The Game Design Document

Before we start typing a single line of code, we need to complete a crucial step in a game's development cycle, which is creating a Game Design Document (GDD). A GDD is a blueprint of our entire project; its primary purpose is to put on paper the overall vision of our game's core concepts and act as a guide to a multidisciplinary team of developers during the arduous journey of a lengthy production cycle.

A GDD can include detailed descriptions of the following elements:

  • Lists of core visual, animation, and audio ingredients
  • Synopsis, character biographies, and narrative structures
  • Marketing research material and monetization strategies
  • Descriptions and diagrams that illustrate systems and mechanics

In most cases, ...

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