Difference between revisions of "Game Design Document"
Abel Maciel (talk | contribs) (→References) |
Abel Maciel (talk | contribs) (→References) |
||
| Line 49: | Line 49: | ||
===VIII. APPENDICES=== | ===VIII. APPENDICES=== | ||
*APPENDIX A: GAMEFLOW DIAGRAM | *APPENDIX A: GAMEFLOW DIAGRAM | ||
| + | |||
| + | == External links == | ||
| + | * [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3384/the_anatomy_of_a_design_document_.php Anatomy of a GDD] by Tim Ryan on [[Gamasutra]] | ||
| + | * [http://www.sloperama.com/advice/specs.html Game specifications] by Tom Sloper on Sloperama | ||
=References= | =References= | ||
| + | |||
| + | * {{cite book |title=Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on game design | last1=Adams | first1=Ernest | last2=Rollings | first2=Andrew | year=2003 | publisher=New Riders Publishing | isbn=1-59273-001-9 | ref=AdRol }} | ||
| + | * {{cite book | title=Game Design | last=Bates | first=Bob | year=2004 | edition=2nd | publisher=Thomson Course Technology | isbn=1-59200-493-8 | ref=Bates }} | ||
| + | * {{cite book | title=Game development and production | first=Erik | last=Bethke |publisher=Wordware Publishing, Inc. | year=2003 | location=Texas | isbn=1-55622-951-8 | ref=Bethke }} | ||
| + | * {{cite book | title=Challenges for Game Designers | last1=Brathwaite | first1=Brenda | last2=Schreiber | first2=Ian | year=2009 | publisher=Charles River Media | isbn=1-58450-580-X | ref=BrSch }} | ||
| + | * {{cite book | title=Game Industry Career Guide | last1=Moore | first1=Michael E. | last2=Novak | first2=Jeannie | year=2010 | publisher=Cengage Learning | location=Delmar | isbn=978-1-4283-7647-2 | ref=MoNov }} | ||
| + | * {{cite book | title=Gameplay and design | last=Oxland | first=Kevin | year=2004 | publisher=Addison Wesley | isbn=0-321-20467-0 | ref=Oxland }} | ||
Revision as of 20:33, 13 April 2020
Template:Video game industry A game design document (often abbreviated GDD) is a highly descriptive living software design document of the design for a video game.[1][2][3][4] A GDD is created and edited by the development team and it is primarily used in the video game industry to organize efforts within a development team. The document is created by the development team as result of collaboration between their designers, artists and programmers as a guiding vision which is used throughout the game development process. When a game is commissioned by a game publisher to the development team, the document must be created by the development team and it is often attached to the agreement between publisher and developer; the developer has to adhere to the GDD during game development process.
Contents
Content
A game design document may be made of text, images, diagrams, concept art, or any applicable media to better illustrate design decisions. Some design documents may include functional prototypes or a chosen game engine for some sections of the game.
Although considered a requirement by many companies, a GDD has no set industry standard form. For example, developers may choose to keep the document as a word processed document, or as an online collaboration tool.
Structure
The purpose of a game design document is to unambiguously describe the game's selling points, target audience, gameplay, art, level design, story, characters, UI, assets, etc.[5][6] In short, every game part requiring development should be included by the developer in enough detail for the respective developers to implement the said part.[7] The document is purposely sectioned and divided in a way that game developers can refer to and maintain the relevant parts.
The majority of video games should require an inclusion or variation of the following sections:[8][9]
I. GAME OVERVIEW
A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY B. STORYLINE (N/A) C. NAMES (N/A)
II. CORE GAMEPLAY
A. MAIN GAME VIEW B. CORE PLAYER ACTIVITY C. GAME CONTROLS D. IN-GAME GUI E. ACCESSIBILITY
III. CONTEXTUAL GAMEPLAY
- A. GAME SHELL FUNCTIONS
- B. GAME FLOW DIAGRAM
- C. GAME MECHANICS
- D. MULTIPLAYER MECHANICS (N/A)
- E. SPECIAL FEATURES (N/A)
IV. GAME ELEMENTS
- A. CHARACTERS
- B. LEVEL / MISSION / AREA DESIGNS
- C. OBJECTS (N/A)
- D. INTRO SCENE
- E. MENU
- F. HOW TO PLAY
- G. END SCREEN
- V. SOUND
- A. MUSIC
- B. SOUND EFFECTS
VI. CHEATS
VII. MONETIZATION
VIII. APPENDICES
- APPENDIX A: GAMEFLOW DIAGRAM
External links
- Anatomy of a GDD by Tim Ryan on Gamasutra
- Game specifications by Tom Sloper on Sloperama
References
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
