Games GDD

 Game Design Document-GDD

What is the GDD for?

A Game Design Document (GDD) is a blueprint for the design and development of a game.

The GDD is a way of being creative and documenting the approach to the development of the game. Gonzale (1999) states that “ the important thing is to have something that describes your game project (or any other project for that matter) before jumping into production.( Gamasutra ) It should help to plan out your game. Though it is recommended that the GDD should be short it needs to be detailed enough so as game developers and artists can coordinate the development of the game independently whilst still keeping to the design. 

The GDD is a blueprint for how the game is going to be designed and built, similar to a mind map. In conclusion, the game design document is vital to making a game and it is important to have in order to describe your game project.

How do we make one?

There are a variety of tools that could be used to create a GDD. These include word processing tools, visual tools like PowerPoint, or new web-based tools such as DunDoc. Each of these tools has their advantages and are a personal choice. Many of the examples shared via the internet are in Microsoft Word format. Romero Games(creators of Doom) favor a more visual tool such as PowerPoint. Whichever tool is used they should support the development of the game in an open and transparent manner.

What should be in it?

The GDD should be simple enough to read through details about your game design and concept. Schubert (2007), who was at the time lead designer for Bioware Austin, gave a GDC talk in about how to create design documentation, some of the most relevant elements include:

1. Know your target.- Have a clear vision and understanding of what you want to make. Make sure your game is suitable and fits your target audience.

2. Keep it short.  Keep it to the point and clear, the shorter they are, the easier it is to read, write, and maintain.

3. Prioritize the design.  - Divide your game in order of importance e.g have a functional game. Concentrate on core mechanics and visuals, and then expand 

4. Illustrate. - Draw sketches of your plans that make it easier to structure and implement. Present what your game would look like as it’s important to have a clear idea of the visuals before you begin creating.

5. Use user stories.- Describing the game through the player’s vision (Similar to what we did in the game vision statement).

Take into account the games users, their ideas may help develop future storylines or ideas.

6. Invest in a good format. Take the time to structure your work so that it is easy to navigate.

7. Use clear terminology. Don’t over-complicate the document. Make sure language is concise and accessible.

8. Kill redundancy.  -Recycle your code - use variables, not hard code). Always reference the new section on your page to have a clean document. Avoid copy and pasting sections.

9. Capture your reasoning - why did you make the choices you made? What led to that thought process?

References

Nachen, Lennart. 2014 Communication and Game Design Documents accessed 02/11/2020 http://acagamic.com/game-design-course/communication-and-game-design-documents/

Ferns, Shaun (2020) Readings Week 06 accessed 02/11/2020 https://cdmonline.ie/multidev1/reading-week-06/ 

 Gonzalez Leandro. 2016 How to Write a Game Design Document accessed 07/26/16

https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/LeandroGonzalez/20160726/277928/How_to_Write_a_Game_Design_Document.php

 

These articles' actually very useful for the first time game designers. Now I'm quiet sure how I'm going to design my game.

What is my player going to do?

What is the player's role?

What are the actions available to them?

Starting to design the game you need to follow the game design document tools, first you should write down design decisions, not to solve the same design problem multiple times. For a game development process we need an effective way of communicating design decisions.

To complete the game design document we should know the following  steps:

1.Presentation 

• game type
•  target audience

2.Gameplay concept

• player skills 
• game mechanics
• game mode

3.Narrative context

• visual style
• theme
• settings

4.Camera, controls

describe any special moves that your characters have

5.Game progression

• power-ups
• hazards

6.Enemies, obstacles

main resources in the game

7.Game world

• layout
• structure
•  colour schemes

8.HUD, signs

• scores
•  timers

9.Music, sounds effect

Let's see how to write a Game Design Document

1.Character

 who is your main character?

2.Story

talk about the events that will happen throughout the game

3.Theme

what kind of story you want to tell(comedy, fantasy...)

4.Story Progression

how will the game take your players through that story.

5.Game play

"The Game begins with an idea"-Jesse Schell

describe what your gameplay will be like.

6.Goals

why is the player playing your game?

7.Game Mechanics

create prototype

8.Progression and Challenge

talk about the way players will unlock new levels or missions

9.Losing

Game over!

10.Music/sounds

It's important that a lot of sound effects praise the user when he does something good.

11.Technical Description

Unity 3D

12.Demographics

age: 12-50

gender: everyone

13.Localization

English-Irish

Source: Image