Q: You never know when the perfect inspiration is going to hit. You may find that combining two different ideas makes a neat new game concept. Keep a log of ideas in a notebook, on your computer, or in a note taking app on your phone.  It might be particularly useful for you to keep your note-taking tools handy when you’re at game night. Playing games might spark the perfect idea for your own game. When using store-bought games for inspiration, ask yourself, “What would I do to improve this game?” This question can often lead you to interesting innovations. Themes are the “feel” of a game and can also be referred to as the game’s “genre.” Games like Sorry! have a simple "race to the end" theme. Complex wargames have conflicts, player politics, and game piece placement strategy.  You might find inspiration for the theme of your game in your favorite novel, comic book, or TV series. Mythology and legends are often used when developing themes. Common elements include vampires, witches, wizards, dragons, angels, demons, gnomes, and more. Mechanics are the ways players interact with the game and each other. In Monopoly, the mechanics are centered around dice-rolling, buying/selling property, and making money. The mechanics of Axis & Allies involve moving pieces across a large board and resolving player conflicts with dice rolls.  Some people come up with a mechanic and then create a theme around it, while others come up with a great theme and then tailor the mechanics to match that theme. Experiment to find what works best for you. Common mechanics you might be interested in using include turns, dice rolling, movement, card drawing, tile laying, auctioning, and more. The age range of your players will influence the complexity of your game board and its rules. If you are designing the game for children, it’s better for your game to be simple, easy-to-understand, and fun. For adults, you could create something more competitive, exciting, and complex. Keep your theme in mind when you’re deciding the age range. A zombie hunting game won’t be suitable for children, but it might be perfect for adult fans of zombie TV shows. Some games are limited by the size of the board, the number of player tokens, or the number of cards. Game board size and the number of cards will also influence how long it takes for players to complete your game. When setting these limits, think about:  The number of players your game will support. Will the game be fun with just two players? How about with the max number? Will there be enough cards/tokens? The average length of your game. Additionally, the first playthrough generally takes longest. Players will need time to learn the rules. The size of your game. Large game boards and decks will usually add complexity and lengthen the game time, but this will also make your game less portable. Once you have the basic ideas behind your game written down, ask yourself, “What are the winning conditions of this game?” Consider the different ways that the player could win, and keep these in mind as you work on the game.  Race games have players hurry to the end of the board. In these games, the first player to reach the final square wins. Point-gain games require players to accumulate awards, like victory points or special cards. At the end of the game, the player with the most awards wins. Cooperative games involve players working together toward a common goal, like repairing a gnomish submarine or stopping a virus outbreak. Deck-building games rely on cards to move gameplay along. Players earn, steal, or trade cards to strengthen their hand to accomplish the game’s goals. These will undoubtedly change as you continue to develop your game, but a basic set of rules will allow you to begin testing quickly. When writing your rules, keep the following in mind:  The starting player. Many games choose the first player by having players roll dice or draw cards. The highest roll or card goes first.  The player phase. What can players do during their turn? To balance turn time, most games only allow one or two player actions per turn. Player interaction. How will players influence each other? For example, players on the same square might “duel” by rolling for the highest number. The non-player phase. If there are enemies or board effects (like fires or floods), you’ll need to establish when these operate during gameplay. Outcome resolution. Outcomes might be decided with a simple roll of the dice. Special events might require specific cards or rolls (like doubles).
A: Write down your ideas. Develop your game with a theme. Use mechanics to develop your game, alternatively. Determine the age range of your players. Set player, time, and size limits for your game. Decide how players will win. Write out the basic rules.

Q: It’s normal for kids to have flat feet at least until the age of 5 years (and sometimes as late as 10 years) because it takes time for the bones, ligaments and tendons in the underside of the foot to form a supportive arch. As such, don't panic if your child has flat feet, especially if they don't seem to be causing pain or problems with walking or running — they will likely grow out of it, so no need to seek treatment and try to fix it.  Do the flat surface test to determine flat feet. Moisten your feet and step onto a dry surface that shows your footprint. If the entire surface of your foot can be discerned from the print, then you have flat feet. A person with normal arches has a crescent of negative space on the inside (medial) part of their footprint due to lack of contact with the surface. Flat feet in children rarely cause pain. A tight Achilles tendon from birth (congenital) puts too much pressure on the front 3/4 of the foot, preventing a normal springy arch from forming. The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscle to the heel. When it's too tight it causes the heel to lift off the ground prematurely during each step while walking, causing tension and pain underneath the foot. In this instance, the foot becomes flat while standing, but remains flexible while not weight bearing.  The main treatment options for flexible flat feet with a congenitally short Achilles tendon are either an aggressive regimen of stretching or surgery, which are explained in more detail below. In addition to arch and heel pain, other common symptoms of flat feet include: calf, knee and/or back pain, swelling around the ankles, trouble standing on tiptoes, difficulty jumping high or running fast. A rigid, inflexible flat foot remains without an arch whether weight bearing or not. It's considered a "true" flat foot within medicine because the shape of the underneath of the foot remains unchanged at all times, regardless of activity. This type of flat foot is typically caused by bone malformations, deformity or fusions that prevent the arch from forming during childhood. As such, this type of flat foot can be present from birth, or acquired in adulthood due to a foot injury or disease, such as osteoporosis or inflammatory arthritis.  A rigid flat foot often creates more symptoms because the entire biomechanics of the foot are altered. Rigid flat feet are most resistant to accommodative therapy such as shoe inserts, orthotics and physiotherapy. Another kind of flat feet is often referred to as adult-acquired, but it is usually due to overstretching / overuse / damage to the posterior tibial tendon, which runs from the calf muscle along the inside of the ankle and ends within the arch. The tendon is the most important soft tissue of the arch because it provides the most support. The most common cause of posterior tibial tendon overstretching is having to support too much weight (obesity) for too long, particularly if unsupportive footwear are typically worn.  Flat feet is not always bilateral — it can occur in only one foot, especially after suffering a fractured ankle or foot. Adult-acquired flat feet often respond to accommodative therapy, but losing weight is often the key to fixing the problem.
A:
Flat feet in children is normal. Tight tendons can cause flat feet. Rigid, flat feet are caused by bone deformity. Adult-acquired flat feet are often due to obesity.