closet, the half-finished crossword.
  • Growing old A character notices that people have started speaking to them more slowly.
  • Guilt Nobody blames your character. That makes it worse.
  • Homecoming The town is the same and the person is not, or the other way around.
  • Hope In this story hope is a decision, made by someone who has reasons not to.
  • Humans and machines The machine is kind and the people are not. Now what?
  • Identity Your character is mistaken for someone else and decides not to correct it.
  • Inheritance A will leaves the wrong thing to the wrong person.
  • Isolation One person, one place, one winter. What do they start talking to?
  • Jealousy Two friends, one success. Write the scene where one congratulates the other.
  • The journey The destination disappoints. The third day of the trip changes everything.
  • Justice The law and what is fair point in different directions.
  • Kindness A small kindness passes through five strangers in one day. Follow it.
  • Language Two people with ten shared words have to solve a problem together.
  • Legacy What one thing is left when your character is gone, and is it what they would have chosen?
  • Letting go A parent watches a bus pull away.
  • Lies A small lie told to be kind grows legs.
  • Lonely in a crowd Set it at a party, a stadium or a wedding.
  • Love that is not returned It is never said aloud. Show it in what the character carries, fixes and remembers.
  • Loyalty How far does loyalty go when the friend is wrong?
  • Luck One character wins something big. Follow the people around them.
  • Memory Two siblings remember the same day differently, and the difference matters.
  • Mercy Your character has every right to punish and the means to do it.
  • Mortality Write a character planting a tree they will not live to sit under.
  • Names A character changes their name. Who keeps using the old one?
  • Nostalgia A song from years ago comes on in a shop. Follow where it takes your character.
  • Obsession A hobby crosses a line. Find the exact moment.
  • The outsider A stranger arrives in a closed place, and everyone shows who they are.
  • Parents and children The child teaches the parent something, and neither of them mentions it.
  • People against nature A river does not care about the town's plans.
  • Perfection The cake, the speech, the lawn: one flaw, and your character cannot look away.
  • Power Give a small person a small power, such as a key or a rubber stamp, and watch them use it.
  • Pride Someone would rather lose everything than ask for help. Bring help to the door.
  • Progress The new road saves an hour and ends something nobody thought to name.
  • Promises A promise made at nine years old comes due.
  • Redemption Can someone make up for a harm if the person they harmed never learns of it?
  • Revenge Does getting even cost more than the first wound did? Let your character find out.
  • Rivalry Two rivals need each other in order to be any good.
  • Sacrifice Someone gives up something and nobody will ever know. Is it still worth it?
  • Second chances The same choice comes around again twenty years later.
  • Secrets Everyone at the table knows one different piece. Dinner lasts an hour.
  • Shame A character hides something the reader would forgive in a second.
  • Siblings Two siblings divide a house full of objects. One item starts the fight.
  • Silence The most important thing in the story is never said.
  • Survival Which rule does your character break first when things get hard, and which one never?
  • Time Give someone one extra hour a day that nobody else gets.
  • Tradition One person in the family refuses the ritual this year.
  • Trust A character must hand over the one thing they cannot replace.
  • Truth Somebody tells the truth at the worst possible moment.
  • What home means Is home a place, a person or a time? Let two characters disagree.
  • Wonder An ordinary person sees something impossible and still has to go to work.
  • Work What does the job do to your character's hands, their sleep and their jokes?

Game jam 63

  • A crowd, not a hero The player steers many small things at once in place of one character.
  • Backwards rules Enemies heal you, up is down, the goal is to lose: pick one inversion and commit to it.
  • Bigger is not better Size is the main stat: bigger hits harder and fits through nothing.
  • Build it, then test it The first half is construction; the second half tries to knock it down.
  • Chain reaction The player makes one move, then watches it cascade.
  • Deliver it in one piece Carry something fragile across a world that shakes.
  • Dig down Each layer underground has new rules, and the way back up gets longer.
  • Draw your way out The player draws lines that become platforms, bridges or walls.
  • Every upgrade costs something Each upgrade takes something else away, so no choice is free.
  • Everything is borrowed Every tool the player picks up has to be given back before the level ends.
  • Eyes shut Audio carries all the information, so the game can be played without looking.
  • Feed the machine Something hungry sits in the middle of the level and must never run empty.
  • The floor is rising Something climbs from below every second, and the player can only go up.
  • Gravity is a choice The player can flip gravity, aim it or switch it off, and everything else obeys.
  • Helpful ghost The hero is already a ghost and can only nudge the living.
  • Hidden in plain sight The answer is on screen from the first second, and the game teaches the player to see it.
  • Home is moving The base travels on a train, a turtle or a walking house, and the player must keep up.
  • Inside the machine The level is the inside of a clock, a piano or a vending machine.
  • The inspector The player checks tickets, bags, bridges or stories, and spots what is off.
  • It gets heavier Every pickup slows the player down, so choose what to carry.
  • It spreads Something grows outward from one point; the player steers the growth, not a character.
  • Keep the secret The player knows something the other characters must not find out.
  • The last one The last tree, the last match, the last customer of the night: build around one precious thing.
  • Light is running out The player carries the only lamp, and it is burning down.
  • Lost signal The controls, the view or the map cut out at intervals, and the player plans for the blackout.
  • Made of paper Everything folds, tears, burns and gets soggy; build the mechanics from the material.
  • The map is wrong The player's map lies in one consistent way; working out how is the game.
  • Message in a bottle Each player leaves something behind for the next player to find.
  • Mirror world Two views of one level sit side by side, and a move in one is mirrored in the other.
  • Museum at night Everything on display does something after closing, and the player is the guard.
  • Night shift The player works while the town sleeps: a guard, a baker, a lighthouse keeper.
  • No going back The screen scrolls one way only, and doors lock behind the player.
  • No second tries Failure is permanent, and the game is short enough for that to be fair.
  • No words Teach every rule without a single line of text.
  • On the beat Actions only land on the beat; take any genre and play it in time.
  • One keyboard, two players Two people share one keyboard and either one character or one resource.
  • One shared clock Every action spends seconds from a single clock, and a few actions pay time back.
  • Only one button The whole game is played with a single key; timing and holding are your only verbs.
  • Out of order Levels, turns or story beats arrive shuffled, and the player pieces them together.
  • Outgrowing the world The character grows each level until it no longer fits the place built for it.
  • Pack the bag The inventory is the game: what fits, what stays, what you wish you had taken.
  • Push and pull Attract and repel are the only actions; build the movement and the puzzles from them.
  • Put it back together The world is already broken when the game starts, and the player mends it.
  • Same room, one change Every level is the same room with one thing different.
  • The seasons turn One map in spring, summer, fall and winter; each season opens some paths and shuts others.
  • Shrinking world The playable area gets smaller every round.
  • Sixty seconds A complete game, start to finish, in one minute; then the player goes again.
  • Small but important The player is the smallest thing on screen and the one that matters most.
  • Ten coins The player has ten coins for the whole game, and everything costs one.
  • Ten-second echo Whatever the player did ten seconds ago happens again, as a ghost that repeats it.
  • Three seconds of power The strongest ability lasts three seconds, and every level is about when to spend it.
  • The tide Water rises and falls on a timer, and the whole level changes with it.
  • Tied by a rope Two characters are joined by a rope, and every jump needs both to agree.
  • Tiny planet The whole game fits on a world you can walk around in ten seconds.
  • Too many helpers Every extra helper makes the job harder; the player manages the crowd.
  • Two at once One input moves two characters in two different places.
  • Two colors The whole game uses two colors, and the two colors mean something.
  • Unlikely friends Two characters who should be enemies each need the other's one skill.
  • Unreliable tools The hammer sometimes misses and the lamp sometimes flickers out. Make the failure fun.
  • Waiting is a move Doing nothing is an action, and sometimes it is the right one.
  • Weather decides Wind, rain or sun changes the rules every minute, and the player can only prepare.
  • Wrong tool for the job Dig with a spoon, row with a guitar, paint with a mop.
  • You are the obstacle Play as the trap, the wall or the boss, and stop the hero from finishing.

How this list was compiled: Written for this site: every theme and every how-to line is our own wording, and no list was copied. The game jam themes are our own and are not the theme lists of any named jam. Facts in the how-to lines were checked on 2026-09-18: golden hour and blue hour against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_hour_%28photography%29; International Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19 against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Talk_Like_a_Pirate_Day; red light and night vision against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptation_%28eye%29; the summer solstice as the longest day against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_solstice; the Charleston as a 1920s dance against https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charleston_%28dance%29. How game jams and spirit weeks use themes was read at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_jam and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_week, and the difference between a topic and a theme at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theme_%28narrative%29. Licence: own work