Here are the elements that need to be included in your Game Design Document.

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Cover Page

Name of your game

Team members

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Section 1 – Analysis

Video Game Narrative

Summarize the entire video game stor, including all branching story path side quests.

Target Audience

Who is your group’s target audience?  Why should the player care about your group’s hero (i.e., the protagonist)?  Why is your group’s story socially relevant or engaging to the proposed target audience?

Delivery Platform

What is the ideal platform that your group wants this game to come out on (e.g., PlayStation 4, PC, mobile, etc.)? Why is this the best platform for the game?

Review of Competing Games

Look up at least three existing games that are similar to your group’s game. What do these games do that is similar to your group’s game? Why is your group’s game better? Be sure to include the name of the company, publication year, and software.

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Section 2 –  Design

Player Characteristics

What does your group expect players to already know before they play your game? For example, if yours is a mystery game, you assume that they understand how mysteries work (clues, red herrings, etc.). How do they type in their choices: Y or N? 1, 2, 3, 4? Click radio buttons?

Game Mechanics

How does the game play work?  That is, what do players have to do in order to access the menu? Fight? To find the inventory and stats? What button do they push to get there? How do they type in their choices: Y or N? 1, 2, 3, 4? Click radio buttons?

Challenge

What do the players have to do in order to win the game? What makes this game challenging and engaging to players? In other words, if the “right” way through the game is always by choosing Choice 1, that makes for a boring game. Or if there’s only one way through, that’s also boring. Or if it’s all dialogue and exposition, that’s also boring. In other words, if the solution is too easy, that makes for a game that’s not challenging. So tell us why your game, the path, the choices, all work together to make it challenging.

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Section 3 –  Project Description

Walkthrough

Verbally, lay out the branching paths to show us what a player has to do to win.What choices are they presented with? What happens depending on the choice? A long example can be found on gamefaqs.com.

Visual Map of the Game

Use mapping software, or draw it/take a photo of it. If you use Vue, you can attach the Vue file so that all the branches are clearly shown.

Conceptual Art

Create or find free images to create a vision board for your game. Show us what you think you game would look like if it were actually a 2- or 3-D animated video game.