The Game Concept Document has a premilinary role in generating a basis for the Game Design Document. Its job is to organize your thoughts on the key facets of the game.
Include (but not limited to):
- Working title of game
- Names of team members
- Genre of game
- Audience for game
- Object of game
- Learning objectives if it is a serious game
- Rules of game
- Scoring feature
- Sample Gameplay – Interface controls
- Win/Lose Scenario
- Sample Graphics
- —Background
- —Game Elements
- —Characters
- What makes this game fun?
- What provides replay value?
- What is average game play time to complete game?
- What features make this a ground breaking game?
Use whatever structure you are comfortable with that suits your ideas: there is no “standard” form for a GDD, but it should be a professional document that communicates clearly to an audience with no prior experience with your game. One possible template (that probably includes more detail than is appropriate, but offers an exhaustive table of contents) is Chris Taylor’s model or Baldwin’s template.
Feel free to be creative with the presentation. The Child of Eden game design document, for example, was a 40 page poem. This probably doesn’t suit your game, but it does show that there are a range of possibilities.
A good game design document for this class will be 12-15 pages. Drafts (at least 5 pages) are due 10/4; final documents are due by email 10/18.
Recommended Further Reading
- Grim Fandango (professional document)
- Play with Fire (professional document)
- Creating a Great Design Document
- Process of the GDD