Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Game mechanics
Now that you have a description of the game concept and its market, it is time to ex-
plain how your game works and how it is actually played.
Any game mechanics should be described with clear text and nice images. The goal
is to make the reader feel like he played the game, even if he actually didn't.
Work on this section until you have proof that anyone can read it and understand it
without you providing any extra explanation. Avoid technical words and use examples.
Examples taken from other popular, successful titles can do a fine job, as they are
references that can be immediately grasped by your readers.
An image is worth a thousand words. Use all the pictures you need when describing
the mechanics of your game, to be sure they are super clear.
But also remember this is just a pitch document, so you don't need to explain abso-
lutely everything about your game. There is the Detailed Design Document for that!
Only include the most important mechanics, those that are required to understand the
gameplay and the potential of the game, and those that are distinctive, key features
that can make it successful.
Once you have described the main mechanics, you can mention how you will improve
the gameplay as the game progresses by unlocking new game elements such as ad-
ditional character abilities, new types of enemies, obstacles and game surfaces, bo-
nuses, and so on. Include one or two unlocks in detail and two or three additional
unlocks in general terms.
Control scheme and interface
Obviously, to explain how a game works requires that you describe in detail its control
scheme and explain how the player performs the main game actions.
This is mobile gaming, remember to keep controls simple, try to avoid virtual buttons
(since they take up precious screen space), and make use of sensors, if they suit your
gameplay idea!
