Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
The flip side of this is that when you are the team programmer, you want to be active and communicative
in team meetings to ensure that you have a good grasp on the game designer's intent. Game
development is very much a team sport where active collaboration and communication makes for the
best game development environment.
If your intent is to pitch your game to a publisher, you definitely need a professional-grade GDD that
immediately catches their interest, then effectively and concisely communicates the game concept.
Practice makes perfect, so you may as well incorporate GDD writing early in your game development
skill-building plan.
While there is no specific format for a game design document, there are three general sections with
increasing levels of detail: the one-sheet, the concept overview, and then the detailed contents of
the GDD itself.
The One-Sheet
The one-sheet is the first page of the GDD, and is a brief summary of the game concept. Though it
doesn't have to be limited to one page, having an interesting, attention-getting presentation of your
game idea on one page makes it easy for readers to understand your vision. If you capture their
attention with your one-sheet, they will want to turn the page to learn more in the concept overview.
A one-sheet typically contains the following:
The title
The genre
The target audience and ESRB rating
A few paragraphs summarizing the game concept with an emphasis on
gameplay
Platforms
Licenses (if any)
Unique features
Marketing summary
You have to present your game concept in a way that gets people excited, be they potential investors
or publishers, team members, marketers, or anyone else in the production process. If you are going
it alone, you absolutely need to be able to grab the attention of your target game-playing audience.
Either way, you must be able to convey the gameplay experience in a compelling fashion.
You can do a quick Internet search to find many examples of GDDs. An alternative place to find
examples of real game pitches is on Kickstarter. Projects are presented with both a written and video
description. An interesting exercise is to compare the pitches of the successfully funded projects in
comparison to the unfunded projects. Watch the videos and take note of your reaction. Do they draw
you in or do you yawn and roll your eyes? What captures your attention, what makes you want to play
that game, or what aspect turned you off? Was it the game concept itself or the manner in which it
was presented? What did you think of the concept art and the development team (if introduced), and
what did you find appealing about the presenter?
