Game Design Documents
Turn your video game concept into a complete development plan
You've got a great idea for a video game. You've played it in your head over and over, and you know that it would be a hit given half a chance. But how do you take your game from concept to creation?
For that, you'll need a design document, also known as a game bible, that describes every detail of your idea to the development team. Writing a design document is the single most important skill for a game designer to master. It's the number one way to show your game design talent to potential employers.
In this three-lesson course, you'll learn how to create an overview, a proposal, and a sample design document for your very own hot game concept. You'll learn how designers use formal documentation to develop a concept and pitch it to business managers and game development teams. You'll learn how to turn the glimmer of an idea into a document that details every aspect of the game—art, audio, programming, interface, and more.
This course is suitable not only for aspiring designers but also for anyone seeking to enter into a professional game industry environment. Veteran game designer Alex Jimenez will walk you through the ins and outs of pitches, proposals, and design docs, and share his tried-and-true rules of game development. In each exercise, you'll be challenged to flesh out your game concept, making it clear, convincing, and ready for production.
Tuition: $300 US
Course Instructor(s):
Requirements:
- Computer with Internet connection (56 Kbps modem or faster).
- Access to a current or next generation game console (Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo).
- Some familiarity with reference video games highly recommended.
Course Objectives:
- Identify the main components of a video game overview document.
- Discuss how game design documents are created and used in the game development industry.
- Write an overview document that effectively introduces a game concept and provides summary information about the game.
- Write a proposal document that communicates effectively to a broad audience of readers (marketers, developers, non-gamers, and so on).
- Provide a breakdown of all pertinent game information in the proposal document phase, anticipating and answering all early questions about the game.
- Communicate selling points and key features of a game through a proposal document.
- Define art and audio direction as well as programming needs, screen displays, interface elements, and other details within a final design document.
- Conceptualize and develop design goals for a design document.
- Define the flow of the game through all levels, including start and end screens.
- Create a sample design document that will showcase their game design and writing skills.
Course Outline
LESSON 1 Concept and Overview Document
Every video game starts with a great idea in a designer's mind. The overview document is the first step in turning that idea into a reality, getting management excited about your concept. In this lesson, you'll learn all of the essential components of an overview document and methods for making it brief, informative, and most of all, exciting. You'll learn how dev team members use the design document and exploring methods for brainstorming a concept. This lesson introduces a game industry case study that you'll follow throughout the course. In the exercise, you'll tackle your own overview document including introduction, feature list, and summary.
LESSON 2 The Proposal Document
You've convinced management that your game idea is worth looking into, so now you've got to propose the project on a much larger scale. You'll learn how to expand on your overview, creating a detailed document with an expanded concept section, a breakdown of essential information, a list of key features and selling points, a description of how the game is played, and even some concept art. After checking out the case study, you'll write your own proposal in the exercise, turning your once-vague concept into a workable plan for a development team.
LESSON 3 The Design Document
When a game gets the go-ahead, the designer creates a detailed manual called a design document that all members of the development team must follow. This game bible dictates every detail about the game, and can reach a whopping 500 pages in length! This lesson breaks down the design document into its many components, which include art direction, audio direction, programming, game flow, interface, and more. You'll learn important questions to ask art, audio, and programming departments in order to develop a design doc in a professional environment. In the exercise, you'll pick three major topics to expand on as you create your own sample design document.
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