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This guide takes a look at the benefits of a game design document, and how you can put one together for your next game design project. Hopefully, this article has helped you to think about how a game design document is, essentially, a communication tool for your ideas. Instead, try to think of the one-page approach, and game design documents in general, as an exercise in communication. When you picture a game design document, you might imagine a written file, such as a word document or a Google doc, that sets out all of your game’s design details in one, or more, pages. The point of a basic game design document like this is that it’s simple and easy to use. For example, a basic one-page game design document can help you to keep track of high-level concepts and the broad details of your game.
Rule #2: Start with one concise sentence
With just a few paragraphs you have a general idea of the idea behind my game. A few paragraphs quickly outline the key narrative and gameplay foundations of the game. Here is where you’ll want to link out to more compartmentalized parts of your documentation instead of adding more to the 10,000ft view master doc. I cap it off with a quick outline of the drivers for the players to play through the experience. Don’t get me wrong, traditional GDDs for older games are great for design insights (especially when the goals are the same), but you don’t need to use their template. Most game design degree programs often treat these like a master’s thesis — the culmination of what it means to be a game designer.
Various Formats for Game Design Documents
The purpose of these three sections, as a united whole, is to clearly explain "how" your game is realistically achievable, "what" it will take to complete, and "when" the project is likely to be finished. In short, however, you'll want to know how big the genre-specific and platform-specific audience for your game is. You can estimate this by looking at the copies of comparable titles sold, and can infer a bit more by looking at the size of online communities for comparable games. You'll also want to consider how to reach those people, whether it's by in-person events, social media, the building of a newsletter, or other methods. The next few sections should summarize what genre your game is in, what the core mechanics are (and how they interrelate), and what core gameplay is like.
Create the rest of your characters
This involves designing a world players explore and feel a deep connection to. Achieving this level of engagement is crucial; when players are truly absorbed in the game's universe, they are more likely to share their experiences, effectively broadening its appeal through word-of-mouth. Game development is a collaborative process, and your GDD should reflect that. Encourage the team members to provide feedback, suggestions, and ask questions regarding the design document. Foster an open and collaborative environment where everyone’s input is valued.
These GDDs are characterized by their conciseness and visual focus. They effectively convey core ideas and information in a compact format. On the other hand, for smaller projects or uncomplicated games with direct mechanics, a GDD may not be necessary.
Professional game design document examples
Creating these precise estimates is collaborative, demanding in-depth input and analysis from experts in many fields. These professionals range from marketing representatives and developers to artists, business development managers, and more, each bringing unique expertise. Flexibility is a crucial aspect of the game design document section for estimating art assets. While it's important to estimate the different art assets required for the project, it's also understood that these requirements may evolve as the game development progresses.
How do game developers use game design documents today?
Game designers and writers use it to define a character's background, appearance, general strategy, and gameplay style. So feel free to use this outline, but remember, it’s just a starting point so you don’t have to start with a blank page. Just be sure to include clear and detailed information in each section. It’s common for this section to contain early “pencil and paper” mock-ups of potential game levels, to help readers get a better idea of what you have in mind.
Open the moodboard template
Doing so provides players with a more immersive gaming environment, free from unnecessary clutter. Another practical approach is to convey information visually through symbols and animations rather than relying heavily on text. In developing the game design document, a comprehensive explanation of how these hyper-casual mechanics will be integrated into the game is essential. The document should offer a clear blueprint of how each tap and swipe translates into actions within the game, making the experience seamless and intuitive for the player. It serves as a detailed plan, outlining how to create an immersive environment and ensuring the game's design is adaptable across different platforms. This document should capture the essence of the game's world, detailing how it will engage and captivate players.
Because iteration is a healthy, natural and required part of the game development process, things that hold back iteration are generally best skipped. Unfortunately it doesn’t work for most software, certainly not for game planning. Nowadays it seems completely obvious that building video games is different from other construction disciplines, like building houses or machines or cars. Once you start working on a concrete building any new changes to it are extremely expensive and prohibitive, to a degree which we usually don’t see in games. Kevuru Games meticulously oversees every aspect of game level design, crafting comprehensive documentation to establish a well-organized GDD that upholds coherence in the gaming experience.
It can be simply game where two players compete for better shooting skills. The final two sections are where most design docs explode in both complexity and length. This is the fatal flaw that creates sprawling documents no one reads. Rosa is a Lead Game Designer and far more capable TikTok skater than I ever will be. Her template has helped numerous designers get started with their ideas.
Level Design Case Study - Recreating the First Level in God of War (2018) - Game Developer
Level Design Case Study - Recreating the First Level in God of War ( .
Posted: Wed, 08 Jan 2020 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Also list out what platforms your game is targeting and if there are any differences in features, support, or requirements for each platform. While many might shudder at the thought of 100+ page design documents – and yes, those are artifacts of the past – at some point there is still a need to communicate the vision of your game to people. To consistently share your vision and inspire your team and stakeholders, consider writing your ideas down in a Game Design Document (GDD). A game design document (GDD) is a software design document that serves as a blueprint from which your game is to be built. It helps you define the scope of your game and sets the general direction for the project, keeping the entire team on the same page.
Sometimes you’ll have this great idea for a game and the more you think about it, the more you want to add to it. The simplified version of the game is easy to understand, but hardly covers everything a game developer would need to know about the game. Exactly which format you should use for your design document depends on what you’re trying to show.
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