Game Development Patterns and Best Practices

Prototyping

Prototyping is when you make the simplest version of your ideas in a quick manner to prove if your concept works well or not. For some people, they will do this via index cards, paper, chits, and boards, which is called a paper prototype. This can be quite useful, as you don't have to think about the code side of things to begin with, and instead it allows you to experience the core of the game without having all the nice art and polish. A game that is fun to play with bad graphics will only be improved when you add to it.

Of course, assuming you have purchased this book, you are probably already a developer, but it's still a good idea to think of it as an option. Jesse Schell wrote about paper prototypes in his book The Art of ...