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Guidelines for Crafting a Game Design Document

Pondered about the ideal approach to record your Game Design? Perplexed by the internet's multitude of suggestions, with 125000 search results leaving you bewildered? I share the same predicament! This post/template aims to guide you on your journey towards creating outstanding Game Designs.

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Strategy for Creating a Game Design Blueprint
Strategy for Creating a Game Design Blueprint

Guidelines for Crafting a Game Design Document

In 2023, the game industry is emphasizing the importance of a thorough Game Design Document (GDD) for documenting a game project. This document serves as a roadmap, capturing everything from the high-level vision to the intricate implementation details.

A typical GDD includes sections such as:

  1. Overview and Vision: This section introduces the game title, tagline, a concise "elevator pitch," design pillars that drive decisions, and the target audience definition.
  2. Gameplay Core: Here, the core gameplay loop, primary mechanics like jumping or shooting, and secondary systems like upgrades or crafting are detailed.
  3. Narrative and Characters: This section outlines the worldbuilding, plot outlines, character biographies, and narrative mechanics showing the interaction of story with gameplay.

For games where the story is non-existent and will not impact the game mechanics, it's appropriate to jump right into the Chapter 4 of the template, which discusses game mechanics in detail.

  1. Characters: In this section, the characters are introduced before the Story, providing context for their abilities and roles within the game.
  2. Story: The events that will happen throughout the game are discussed here, giving players a clear understanding of the narrative.
  3. Music and Sounds: Section 6 discusses the music and sounds in the game, setting the tone and enhancing the player's immersion.
  4. Technical Description: Section 7 is about the technical aspects of the game, including the platforms and tools to be used.
  5. Localization: Localization for the game, including the supported languages, is discussed in Section 8.3.
  6. Items and Power-ups: Every power up and item the player can use, encounter, or buy and how they would affect the core gameplay is described in this section.
  7. Progression and Challenge: Section 4.5 discusses progression and challenge in a game, and how the difficulty will increase throughout the game, with tools given to the player to catch up.
  8. Losing Conditions: Section 4.6 discusses losing conditions in a game, describing how the player gets to see the "Game Over" screen.
  9. Gameplay: The GDD should have a section for Gameplay, where the mechanics are described in detail. This section can be divided into sub-sections, such as Goals, User Skills, and Game Mechanics.
  10. Story Progression: The GDD should have a section for Story Progression, which discusses how the game will take players through the story.
  11. Marketing and Funding: Section 8 discusses marketing and funding for the game, including ideas about how to market the game and where the money for development will come from.
  12. Demographics: Section 8.1 discusses demographics and how they should be considered in the game design.
  13. Art Style: Section 5 is about the art style of the game, where ideas about what the game should look like are described.
  14. Platforms and Monetization: Section 8.2 discusses platforms and monetization for the game.
  15. Optional Ideas: Section 9 is an optional section for other ideas that are not sure if they should go in the game or not.

The GDD should not evolve during development but should be used as a tool for the team to get up to speed, with corrections made to reflect feedback or ideas during the Game Design phase.

In the evolving game industry, techniques that were once common can become outdated, especially in a young industry that is still developing its processes, metrics, etc. Studios are adopting AI-powered documentation assistants to automate and streamline keeping records and tracking content origin, enhancing productivity and auditability.

The article also provides a link to a template for a Game Design Document (GDD) and resources for further game design reading.

Regardless of whether it's called a GDD, Wiki, Board, etc., having a document to describe a game project before starting production is highly recommended to ensure clear communication, legal compliance, and efficient development workflows.

[1] Flowcharts for gameplay loop alignment and cost reduction.

[2] Metadata embedding and version control for AI assets, documentation of human input on AI-generated content, and clear contract clauses defining ownership and licensing of AI content.

[3] AI-powered documentation assistants for productivity and auditability.

[4] Static code analysis tools for monitoring and improving code quality.

[5] Integrating documentation with other project artifacts for a cohesive and accessible knowledge base.

  1. Incorporating technology advancements, game developers might consider integrating smartphones and other gadgets as secondary systems in their games, allowing for seamless interaction between the digital and real worlds.
  2. As part of the game design process, it's essential to keep up with the latest technology trends, such as the implementation of AI in documenting game projects, which can significantly enhance productivity and streamline workflows.

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