Game Design Document

Have you ever heard of the five important Ps? Those five Ps make a phrase: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. Making a plan increases the likelihood of success exponentially. Keeping these five words in mind can provide guidance and sound advice for life. The same is true in game design/game development.

The Game Design Document

The Game Design Document (GDD) is a planning tool used in game design. The purpose of the GDD is to help you organize your thoughts and plans regarding the game you will create, as well as to communicate the details to possible team members as a guide to success. The GDD that we will complete has six main elements:

The first element in our GDD encompasses two parts: "Name of Your Game" and the "Goal(s)" of the game. You are the creator! There is no right or wrong answer when naming your game and creating the goal of the game. When naming, consider the purpose or goal of your game. Think for a moment of a popular game. When you think of the name of that popular game, chances are you automatically think about the components, mechanics, and/or rules of the game. The same is likely with the game you are creating.
The second element is titled "Inspiration/Previous Work". Using good organizational skills when creating, saves time and money. As you are researching or creating artwork and/or images that will be used in your game, it is a great idea to put those ideas in the same location. Can you think of a better place than the Game Design Document? By including your artistic ideas on the GDD you have immediate access without opening a different file.
The third element of our GDD is the "Target Audience." Consider the favorite color of a parent or guardian, the genre of music they prefer, and their preference for movements and action. Now consider the same preferences for yourself. Finally, consider the color, music, movement/action preferences of a 5-year-old. Unless a game is designed as a family game for all ages, it would be a profitable business strategy to create a game designated for a specific audience. Think carefully and decide what type of audience you are creating the game for. Researching the preferences of this audience increases the likelihood of you capturing your audience's attention and time. This element helps to ensure that you are effective and efficient in achieving the goals of your game.
The fourth element, "Core Mechanics and Space", is the designated area that describes the actions players can take and where the game takes place. What is it about your game that makes it "your game"? What actions will your players take and how will they move? What is the setting/environment of your game? What will players see and experience when they play your game?
The fifth element is titled "Components". This section of the GDD focuses on the pieces necessary to play your game. Identify and create all the characters and tools of your game. When creating characters, remember to include any enemies/adversaries. When creating the tools, remember to include ALL the tools necessary to play the game. What tools may be needed to play, to win, to defend, to build, etc.?
The sixth element is the "Rules" of the game. Finally, an area of your life in which you create all the rules. The rules are the instructions all players follow when playing your game.

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