Ah, but it sometimes takes someone with no prior knowledge to solve the solution. Those who think outside the box are sometimes those who know not what they are trying to solve - a war tactician will know too much, and thus be chained to the conventions.

You're being extremely general. Let's take a new example of a game... I know, GTA4 - the most anticipated game of the year. Hell, of the past few years. First off, show me the scantily clad main characters. Then show me how the game is unimaginative. No, ignore the gamplay (yes, it is repetitive, but who cares? No, seriously, who does?), and instead focus on the game mechanics, the totally immersive world... hell, a game with something like 500 fake, spoof brands, over 100 internet pages, a crazy square mileage (as well as vertical height) can not be called unimaginative.