How to Prototype a Game in Under 7 Days

Great task list for rapid prototyping from the classic gamasutra article: How to Prototype a Game in Under 7 Days

1. Each game must be made in less than seven days, 
2. Each game must be made by exactly one person, 
3. Each game must be based around a common theme i.e. "gravity", "vegetation", "swarms", etc.

Stages:

1. Setup: Rapid is a State of Mind
• Embrace the Possibility of Failure - it Encourages Creative Risk Taking
• Enforce Short Development Cycles
  (More Time != More Quality)
• Constrain Creativity to Make You Want it Even More
• Gather a Kickass Team and an Objective Advisor – Mindset is as Important as Talent
• Develop in Parallel for Maximum Splatter
2. Design: Creativity and the Myth of Brainstorming
• Formal Brainstorming Has a 0% Success Rate
• Gather Concept Art and Music to Create an Emotional Target (gathering art and music with some personal significance was particularly fruitful for me too)
• Simulate in Your Head – Pre-Prototype the Prototype
3. Development: Nobody Knows How You Made it, and Nobody Cares
• Build the Toy First
• If You Can Get Away With it, Fake it
• Cut Your Losses and "Learn When to Shoot Your Baby in the Crib"
• Heavy Theming Will Not Salvage Bad Design
  (or "You Can't Polish a Turd")
• But Overall Aesthetic Matters! Apply a Healthy Spread of Art, Sound, and Music
• Nobody Cares About Your Great Engineering
4. General Gameplay: Sensual Lessons in Juicy Fun
• Complexity is Not Necessary for Fun
• Create a Sense of Ownership to Keep 'em Crawling Back for More
• "Experimental" Does Not Mean "Complex"
• Build Toward a Well Defined Goal
• Make it Juicy!