Nuclino brings all your team's knowledge, docs, and projects together in one place. And after you have finished your game, your GDD will stand as a testament to all of your hard work. Creating a video game is far from a trivial task, and while maintaining internal documentation may seem like a tedious task, it can save you a lot of time down the road. The original design doc of Silent Hill 2 is a lengthy but nonetheless great example of a well-written GDD.Īt the end of the day, how you write your game design document is up to you and your team. Mike Dailly, one of the lead designers of Grand Theft Auto – originally called "Race'n'Chase" – shared the iconic game's design documents that date back to March 22, 1995.īrian Freyermuth shared the GDD for the canceled Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2. There are many great game design document examples to draw inspiration from. Better yet, turn your game design doc into an internal wiki and organize your work in a more structured way. Copy this template and customize it to fit your needs.Īs your game evolves and details begin to take shape, you may want to create dedicated documents for different topics. Your first iteration can be a simple one-page overview. However, a GDD template may be a good starting point.ĭepending on the scope of your game development project, your design document may end up being very brief or fairly long and complex. ![]() No two game design documents will be the same. Learn more about how to write a modern game design document. Or turn your entire game design doc into a mind map and watch it grow as your game evolves. Many ideas can be much clearly conveyed using graphs, flow charts, and concept art. Choose a documentation tool that preserves a version history and let your design document evolve together with your game by updating it daily. A GDD is only useful when it's up-to-date. The GDD should evolve together with the project. Make your GDD the central hub where your team members discover, discuss, and solve issues together. ![]() Unless you are an indie game developer working solo, involve your team in the process from the start. Fit it on a single page and let it evolve from there. Either way, keep the inital documentation to a minimum so you don't have to rewrite a multi-page document. You might have to scrap the game, or pivot in a different direction. The original game concept doesn’t always work out. Modern game design documentation process follows several best practices: So rather than doing away with game design documents altogether, the documentation process can be adapted to support the creative, iterative, and collaborative process of game development. As Jim Highsmith, one of the 17 original signatories of the Agile Manifesto, said, " We embrace documentation, but not hundreds of pages of never-maintained and rarely-used tomes." Today, most game developers follow the agile approach to documentation. Realizing that overly lengthy and rigid GDDs are difficult to maintain and are hardly ever read, most studios have moved away from traditional design documentation. As the game development process became more agile, the approach to documentation evolved as well. Traditionally, GDDs have been detailed, 100+ page documents, which tried to explain every detail of the game up front. You can create real-time collaborative docs, allowing you to document, share, and collaborate on anything, from game proposals and storyboards to character profiles and concept art. Nuclino can serve as a lightweight game documentation tool, a game development planner, an internal wiki, and more. Game design document example (Artwork credit: Stephane Wootha Richard) Here's an example of a game design document created in Nuclino, a unified workspace where teams can bring all their knowledge, docs, and projects together: ![]() Game elements ( worldbuilding, story, characters, locations, level design, etc.)Īssets (music, sound effects, 2D/3D models, etc.) Gameplay (objectives, game progressions, in-game GUI, etc.) It helps you define the scope of your game and sets the general direction for the project, keeping the entire team on the same page.Įxecutive summary (game concept, genre, target audience, project scope, etc.) Let's dive deeper into what a modern video game design document is and how to write it.Ī game design document (GDD) is a software design document that serves as a blueprint from which your game is to be built. But it doesn't mean that game design documentation has become obsolete – it has merely evolved. Rigid, multi-page GDDs have no place in modern game development. "No one reads GDDs anyway." "They become outdated the minute you finish writing them." Let's face it – documentation is usually seen as the least fun part of the game development process. Keep your game design project on track with a simple template. Game Design Document Template and Examples
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