How to write a Game Design Document

Docx file gets automatically flagged as unsafe and need a confirmation to open again, i love windows

I’m making one for myself, as I’m scatterbrained, burnt out, ADHD but I really want to finish a project

I’m gonna cash out an old 401k to a pay developer to make my video game idea. Thanks for the video.

I don't agree at the foremost fundamentals you are giving. Design doc needed for you to explain your idea to others and that's it? No. Even if you're solo, you can benefit from design doc, because it's a simplified yet a structural free-form scheme of your game. It helps you remember everything clearly. It's much easier than code for example, which is somewhat the same but requires a strict rule how to write it (called programming languages), at while the game design doc uses a natural language, pictures, diagrams, tables, a little bit of everything – whatever better describes a particular idea. You can't remember everything at all times. Even if it's your own game. You can if your game is simple enough, but as it grows and time passes, you will eventually forget important details. Details aren't detailed enough to become code, but detailed enough to base a game off it (code, art, music, etc). One-pager is also useful, but it's arguably a different thing called concept doc. You can describe your concept shortly in one page. But if you want a detailed game design doc, it can be anywhere 1-99 pages. Although if you're reaching a hundred pages, it's probably best to do a design-wiki instead, rather than just a singular doc. And it better be differently structured, broken into multiple documents, all searchable pieces connected by back-links etc, a complete different thing yet with the same purpose, but more detailed. Therefore:

1 page – concept doc. Rough details, overall idea. For everyone who doesn't know about your game.
2-99 pages – design doc. Advanced details. For everyone who knows about your game.
100+ pages – design wiki. Advanced details. Bigger game.

I think you forgot to highlight the most important aspect of game design document: Thinking in black and white.

I’ve found that creating a design document is a huge productivity boost. It prevents me from aimlessly jumping around in the editor and helps avoid getting stuck with an unfinished game because I don’t know what’s left to add.

What a great video! I am working on my first game at the moment, and this is so helpfull :) Thanks!

1:20 but that other person could be you a few days from now
1:37 touche

This is some really good wisdom right here

The document should match the project so a One Pager is fine for a small project like a game jam.
Ideally as the project grows in size the One Pager remains valid, but larger documents get added.
A GDD is often the right size for a mid size game like often made in the 16 bit era
Larger games have Design Documents for certain Domains like a Graphics or Audio bible.

Given that a player needs to be immersed in the game and there is a theoretical model for VR games you could distill the Domains that need to be designed.
The immersion types for VR are Tactical/Sensory-motoric, Strategic/Cognitive, Narrative/Emotional, Spatial/Presence
and there are 5 senses to Achieve Full Immersion, Visual, Auditory, Touch (controller rumble), Smell and Taste.
For normal games the Tactical/Sensory-motoric would map to a Gameplay Design Document and for Strategic/Cognitive to a Story Progression Document.

The distinction between gameplay and progression/story document is that the Gameplay Design Document describes what the gamer does in the game world and a Story Progression Design Document describes what happens in the world and to the player. The later could have a Screenplay (especially if there are scenes with dialog), but could also be a collection of area's, game levels or player experience levels.

Great content!

amazingly insightful video, but seriously, what does "replicate teeth" means? I need to know

Yo you lost me at the purpose of a design document, its cool and all if you dont design hyper specific systems on paper but uhhh... the documents purpose was self explanatory in its name, its a design reference- like a blueprint and indeed like a blueprint it can change or be amended or even ignored at times when the engineering calls for it but a design document is very much for YOU the developer aswell.

I'm using a Notion template called Minimalist GDD. It's fully modular so can be as small or large as I need it. So far it works for me.

Isnt that PitchDeck instead of GDD? Design documents are much more detailed.

1:09 Something worth considering is that "another person" might as well be your future self, in regards to perspective and ideas.

I never really used one. I have lay out ideas to notepad, but thats pretty much it. But now Im thinking to learn how to make one. And I think it would be only for me. And it contains information that is important for me, when I developing my game. This video was good info, how to design one, or at least where to start. Im gathering ideas here and making my own version eventually. Hopefully it would serve as a base for my future games as well.

2:51 so that's why all the AAA games of the last 10 years have been directionless, meandering, piles of excrement.

Really good video!
I will save it for later reference, and your channel too!

Uh... What? A game design document is meant to serve as a reference point for the entire development process, from initial concept to final product.
Sure, you will have communication but it is in large to: prevent scope creep, guide development, act as a tool for advertising, manage complexity and reveal missing features.

now i just need to get my brain to start up to figure out a core concept. its one of them old wind up engines

What a great, useful video! Subscribed! I'm in the very beginning of my journey, so this channel will definitely be one of my 'go-to''s! Thanks and have a great day!

That was really helpful! Thanks a lot! I'm doing my first GDD for a game jam, the timing is perfect! 🙏🏻

It's true, you really sound like GDTK 😂, keep the great work!

Thank you this video was incredibly helpful

1:25 I will need it to explain it myfelf in few month

Best use for a Game Design Document: explaining it to Copilot to write all the C# for you!

I’m 34 years old Engineer, can i start to become a Game Designer from now?

A one page design document is complete nonsense.

This is perfect! I'm working on a game right now and it's so hard to stay organized!

very good

Thanks for this. This helped me distill my infinite zoom mind map into a 1 page design doc that I'm super proud of. It felt like rediscovering my game all over again and the whole project feels more real than it ever has. Powerful approach!

I used to keep a draft email where I'd just jot down all my game ideas as I get them, and work on them over time as and when I can. I moved to using Obsidian more recently, but typically still use a one-pager for all my ideas, and if it grows too large, I can just give it it's own page and link back to the main one.

Wtf is this. Just make games people

It would be useful for you to add a link to that GDC talk to the description of this video.

Couple of additional tips for aspiring developers here.

1.
Avoid walls of text as much as possible.

It is the worst way to transfer the complexity of game design information.
Text should only be used to specify things that cannot be properly explained otherwise.

2.

Try to separate things into different design documents also.
A system should not be detailed in a level design document, for example.
Nobody wants to have to find how an AI should behave through the design document of dungeon number 6.

It's all about defining through encapsulation and teaching multi-faceted elements of a game in the fastest way possible.

3.
Use a variety of design document format. Some things are more easily explained through specific design document formats.
Here's a short non-exhaustive list:
- Storyboard
- Mind map
- One pager
- Flowchart
- greyboxing

I've found Miro quite handy to organize our thoughts for a game we're making. It's pretty good since there isn't the limit of paper space and you can technically fit the whole thing on "one page". Very handy for art references and music as we can collaborate some sort of "mood board" together. Plus, if we ever need to add someone to the team we can just invite them.

Crucial for all game devs. This video tought me alot 😀

Great video! Could you please go into more details with an example in another video? Like a video focused on Game Design as well as writing an effective GDD with a full example from start to finish (One-Page example).

Yknow, this is something i always wanted to know how to do. My one and only attempt was a long word document that i organized really well. And i didn't know if this was the best way of doing it. The one page rule is really interesting! Thanks for the new perspective

the timing couldnt have been better

It sounds good, and seems to simplify, but it's not as easy as it sounds.

It's like when first learning how to build a resume or a business plan.

Dozens of templates, dozens of advice, dozens of opinions. Which leaves you with too many possible decisions.
Until that day when it clicks, that you put whatever the heck you want because you're a pro in your industry and know what matters, and then you min max, the minimum effort for maximum impact.

You express it adamantly, as a statement of fact. No begging, no fluff, no buzzword salad. As a real pro.

This means. You'll probably write it. Struggle with execution. Start other intermediate projects. Rewrite. Write for something else. Pivot. Give up. Start over. Each step, side stepping but learning.

Then. If you trust the process of learning from the struggles, you'll find yourself knowledgeable in the many hats.

Your iterative changes didn't seem to be much further. But now twenty or thirty iterations along, they add up. Two steps forward, one and a half back. I thought I learned this, I did it before, but now I'm having to do it again, and that again, but I remember that.

The process. The grind. The set backs. The determination.

If you have grit, then you'll eventually accomplish it.