Detailed Game Design Document Template

This is a template for organizing your design documentation – a blueprint for your blueprint. Use the parts of this that are helpful to describe and define your game and ignore the rest. Every game is different, and so each game will emphasize some areas more than others.

Each of the sections here provide important information about how to effectively structure your game design documents.

By combining text, diagrams, mockups, and prototypes, your design documentation will provide enough information for anyone concerned to understand:

• What the game is

• What the player’s experience is – why people will be interested enough play it

• What your goals are for it – why you are making it

• What its current status is

• How, in precise detail, to build it

Important Background Information

The importance of documenting your game design: why should you bother?

Guidelines for creating effective game design documents: In addition to the organization shown here, there are several principles that will help you keep your game's documentation usable and relevant.

Organization of your design documents

Your design documents should be arranged to make it as easy as possible for readers to find the information they want. This means putting general information on the front page, and providing links to additional detailed areas. Your doc will have a main overview page, followed by numerous detailed pages linked from it, as shown below.

In the detailed pages, you will also separate the design portions from the technical parts. Both are important to different audiences, but if you don't separate them, the design documentation will be muddled and not useful to anyone.

The Main Page

The first page in your game design is vitally important. It shows at a glance the high points of your game design. It is the tip of the iceberg of your design documentation.

Click the link to see more details of what goes on this page.