Games GDD

Source: Flickr

Caption: ship on the sea facing towards a land with mountains, all with a game graphic

• What is a Game Design Document?

A Game Design Document (GDD) is a descriptive document of a game. It is made by a group of game developers to keep track of the game progress and it decisions.

• What is the purpose of a Game Design Document?

Many important design decisions define how a game works in details and a Game Design Document helps to keep track of the game progress, so the design decisions won't be forgotten. A Game Design Document also helps at the communications between team members who are creating a game.

Jesse Schell (American video game designer) says that a Game Design Document can be breaken down in the following sections:

1. Game Design Overview: a few pages providing an overview of the game.
2. Detailed Design Doc: game mechanics and interfaces is described, also used to communicate details to artists and engineers.
3. Story Overview: usually external writers work on the game's narrative.
4. Technical Design Doc: it contains the essential systems architecture underlying the game's code.
5. Pipeline Overview: it has the assets informations, such as art and sound.
6. System Limitations: communicate the game engine's limitations.
7. Art Bible: the game should have a consistent look and feel, this is very precisely communicated in this document.
8. Concept Art Overview: Similarlly to mood boards it helps the rest of the team to visualise the game.
9. Game Budget: a list with all the work and the attached value to help the management team keep everything within the money limits of the production.
10. Project Schedule: all the tasks and important milestones are listed in this document.
11. Story Bible: only necessary if a game features a story. Some limitations of other teams will influence a part of the narrative, for this reasaon it is good to have a common document with the game narrative.
12. Script: if the game habe any dialogue, it will be recorded here.
13. Game Tutorial and Manual: because of the increasing amount of in-game tutorials, manuals have become obsolete.
14. Walkthroughs: after the game release players often codify their own strategies and other parts of the game that they found exciting.

The video Using a Game Design Document goes over a very brief Game Design Document to give a better visual idea of what this type of document looks like.

Reading:

• Communication and Game Design Documents
• How to Write a Game Design Document

Video:

• Using a Game Design Document

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