Categories Learning Guides Forum

Code

Have you ever dived right in to developing a game, but found yourself having toconstantly change aspects of the design or the gameplay due to a lack of planning?You should consider using a game design document: a guiding vision of the game asa whole, pulling together ideas and plans for the design, development, and businesssides of your game.

Introduction

To put it simply: we like to tell stories. Some true, some not so much. But the point isthat we have been crafting tales for a very long time, and as time went by these talesbegan to evolve, becoming more complex, with richer details, with more and morefantastic backgrounds and appealing plots. Whole new worlds were born from thinair, hammered into shape in the anvils of the human brain.

And as the stories grew in complexity, so did the tools used in their making. Artdiverged into several different categories, music became more elaborated andmovies found their way into the world. Technological enhancements allowed sharingof information, spreading art all around the globe. New fantasy worlds were createdeach day. Worlds so rich made people began to desire becoming a part of them. Anew concept was being brought to life.

Although video games were first just about getting the highest score possible whenfaced with a determined task, developers soon realized the endless possibilitieslaying ahead of them. Playing a video game is more than simply sitting through

GAME DESIGN

Effectively Organize Your Game'sDevelopment With a GameDesign Documentby Gamux 11 Nov 2011 16 Comments

82 46 27

another story. For the first time one could have a say in how the tale told itself.Players could take hold of characters and live the hardships of the journeythemselves, diving into that particular world and mastering it, making theirs theprotagonist's conquests and failures.

A game has the potential to bond player and story in a way never seen before. Thisconnection can be established in a variety of ways. Be it the fantastic landscapes inwhich the story unravels, the soundtracks or the wellconstructed personality of aparticular character. It forces the player to thrive in order to see more of what hewants.

Unfortunately, since a game is composed of so many different elements, differentexperts from different areas are required in its creation, making the coordination ofthe development process a rather tricky job. In order to help developers do their job,a document known as a GDD, or Game Design Document, is often employed.

A GDD is a tool that helps merging the components of a game together. It registersthe general ideas of every aspect of it, from graphics design to story line. In short itregisters the game concept, creating the closer feeling of the finished product.

Although the writing of a GDD is not a vital part of the creation process, it is of majorhelp to the team of developers, especially when in major projects, involving largeamounts of personnel. Also, there is not only one way of writing a GDD. In fact,GDDs differ vastly among game development companies, but as a general rule,most games are built around these documents.

So without further ado, here is what you need to know about this important tool.

Overview

A Game Design Document must teach everyone who reads it how the game thatyou’re talking about works. In order to do this, you need to explain not just themechanics, but also how the game’s objects (characters, enemies, puzzles,weapons, environment, and so on) interact with each other, what your game isabout, and how it looks. In a GDD, these points are discussed in some generalsections.

MarketingMarketing is a big section subdivided in many subsections that explain the majorcommercial aspects of the game, like public target, deadlines, competitors andselling points. This section is very helpful for business, since it shows what yourgame has in advantage over others and how it meets the consumer demand. Inothers words, it shows the game’s appeal.

High ConceptBefore you start to tell the reader how your game works, you must clarify the coreconcept of your game, i.e., you must talk about the major aspects of your game in avery short way, so that the reader can anticipate what will be said in the GDD andpay attention to what is important to the game. For this, there is the High Conceptsection, which explains all of it, so that the reader won’t have to read many pages ofthe document just to know what your game is about.

For example: if you tell the reader that your project is a futuristic space shootergame, he will be able to imagine what kind of weapons, movements, enemies andothers things will be used in the game.

GameplayThis section is one of the most important in the GDD, because it explains how tocontrol the objects in the game and how to make them interact with the other parts.Also, it explains how the player will execute the possible moves. Moreover, it’sinteresting to comment the way that the game flows and what happens during thecourse of the game.

First Minutes

This is a subsection of the Gameplay section, and it exposes what the player willsee in the game when it has just finished loading. It exposes the actions andreactions between the game and the players during this interval, helping understandthe game’s progress throughout the gameplay and give a better idea of how to playit. It’s also an important subsection, since it will determine whether or not the game isfun.

Gameflow

This is a more detailed subsection of the Gameplay than the First Minutes. Itdescribes all the options that the player can choose while he is playing. It’s a kind of

flowchart that shows which reaction each option has, giving a picture of the game asa whole. Generally it shows a flow of screens (e.g. from the “Main menu” screen itgoes to the “Select level” screen), but you can also put actions and consequences init (e.g. if the player chooses the “Mage” character, all the backgrounds will have a“magical” feeling). It literally explains the way that the game flows, as the namesuggests.

Victory Conditions

You also need to teach the reader in the Victory Conditions subsection, what mustbe done to win, when the player loses and under which conditions this happens. Inother words, this section explains the goals of the game.

Number of Players

It’s important to specify how many people can play, because this implies the type ofmultiplayer where applicable that the game will support; for example: splitscreen,LAN connections, Internet connections. Note: this section has influence over theVictory Conditions, since the players will need to do different things to win in acompetition than in a cooperative game.

ArtOnce you explained how to play your game, it’s import to show how your game willlook like and which kind of art is behind it, since it’ll influence how the elements ofyour game’s universe will coexist, mixing the emotions of who is playing. This is acrucial point in the game's marketing, because it shows the appearance of the gameand the feelings it will pass to the player.

Technical AspectsAnother section that must be put in a GDD is the Technical aspects, since it definesthe physical game requirements needed to play and specifies on which platforms thegame will be developed, which engines will be used, and more. This affects theMarketing, as the kind of hardware used affects both the fanbase and the publictarget, i.e., the people who consume the game.

Is There a Formula?All things said, you need to keep in mind that even if some general subsections arecommon between the GDDs, there is no static form to make this kind of document,and no such thing as a perfect formula. Every game designer has his own way to do

this and you must discover yours. This is a hard job, but in this article we’ll givesome tips explaining how to create each subsection of the GDD however, it’s up toyou to decide which of them are necessary to design your game.

Always be clear and concise in your text and use a lot of images, because they givethe reader a faster and more real view about the game’s final result and they alsoease the explanation about puzzles (if your game has them) and how characters,environment, monsters, screens, weapons and other objects from the game willwork.

Moreover, you can also find new topics to add in your GDD, as long as it’s necessaryto the understanding of the game’s core. Some things that deserve attention are theinnovations and the particularities of your game. For example, if your game projectbrings up a new way of playing, or a specific graphic concept or if it’s focused inmusic (like a music game), you should discuss it in the document, to convinceeveryone why this innovation is a good idea.

Guidelines

A good way to start your Game Design Document is with the Marketing section,because it will be the section that your investor or client is interested in, thusallowing them to gain interest in your game faster. In indie game development, it isnot a common section due to the common lack of investors, however, if you think inother projects not related to commercial purposes, such as a free game on AppStore of Apple to help a charity institution, it’s important to keep track of plans relatedto the marketing aspect, since it will be really important to have a publishing plan.

After this, it’s important to put the High Concept, so the reader immediately willunderstand the core of the game and pay attention in the major aspects. You willfigure out that in GDDs it’s common to always start with a basic and summarizeddefinition of the game, and go on to present every detail stepbystep.

In the next section you should write about the Gameplay, which should include, assubsections, the First Minutes, the Game Flow, the Victory Conditions andNumber of Players.

After that, you need to show how your game will look, so talk about the Art, using as

many images as you can. In the end, you can talk about the Specific Sections,which should bring topics that explain: the innovations, the aspects that notnecessarily all games have, like story, artificial intelligence, characters and othersparticulars things.

All the things said above are represented in the flowchart bellow, but it’s just ageneral schema and you can (and should) adapt to your game. Remember: thereisn’t a perfect formula. Now that you have a kind of skeleton of the GDD, you will findin the Composition topic of this tutorial a more detailed explanation about whatwhich section of a GDD holds.

Composition

Although there isn't such a thing as a perfect formula for composing your GDDsections, it's important for you to include some crucial topics in it, as well as avoidsome major mistakes. This section teaches you how to detail the sections presentedin the Overview topic, while showing examples of how it's done and some commonmistakes.

The Marketing SectionThere is no correct way of dealing with this subject, since your objectives for it willdepend on your game. It’s also not really needed; you can either concatenate it all ina major subsection or spread it across the document, as some of the topicsdiscussed here have much in common with others elsewhere. Despite the way youchoose to do it, some topics should always be addressed:

Target AudienceWho will play it? This is no ordinary section, so don’t settle for a simple “for children”description, for example. There are endless ways to "classify" gamers, and you mustexplore this. Comment on how it will appeal to each category and try not to leaveanyone out; they might share little in common with your product, but they still sharesomething.

Right:

Turret Defense will appeal to male gamers of ages 15 –25 who typically play FPS and RTS PC titles. Inparticular, fans of SciFi themed games, movies, andbooks will be immediately attracted to Turret Defense’sspace adventure setting and theme.Turret Defense will have an ESRB rating of T (Teen) forESRB Content Descriptor of Violence, suitable for ages13 or older. To conform to the wishes of the publisher,Turret Defense will not use blood or any other contentthat would lead to further ESRB Content Descriptorsrelated to violence.

Wrong:

Turret Defense will appeal to a large audience. Basedon the experience of similar games, it should be a hugefinancial success in the video games market. We planto advertise it heavily with ads on gamesrelatedwebsites with huge traffic.

(“A large audience” isn’t a valid fanbase, and it doesn’t explain why they would enjoyit. No mention of the ERSB rating or whether the game has any agerestrictedmaterial.)

Another good example:

OrBlitz is expected to receive an ESRB rating ofEveryone. The main target market will be puzzlegames fans, but the game’s many original aspects willattract a wider audience, including people that prefer tobuy actionbased games. Real time strategy gamesfans could also be interested in the game for itstweakability and other similarities with RTS games.Because of the lack of graphic violence and the intuitiveinterfaces, this game can target women as well as men.The game is relatively cute and colorful, and isexpected to appeal to both American and Japaneseaudiences due to the content in it.

Notice all the classifications in the example: gender, age, nationality and genre.Keep in mind that many more categories may arise depending on your game.Predictions on the ESRB rating are also welcomed, therefore some restrictionsregarding violence, sexual content and language should be addressed if needed.

PlatformExtremely straightforward section. Just enumerate the platforms that your game isbeing designed for. An estimate of the system requirements are also a good call. Ifneeded, you can comment on porting the game and the difficulties involved.

CompetitorsThis is a key subsection of your document. In here you must compare your game toothers already developed. It is important to give a small description of the game

being compared to, and point the similarities between both. This is an excellentopportunity to expand the comparisons that were already made across the GDD andgive the reader a better picture of what the game will actually be.

At the end summarise your product's strong points and convince the reader whywould your product sell despite its competitors. This is the trickiest part, because youmust pick good opponents, otherwise the reader just won't know what you aretalking about, and still keep your game’s image shining; therefore a good writing iscrucial. Your ‘adversaries’ also help on the notion of how big your market can be.

Milestone ScheduleThe Milestone Schedule subsection is where you must define each necessarysteps in order to develop the game, which is basically a timeline of the intendedcompletion of phases of your game. Through that, not only you, but also theinvestors, can have a very rough estimate of the interval of time needed to completethe project.

Other SubsectionsYou may choose to add some heavy marketrelated topics such as Costs Overview,that can comprehend equipment costs, people costs, additional costs and expectedprofit.

Future PlansSometimes there are so many ideas to complement a game that some of it must beput aside in order to meet the tight schedule of development. This section isspecifically made to store those ideas, so that you can work on it later depending onhow things work out. DLCs, possible sequels, minor improvements to gameplay,graphics and so on, all comes in here. You can also gather some ideas of what to dowith the game once it is finished.

Example:

Add some side quests.Enable the character to jump.Make a movie telling your story as a developer.

The Introduction SectionThe introduction section should provide the reader with a basic overview of the

game itself, first with a light approach with the High Concept subsection and thenwith a broader one within the Summary subsection. You can also highlight the moreinnovative aspects of your game in a Key Features subsection.

High ConceptA one paragraph description of what your game is about. This should sound like thesummary of a summary. Avoid any technical aspects, graphic or sound designs,complex gameplay features, or marketing details that aren't strictly required (forexample, if you're making a rhythm game you should mention what kind of musicstyle you will be using, whereas if your game is a puzzle you can just forget aboutmusic for now; it's better to describe what type of puzzle the player will have to solveinstead). The idea is to describe your game in the most nontechnical and shortestway. A good tip is to use wellknown games as examples for comparison, such as “Xis a threedimensional racing game with powerups like Mario Kart”.

Right:

Scavenger Hunt is a threedimensional arcadestylegame where players race to collect items from a listbefore their opponents do.

Wrong:

Scavenger Hunt is a threedimensional arcade gamewith puzzle elements set in a fictional neighborhood inthe 50's with cartoony graphics and music, where theplayer races to collect various homerelated items froma given list in each stage, while using gags aspowerups, before his opponents, which can be eitherCPUcontrolled when in singleplayer mode or humancontrolled players in multiplayer mode.

(Keep it short and simple)

Summary OverviewA more detailed description of your game, with less restrictions than the HighConcept subsection. Start with the core aspects of the gameplay, describing whatrole the player will take, what’s his goal, what he will have to do in order to

accomplish it, what will hold him back and why the game will be entertaining.

Next, do a quick introduction to the game’s setting and a brief description of thehistory (if any). It’s always nice to use an image instead of describing what thegraphics will look like, so if you don’t have any sketches or conceptual art you shouldjust paste pictures with similar art to what you will be using (that includesscreenshots of other games as well!).

Key FeaturesThe best way to compose this is using short topics (i.e. bullet lists) instead of longparagraphs. Basically you should tell the reader right away about all of the creativeideas you had which you thought would make your game a great game.

Right:

Simple yet powerful physics that provides surprisingresults from a set of simple rules. Amazing Hatched and CelShaded graphics. Never seen before paint system where color spreadsout to the world as the gameplay picks up speed to afrantic pace. Powerful land crafting abilities that allow you to buildcomplex paths the orbs can take, like tunnels andbridges. Various game modes and scenarios to choose from,each of which feels like a totally different game,favoring action or reflection.

Wrong:

The game will have simple yet powerful physics thatprovides surprising results from a set of simple rules,while using amazing Hatched and CelShaded graphicsand a never seen before paint system where colorspreads out to the world as the gameplay picks upspeed to a frantic pace, when players build complexpaths by using powerful land crafting abilities which theorbs can take, in various game modes and scenarios.

(Too many ideas at once makes the reader lose the train of thought.)

ThirdParty Software UsedA little explanation of the programming languages, libraries and software you will beusing to create your game, as well as the programs you will use to adjust yourgraphics and sound engines and any other engines your game may need (like anetworking one for multiplayer games).

If you’re under some heavy software/hardware restrictions, you should specify that inhere (i.e. if you’re making a game for Apple devices, you have to tell you’ll be usingiOScompatible technology). Also if your game is aimed at PCs and you have anidea what the minimum requirements will be you should note them here. Althoughthe nonprogramming people of the project probably won’t understand what the hecka “NVIDIA Cg 1.2.1” is, they'll have to know it by name since that’s what the gamewill run on.

The Gameplay SectionThis section is designed to describe how the game will effectively work, describingthe game’s objective as well as its elements (menus, victory conditions, enemies,powerups, stages, …), and the interaction between each one of these elements withthe player. If you feel like one subsection, such as “Enemies”, has too much contentto be just a subsection you may promote it to a section of its own.

First MinuteIt's interesting for you to describe what the player's reaction is going to be like assoon as the game loads, such as describing whether he can start playing right awayor if he can navigate through menus to change some options beforehand, whetherthe player will have to learn the controls by trial and error or a tutorial will bepresented to him, whether all stages will be available at the getgo or if he will haveto unlock them in progression, and so on. Given you have already planned somestages ahead, you could narrate a short run of the player clearing a stage,describing the enemies and/or puzzles he had to go through in said stage.

Right:

After the title screen the player is presented with a listof games he can join and an option to create a newone. After selecting the option to create a new game a

list of predefined levels appears on the right of thescreen. (...) After the settings are adjusted three otherplayers join and the game begins. A timer counts downfrom five while the players get ready, using the smallamount of money they start with to place a few blocks.As a simple beat plays in the background, the boardrotates around the middle of the screen, revealing thelayout of the level. (...) The player’s goals are on eachcorner of the board. (...) As soon as the count downreaches zero, ‘Go!’ is displayed in the middle of thescreen and the orbs start falling from the cloud, creatinghavoc on their path. (...) The player quickly places astone corner block on the edge of the level and the orbbounces off it, only to end up in the player’s goalfollowed by a familiar cashier sound. The player’s scoreand cash are updated to 200, and he starts goingthrough the blocks he can now place (...).

Wrong:

The game begins with the players facing each other inopposite corners. Player 1 decides to use all his moneyfrom the getgo and wins the game by using wellplacedstone blocks to earn points.

(Although being essentially how the game will run, it needs more details.)

GameflowA nice complement to the “First minute” would be the “Game Flow”, which is usuallyrepresented as a flowchart. In contrast to the previous subsection, this one won'tfocus on the first impression but rather give an overview of the whole picture,showing stepbystep which actions the player can take from the moment the gameis loaded to when the player hits the “exit button” i.e., ends his gaming session including the gameplay itself in a somewhat high concept.

Right:

(Example from Drexel Game Design's Scavenger Hunt GDD.)

Wrong:

(Nothing THIS simple. Include, at least, all the screens that the player will runthrough!)

Victory ConditionsHere you state what is required for the player to clear a stage, win a match, oradvance another level, whether your game is a puzzle, where the player advancesto the next level when all pieces are combined in a certain way, or a sidescrollingshooter where the player advances a stage when he defeats the boss at the end, orwhatever. Obviously, this depends entirely on what kind of game you’re designing.

Example:

In Space Invaders, the player advances to a new waveeach time he destroys all enemies from the currentwave. Since the waves are endless, the game will keepgoing until the player runs out of lives.

GraphicsYou can’t really provide the reader with screenshots or video footage of somethingyou may haven’t even designed yet, so in this subsection you should simplydescribe how do you plan to handle your graphical engine and maybe show somesketches of your game or a few drawings in the art style you intend to use. Planningthe game HUD from the beginning will save you a lot of time later on, for example.

HUDsThe headupdisplay is the ingame interface the player will have when playing the

game. Rather than ingame menus like settings or inventory screens, this refersspecifically to the floating windows and bars which don’t normally interact with thegame and serve a informationonly purpose. This includes health bars, minimaps,time counters, equipped items and their amounts, money and etc. Although the sizeof the HUD will vary according to the game type (MMORPGs and RTSs will have bigHUDs while sidescrollers and puzzles will have very small ones) keep in mind that aHUD shouldn’t occupy too much of the screen.

Example:

SoundsOn the other hand, one cannot sketch sounds, so you’ll just have to detail yoursound engine here, and maybe the style of songs your game will use. Although formost games you will simply state that there will be different background music fordifferent situations, it goes without saying that this subsection is most important for arhythm game.

ControlsStating which buttons/keys do what can be troublesome in the case where a singlebutton does more than one action (i.e. The ‘A’ button in any 3D Zelda). Start byputting a simple picture of a controller or a keyboard with each button highlighted

with their function in a more general sense. After that, if your game has advancedcombos or something similar to that, explain them carefully, stating under whichconditions each combo is “activated”.

Example:

(Image from CrunchTime Games Inc's Shred Nedbula document.)

GameSpecific SubsectionsPuzzles could have a “Pieces” subsection, sidescrollers will probably have a “LevelDesign” one, space shooters may have “Enemies” and so on. As the title in boldabove says, each game will have their own specific subsections, and since we can’tcompose a subsection for all the possible ones that one GDD can have, we willprovide you with the three bold subsections presented here as examples.

Pieces

Suppose we have a puzzle game, where the player rotates different pieces in orderto create a line of matching pieces to gain points. This would be a nice subsection toshow some sketches of the many different types of pieces, as well as explainingtheir rotation pattern, stating their points value, and maybe describe their positioningplacement. Pictures are welcome as always!

Example:

(Image from Colin Fahey's Tetris article.)

Level Design

Now let’s pretend we have a typical 2D platformer. One of the core elements of thegame is the stages the player has to go through. It’s important that each stage feelsunique so the player won’t feel like he’s just repeating the same thing over and over

again. On the other hand, the player should still be familiar with the flow of the stage,i.e. if there’s always a checkpoint somewhere halfway through it, or some collectibleitems along the way.

What are the different types of enemies, terrains, doodads and power ups and dothey allow the level designers to come with many different stages? You couldpresent some beta stage diagrams to illustrate how will they be carried out.

Example:

(Map from Super Metroid; image from jansenprice.com.)

Enemies

It’s very popular for space shooters to have many kinds of enemies, each one withdifferent attacks and movement patterns, as well as different values for health,speed and targetable area. As such, it’s no surprise you would need an extra section

to present all the game’s foes and their stats. Also, you could state some of theirmore obscure behaviour like shooting an extra beam when their health is low and soon.

Example:

(Image from CrunchTime Games Inc's Shred Nedbula document.)

PlotMany games are set in fictional worlds, each with their own geography, history andcharacters, in which the player will undoubtedly play a large role as the protagonist.If your game has a particularly interesting setting, it would be interesting to include alittle insight on the game’s storyboard, describing the protagonist’s main eventsduring his adventures and details about the lore.

CharactersLots of games aren’t made of enemies alone. There may be a protagonist and alliesto help him overcome his foes. For example, even a towerdefense game without acontrolled character can still have sidecharacters like a tutorialNPC giving you tipson how to overcome certain challenges at the beginning of each stage. If you dohave a protagonist that the player controls, then what’s he like? Does he have anyabilities and powers? Keep in mind that this shouldn’t feel like a “How to Play”subsection.

Artificial IntelligenceAny game will need a persisting world to handle all the player’s actions to the gameand the other way around. That includes enemy movements, player controls,collision handling, time counting, random number generators and many other thingsone could need in a game. Although people not directly related to the programmingmay not understand this subsection entirely, they should at least grasp the basic ofit. Most of all, keep the coding out of here and simply state the enemies' movingpatterns, the chain puzzle piece falling algorithm, maybe illustrate the combatsystem with a flowchart and so on.

Example:

The characters on the board will escape the orbs using

simple pathfinding / flocking algorithms. Every level willuse up to three different script files to issue commandsto the animated characters. (...) Player bots will be usedto simulate real players. This will allow any level to beplayed even if there are more goals than players. Thedecision process that the A.I. system is trying to solve isthis:

– Should I place a new block? If so:– Where do I place the block?– What type / material should the block be?

Technical Aspects SectionThe technical aspects consist of a series of game data, such as the systemrequirements on which it will play and the framework in which it was developed, themethod or algorithm it was based on, and the maximum number of elements thatcan be rendered on screen. The graphical technical aspects consists of softwareused, modeling type, art style and others according to these topics.

The system requirements are the necessary computer settings for the game to beplayed, like the size it occupies on the computer’s HD and how much RAM isneeded.

Another important technical aspect not to forget is the ESRB (EntertainmentSoftware Rating Board) rating (or similar), already explained earlier. Some of theratings are shown below.

To Include or Not to Include? When? Why?Technical aspects interest the companies that will distribute it or that will use thetechnology developed in the game, so always add something in it if you're showingthis to someone that will approve or disapprove the game. There has to be somecare when writing technical aspects. You can write something in the wrong subject.For example: limiting the platform and distribution game mode belongs to MarketingAspects, not to Technical Aspects.

Advertisement

More Examples

For professional examples of Design Documents provided by the developers, wehave: Shred Nebula, Play With Fire, Grim Fandango Puzzle Document, and manymore avaliable at gamepitches.com.

For more material about the structure and composition of a GDD, one could try thefeatured Gamasutra article The Anatomy of a Design Document, Part 1 and Part 2;the self explanatory Creating a Great Design Document; and a more general How towrite an effective Design Document, which isn’t about GDD, but about softwaredevelopment.

More on Game Design: The Two C's of Video Game Design.

Moreover, there are other visions of how should documentation be done in theGame Industry, as seen in Game Design Logs and Return of the GDD. Althoughthey seem to contradict what had been told here, this should fall in a casebycase

Advertisement

analysis considering team size, budget and deadlines.

Conclusion

For designers who need the approval of an investor: truth be told, before you canmake any progress with an investor, you must first get his attention, and to do so,the following key points of your document must be in excellent shape.

High concept: you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and hereis where you will make it. We have already given you the tools to make this section,now just remember to give its construction a high priority and point everything thatmakes your game more appealing here.

Pictures: do not be fooled that the reader will always go through your entire GDD,there are some documents that surpass a thousand pages (yes, this is true!). But hewill surely take a better look if something catches his attention, and what better wayof doing so than with pictures? After all, one image is worth a thousand words.

It goes without saying that your document must have a great appearance. Take yourtime to make everything readable and nice. Also, don't forget that this article onlypresented a skeleton structure of a GDD for you; you will have to adapt it to yourown game!

Categories:

Advertisement

Suggested Envato Tuts+ Course

Related Tutorials

Game Design Flash

Translations:

Envato Tuts+ tutorials are translated into other languages by our community members—youcan be involved too!

Translate this post Powered by

About Gamux

Gamux is a game development group composed of students from Brazil who study, design and creategames and content related to them, including articles and scientific papers.

Up and Running With Swift 2 $5

Envato Market Item

What Would You Like to Learn?

Suggest an idea to the content editorial team at Envato Tuts+.

16 Comments Activetuts+ Login1

Share⤤ Sort by Best

Join the discussion…

Bill • 3 years ago

Recommend 2

How Game Developers Can (and Do) Support the LGBT CommunityGame Development

4 Ways to Teach Your Players How to Play Your GameGame Development

How (and Why) to Write a Great Game Design DocumentGame Development

• Reply •

Bill • 3 years ago

Finding info like this is great. I wish I had seen it earlier in life as it could have saved lots ofheadaches with their being no standard for design documentation that covers everything,including format.

3

• Reply •

Michael James Williams • 4 years ago

On a similar topic, you might be interested in this database of game pitches. Fallout, GTA1,and BioShock are all in there.

3

• Reply •

carl schooff • 4 years ago

Wow. That is some serious documentation. Love seeing these articles on strategy andplanning (especially when they are so well written and thought out).

thank you

Carl 2

• Reply •

Joseph Clover • 4 years ago

Nice tutorial! I often find myself struggling with design documents and never know where tostart. Cheers for this :)

2

• Reply •

ken • a year ago

This is great! Thanks 1

• Reply •

eryltalbot • 3 years ago

This has so much detail! Thanks. I've always known about the importance of the gamedesign document but I've hardly known how to write one.

1

• Reply •

s0ln0 • 4 years ago

...truly exhaustive coverage.

Nice! 1

Will Jones • 6 months ago

The newest and easiest way to create a game design document is to use Dundoc.com. Ithas just been released in Beta mode I’m looking for game designers or developers to startusing and providing feedback to help make it better. No one has ever seen a webapplication that is only used to create a great game design document, but now there is. youcan apply all the great concepts from this article to it.

Dundoc

Share ›

Share ›

Share ›

Share ›

Share ›

Share ›

Share ›

• Reply •

http://www.dundoc.com

• Reply •

Puzzy Cutz • a year ago

WOW. This article is amazing. I often like to speculate on broad concepts for games Likethat joke account Peter Molydeux account, but this actually lays out all the intricate stepsyou need to take to actually make a game. One thing that stood out for me in this articlethough, is that each subsection repeats the same bolded subtitle once within it's ownsection. However, the first one after it says "overview" It repeats the word again in bold rightafter the subtitle. It seems kind of redundant. Do you have to write it twice in a row?

• Reply •

Bomyne • a year ago

This article is very helpful.. Do you have a similar article that explains how to plan a budget?

• Reply •

Fledeber • 2 years ago

Hello How can I contact the author of this post? I was very concerned about it and wouldlike to contact you to take some questions. great Hug

• Reply •

Daniel Sidhion • 4 years ago

We would also like to thank everyone who commented and liked the article (though we area bit late)! That's what get us going :)

• Reply •

Daniel Sidhion • 4 years ago

Hello to the entire Crafted team!

As a member of Gamux and representing our group, we would like to thank you all for doingthis amazing work and for mentioning us. We're glad that we could help you and we wishthe best in future projects! You can be sure that we will both link your work on our (still inconstruction, but functional) website and use it ourselves for organizing our documents.

Cheers,The Gamux Team

Crafted • 4 years ago

Crafted wishes to express its gratitude by giving the teachings back in the form of adocument structure with templates based on your tutorial.This is done to save the time requirement for building a Design Document.

It can be found here.http://getyourcodeon.3dgep.com...

We express our gratitude to Gamux also within the 'Start Reading Here' document.

Share ›

Share ›

Share ›

Share ›

Share ›

Share ›

20,742 Tutorials 653 Video Courses

• Reply •

Regards,Crafted

Dr. Durell Pisslev • 4 years ago

Awesome thanks, this will come in handy on my next project.

Share ›

Advertisement

Teaching skills to millions worldwide.

Follow Us

Help and Support

FAQTerms of UseContact SupportAbout Envato Tuts+AdvertiseTeach at Envato Tuts+Translate for Envato Tuts+Meetups

Email Newsletters

Get Envato Tuts+ updates, news, surveys& offers.

Custom digital services like logo design, WordPress installation, videoproduction and more.

Check out Envato Studio

Build anything from social networks to file upload systems. Build faster withprecoded PHP scripts.

Browse PHP on CodeCanyon

& offers.

Email Address

Subscribe

Privacy Policy

© 2015 Envato Pty Ltd. Trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners.