Game Design Documents - a Minimalist Approach 🧘🏽

Good video bro!

Should I start a GDD even if I don't have a set idea I want for a game?

What if my target audience is me?

I followed your advices and wrote a minimal gdd, the game is already at 30% dev, let's say, I would like to have a review from you, but the fiver service seems dismissed. any chance to get in touch? thanks, anyway this video is very interesting and make me refletc very well on the scope of my game

Can you share your design document as a reference?

There are exceptions, but for most types of games unless you are part of a huge development team don't even bother doing more than one power point slide of text with a piece of reference key art - and you most likely don't even need that. Start prototyping something asap, iterate, find the fun almost vertical slice of the game. Then you have done preproduction, take a step back to see if you need to rethink any part of it, but ideally iterate to completion from the prototype. Ship it, learn from it, and move on to the next game, hopefully a sequel to a success. If you want to pitch your prototype to a publisher then look at what he says in this video as a basis.

Super solid, thank you! One section I would add/focus on is the "first 10 minutes experience" i.e. the tutorial... I find it extremely useful to visualize that initial interaction very early in the design

Another thing I find very useful is to write the Steam copy first.

BTW the link to fiverr in the description 404

I used a Notion template called Minimalist GDD. It has a ton of stuff but is modular so i can keep it simple.

Is it useful or even necessary to be specific about game mechanics for programmers/developers?

as someone who has made dozens of games, some of which are cult classics, GDDs have no utility and the real minimalist approach is to not make one.

You are the teacher I never knew I needed. Regarding the forms of fun - Immersion and Beauty can also be strong points, but I found this could be the case mostly for narrative driven experiences.

Making a design document isnt just important for making video games. I used it not just for my game projects but writing novels and novellas too

Your prophecy game needs to be called either memetic wars or preacher simulator.

Game name idea. Instead of 'prophecy' try 'dark souls.' No relation to your game but Ive heard people like that name so should sell well.

A stack of graph paper a pencil, an eraser, and lots of snacks seems to be my gdd.

Heh, got a name for your game.

Twitch Simulator

I would seperate what you called pillars as "engagement types" and then have my design pillars keeping development on track. More of a vibe or specific thing to shoot for, as it's easier to stop yourself from adding random BS

I miss the era when innovation was the key... The summary lines feel too much like a bland Hollywood office pitch, devoid of true originality. I really am turned off when I encounter stuff like "It's like an open world Doom, but with crafting!" "Doom meets Minecraft!" Literally had that pitched to me once upon a time.

Somel real-world examples utilizing movies:

"It's JAWS on PAWS!" - Cujo

"It's Die Hard on a Bus!" - Speed

"It's Jurassic Park with Tornadoes!" - Twister

"It's Lethal Weapon with Ghosts!" - The Frighteners

"It's Jaws in Space!" - Alien

"It's Romeo and Juliet with Vampires!" - Twilight

"It's Indiana Jones but with Tombs!" - The Mummy

"It's Die Hard in the White House!" - Olympus Has Fallen

"It's Groundhog Day at a Wedding!" - Palm Springs

"It's The Goonies with Zombies!" - Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse


I mean you can do this with anything here's a few I've pulled from my ass:
Jurassic Park meets Ocean's Eleven
A group of elite thieves plans the ultimate heist: stealing a rare dinosaur egg from a high-security island park. They must outsmart both the park's defenses and the deadly creatures inside.

Die Hard" meets Home Alone
During Christmas, a former special forces soldier visits his family, but a group of terrorists takes over their home. He must use his skills and his kid's improvised traps to outwit the intruders and save his loved ones.

Alien meets Cast Away
A lone astronaut crashes on an uncharted planet and must survive alone. But he soon discovers he's not alone, and the planet harbors a dangerous extraterrestrial predator.

It feels like I'm doing Madlib's

So useful...keep it short: say as much as possible in fewest words. Address different audiences...including future you that forgot stuff! Thanks so much!

0:27. Ooooh. That's why i need it. Got it! Thanks😂 fastest video explanation of my question.

This was a really useful video, glad i found the channel. It is very clear that you have background in teaching. Keep up the good work!

How to find play testers?

My favorite bit about this particular video is the meta about the business model. I liked that in making a quick and dirty game about amassing followers, you then seek to amass followers for the game itself in the form of kickstarter backers. I see what you did, there, Joe.

GDD or prototyping first ??

Respectfully, I disagree. There is no one way of doing it but is better to just let your mind wander, write a lot, jump from idea to idea, act out dialogue, get into it then edit it out and slim it down over time. Ultimately a game is structured play and you should to start with play first. Is actually the exact reverse of what you describe. I think Timothy Cain said it very well when designing he wants the game to be simple but not simplistic. Minimal is simplistic. Edited is simple. If you start by writing a little then you will have limited yourself a narrow set of ideas. Regards,

I reviewed (as an amateur, not a professional), nearly a hundred game design concepts & prototypes througought my life, and this guy summed up 80% of the mistakes even experienced developers make. 💯.

Beatuty is not about graphical fidelity or style, but the beauty of the things the player creates. Think of Cities Skylines or games like Factorio or Anno.

Update: if you need 1:1 help from me on any of this, you can email me for coaching or private design consultancy at indiegameclinic@gmail.com. It's better to just get in touch directly than to use 3rd party sites like Superprof and Fiverr. Thanks!

## GDD Template

### What is (Game Name)?

This is your top-level description. Avoid superlatives, just describe. Adding a line saying it is like (one game) + (another game) is a valid way to get the point across.
Keep in mind the specificity principle (broad to specific).


### Design Principles: What is Central to the Experience?

> We use design principles to focus our design choices as we move through the project. For the purpose of this project, we want our design pillars to identify the types of fun or enjoyment which are key to the user experience.

This is not specifically the genre. Reference the 14 forms of fun and choose three.
([[Fourteen Forms of Fun-Pierre-Alexandre Garneau]])

| (type of fun 1) | (type of fun 2) | (type of fun 3) |
| --------------- | --------------- | --------------- |
| (explanation) | (explanation) | (explanation) |

### Audience and Market

> This game is design to be played...

### Core Gameplay

Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for base game. Think 30 minutes of content max. (Need to prototype and test before you expand)

justify your mechanics and systems. Should fit the game's feel.

### Controls

movement, interactions

common: WASD, LMB click, RMB click, ...

### Gameplay Balance & Pacing

> The game is a (type of game)...


### Character Design

> The art style... (very basics and why)

Insert a few similar images from other games

> The style should support the following elements of game design:
> - ...

### Setting & World

...

### Tone & Aesthetics

...

Color palette will often affect the feel and function of the game, consider that here, along with visual style. Think about inspirations from movies, games etc. and can grab general color grading from screenshots to derive this.

### Narrative

...

### Business Model

How will game make money, be successful?

Wow this video gold , I am surprised thats its less than 100k views

You've ruined me. I have a google doc, with 14 tabs, and anywhere from 1-14 "pages" in each xD

just do an anti-LGHDTV+ game and make bank