How to write a Game Design Document
Game Developer
AUGUST 15, 2023
Game Design Documents (GDD) have a long history and a different place in many designers' toolboxes. Here's how to write a useful, up-to-date GDD.
This site uses cookies to improve your experience. By viewing our content, you are accepting the use of cookies. To help us insure we adhere to various privacy regulations, please select your country/region of residence. If you do not select a country we will assume you are from the United States. View our privacy policy and terms of use.
Game Developer
AUGUST 15, 2023
Game Design Documents (GDD) have a long history and a different place in many designers' toolboxes. Here's how to write a useful, up-to-date GDD.
Game Designing
SEPTEMBER 7, 2023
One of the most important steps in game development is iterative game design. It’s built on the idea that games aren’t perfect after one round of development. Let’s learn more about iterative game design and what it entails. Let’s learn more about iterative game design and what it entails.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Brand Game Development
JULY 13, 2020
Certainly, board game designers can learn a lot from well-designed escape rooms. Exit Games by Kosmos are the closest we can get to the authentic in-person experience right now. Exit Games by Kosmos are the closest we can get to the authentic in-person experience right now. Need help on your board game?
Tiny Hydra
APRIL 22, 2021
The post 20 Game Design and Development Blogs: Great Writing On How To Make Games appeared first on Tiny Hydra. But, as you might guess while reading this very blog post, we’re still strong believers that a regularly updated blog full of well-crafted posts can be an invaluable source of both learning and entertainment.
Brand Game Development
FEBRUARY 17, 2020
By using my own work as an example, I hope you can read their original write-up with a concrete context and use their lessons to make an incredible game of your own. The post 10 Elements of Good Game Design appeared first on Brandon the Game Dev.
Brand Game Development
SEPTEMBER 16, 2019
.” – sedlak87, 9/10 “Still, while there are a lot of four-player, asymmetrical games out there, I think this is the best.” As you scroll, you notice people write reviews in a way that implies the balanced nature of the asymmetrical design is surprising. Not bad for a game about woodland creatures!
Brand Game Development
JANUARY 21, 2019
A well-designed co-op game like Pandemic stands out among the crowd. There is a relative dearth of good cooperative games out there in the board gaming world. At the time of writing this article, about 6% of board games listed on board game have cooperative play. You know what I’ve noticed?
Game Design Aspect
APRIL 15, 2022
In this video, game writer Sande Chen lists the top 5 game writing job hunt misconceptions she found during her research on job seekers wanting to break into the video game industry. In 2020 and 2021, I interviewed job seekers who were actively applying to jobs and internships in the video game industry.
Game Design Aspect
JULY 21, 2021
Last year, I was planning to have another run of Game Writing Primer but the pandemic and subsequent lockdown made that impossible. I checked in with my former students and was delighted to hear of their successes, games , awards, job offers, start-ups, and even a pending wedding between two of them!
The Knights of Unity
FEBRUARY 5, 2021
After all, in a couple of hours that you would spend on writing all the ideas down, you might be coding and make these ideas come to live instead, right? If you decide to work on your design doc at the beginning of the project, your future self will probably thank your past self on many occasions. Well, not exactly. .
PreMortem.Games
NOVEMBER 13, 2023
A community manager and new game designer. A game filled with cute armoured babies on a brave mission to save their daycare from a goblin invasion. She explains, “Creativity ended the minute high school began, you had to do things a certain way and the only room for creativity was in writing English essays.”
Game Design Aspect
MARCH 21, 2022
The autobiographical essay was the first memoir type of writing that I had ever published and it was later included in Covid-19 memory projects and in ArtsWestchester 's exhibition, " Together apART: Creating During Covid." At the same time, I've been interviewing hiring managers and updating my webinar on game writing portfolios.
Game Design Aspect
JULY 6, 2021
This year, when I interviewed numerous aspiring game writers and narrative designers, I discovered that many were a bit fuzzy on the actual day-to-day tasks of the job. It was much like when people ask about game design and then find out with surprise that the actual job entails spreadsheets.
PreMortem.Games
AUGUST 30, 2023
AI affects game design The project’s trajectory shifted with the integration of AI tools. “To produce a point and click game, and to document the creation of a partly AI-generated game.” Next, I start generating assets for the game with AI, like locations, character designs etc.”
iHobo
FEBRUARY 22, 2023
The ten player motives (10PM) is a player satisfaction model developed by International Hobo Ltd, one that we use as a key tool when helping clients with the challenging process of crafting enjoyable, engaging, and memorable games.
Game Design Aspect
JUNE 2, 2022
In this article, game designer Sande Chen relates important lessons learned from the design of that game company's games, Journey and Sky. The conversation really tied in with a previous panel topic at CIMFest, Designing Non-Toxic Game Communities. In addition, players cannot disguise themselves.
Game Design Aspect
JULY 10, 2020
In this article, game designer Sande Chen discusses the practice of generating game ideas on a daily or weekly basis. In writing classes, students sometimes are asked to journal or write daily. Similarly, game design students may be asked to generate lists of game ideas or mechanics.
Game Design Aspect
DECEMBER 31, 2020
It was a delight to hear from my former game writing students at PlayCrafting. They attended the one-night Game Writing Portfolio Workout sessions or the multi-week intensive Game Writing Primer course. Mary Georgescu is starting a new job as a game designer at Exploding Kittens.
Tiny Hydra
MAY 27, 2021
I have been doing design and development tests for over a decade now (I even did some art tests early in my career) and I have come to the conclusion that most tests are bad. The idea of testing people isn’t bad, in fact, it’s imperative in the games industry.
PreMortem.Games
MAY 21, 2024
One day, Dave Kosak, who helped us with some writing, suggested the idea of finding true love. About the studio name Grenaa Games: “Grenaa is my family name from my mothers side, so it adds a nice personal touch I think! I do all the coding, game design, day to day production stuff, basically everything else.
Game Dev Unchained
MAY 9, 2023
The Transformative Landscape of Game Development: A Deep Dive with Willem Delventhal As a digital ecosystem thrives and transforms at a rapid pace, a recent conversation with game designer and educator Willem Delventhal offered insights into the evolving realm of game development.
Game Design Aspect
SEPTEMBER 5, 2022
In this article, game designer Sande Chen delves into the parental guilt associated with app usage, as documented in the book, Baby, Unplugged. Hope you're having a good holiday and not working :) In the previous months, I've been following up on research about kid games, especially those for the preschool set. Happy Labor Day!
Brand Game Development
JUNE 24, 2019
To celebrate the launch, I’ll be releasing a five-part case study on the development of the game every week for the next five weeks. I didn’t write these articles – Ryan Langewisch did. He is the designer of Tasty Humans. He won Panjam, a 48-hour board game design contest that Pangea ran in 2018.
PreMortem.Games
APRIL 12, 2023
One day, Dave Kosak, who helped us with some writing, suggested the idea of finding true love. About the studio name Grenaa Games: “Grenaa is my family name from my mothers side, so it adds a nice personal touch I think! I do all the coding, game design, day to day production stuff, basically everything else.
Brand Game Development
APRIL 27, 2020
Play-testing is the most important part of board game design. It’s how you turn rough, raw ideas into polished, ready-to-play games. Write down everything they say and keep a good attitude even if you disagree. You may also be able to find a game design or play-testing group local to where you live as well.
PreMortem.Games
MARCH 17, 2023
25 years old, fresh out of script writing studies and feeling detached from society. I felt like an imposter most of the time I was working on the game. The process of writing the 300,000-word script took me 20 months. Jędrzej Napiecek was not in a good place. To be honest, he just felt so… useless.
PreMortem.Games
SEPTEMBER 6, 2023
Game Designer Johannes Knop explains the success of the game by tapping in on the innate fascination of people for destruction. “ Most important part is that we have a lot of people that make games around us. Both Friedrich and Till will probably write their Masters Thesis about the process of making ABRISS.”
Game Design Aspect
JUNE 9, 2021
Roundtable: Creating Non-Toxic Gamer Communities (1 PM Eastern) What game design principles can be used to promote friendlier and harassment-free communities? Join us for a discussion on what strategies game designers can use to create safe virtual spaces that are enjoyable for all players.
iXie gaming
DECEMBER 2, 2022
Game development is the process of creating games. The term “game” covers various types, from the simple to the complex. The two most common types of game development are game design and programming. A game has a specific purpose: to be fun for players.
Game Design Aspect
SEPTEMBER 8, 2020
I'm thrilled to be shortlisted for one of the 2020 Women in Games Hall of Fame Awards and I am particularly excited that I can spotlight learning games and serious game development within the global game industry. Sande Chen is a writer and game designer with over 15 years of experience in the game industry.
iXie gaming
MAY 8, 2023
In this article, we’ll explore the basics of WebGL game development, including its advantages, the tools needed to get started, and some tips for creating engaging and successful games. Working with shaders and optimizing game performance are some of the primary methods used in WebGL game development.
Jaunty Bear Games
JANUARY 31, 2023
Player choice and agency: Giving players meaningful choices and consequences throughout the game that allow them to shape the story and the outcome of the game. The post Game storytelling and narrative design appeared first on Jaunty Bear Games.
The Bottom Feeder
MAY 15, 2024
It was famously designed by Gygax to mess with the players in his own campaign and provide meat for players who came to him and said they could beat anything he threw at him. The main problem, alas, is that, while it IS a fascinating landmark for game design, it is not a good adventure. The older one is my copy.)
Brand Game Development
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
This week while working on my current board game design, a lot of things have come into focus. Now it’s time to start tweaking board game rules. This is where board game design often becomes very tricky. Need help on your board game? Be direct when writing rules. Playtest a Ton.
Game Designing
SEPTEMBER 8, 2023
Here are the basic steps in creating a video game analysis: Determine Your Objective Why are you writing a video game critical analysis? It’s a question that only you can answer, and it will impact how you write the critique. It will make it easier for you to find the right voice when writing your analysis.
Real Programming
JANUARY 29, 2024
Likewise, learning how to write code can help kids in several unexpected ways. Coding Helps Kids to Think Like an Engineer Aside from the direct benefits of learning how to write code, many parents want their kids to learn coding online because it helps them think like an engineer. They test their broad-minded hypotheses rigorously.
Ask a Game Dev
MARCH 2, 2023
Remember, the goal when writing a design document is to help provide a road map for the feature or system you’re working on. When I write a design document, I usually try to address the following: High level goal - What is this feature/system/puzzle/etc. supposed to do?
Game Design Aspect
APRIL 11, 2021
It features more than 250 works of artwork by Hudson Valley artists in the form of sculpture, painting, photography, sewing, pottery, handicrafts, and writing. Sande Chen is a writer and game designer with over 15 years of experience in the game industry. Entry is free, with a suggested donation of $5.
Brand Game Development
OCTOBER 22, 2018
After it, you can hope to passively sell your game and reap the rewards in the form of sales. You could also use your success to launch multiple games, building a company in the process. Alternatively, you could dedicate yourself to game design, picking up 5-10% on every game you design for different companies.
Game Design Aspect
JULY 15, 2020
I want to thank those who have provided feedback and encouragement: Phi Beta Kappa NY for its Quarantine Stories session, my colleague Juliana Loh , my fellow writers from my USC writing circle, and Alia Wilhelm from Nearness.
PreMortem.Games
APRIL 22, 2024
When we founded Clapperheads, we were certain that we wanted to specialize in horror games”, explains CPO & Lead Game Designer Valentin Shchekin (Serbia). With our first game Sparky Marky, we needed to quickly make a game to make a name for ourselves, especially during such a challenging time for the industry.
Game Wisdom
FEBRUARY 21, 2024
The Joy and Pain of Game Mastery Josh Bycer josh@game-wisdom.com As I was writing my shooter book, it meant revisiting some of the better shooters of the past 10 years, and another playthrough of Doom Eternal.
The Bottom Feeder
APRIL 8, 2022
I'll get into writing again soon, but for now a few stray thoughts. Based on Steam achievement percentages , players are engaging with this game to an wild extent. I'll write a big thing about it eventually, because how can you not? Games like this are where indie games shine brightest. It got good reviews.
Brand Game Development
MAY 14, 2018
If the audience shows passion and interest, continue to game design. Game Design: The process of taking a game’s specifications and turning them into a functional game with mechanics, rules, and components. Play-Testing: Playing the game and refining it until it’s fun.
Expert insights. Personalized for you.
We have resent the email to
Are you sure you want to cancel your subscriptions?
Let's personalize your content