You feel this vibration inside from the many ideas for your new game, and you can’t wait to get started. Any developer knows this feeling, no matter if he is a beginner or a professional with many years of experience and hundreds of projects under his belt.

Unfortunately, one idea and your burning eyes are not enough to create a game. Even the ability to write code cannot handle everything that the game development process requires.

First, you need to develop at least a game design document to avoid problems with faulty codes or conflicts between images and mechanics.

Before starting to write the first line of code, an experienced game designer needs to create a map of what will be built.

GDD is dead. Long live the new GDD!

In order for the management of the game development process to be effective, it is necessary to maintain detailed internal documentation. For decades, the design document has served as a guide for each game developer to present their unique vision. GDD is a complete and comprehensive description of the game. It is created by a collaboration of designers, developers and artists. If you were able to create a clear and structured GDD, then it will be able to accurately and accurately guide you all the way through the development of the game and be a checklist for your team that any development contributor can check at any moment.

But unfortunately, anyone who was in any way connected with the development of the game faced some of the following disappointments:

• Few people really read them in their entirety.
• We work on the Agile system.
• As soon as you finish writing GDD, it will immediately become obsolete.

In traditional terms, GDD`s are huge documents with over-explaining every detail of the game – an outdated version.

But you need to understand that the development of one game by several studios and the distribution of the team has become the norm today, then GDD is what remains the center of the game documentation of your game. But if you are not satisfied with the traditional look, then you can adapt the documentation process for a more creative and interactive and even collaborative game development process.

How to write GDD efficiently and correctly?

1) Never do it in Word!

We have nothing against this wonderful tool with its advantages, but we do not think that it is well suited for documenting the development process of a game. Since a correct game document must be “live” and mobile, the tool for its development must have the same characteristics.

2) Brevity is the soul of wit.

When creating your game design document, you shouldn’t immediately describe just one section in detail and as clear as possible. Start with short excerpts from your ideas and gradually update and refine the key points. This way you can write down all the ideas without missing out on important details.

3) Attach a visual.

There are ideas that are difficult to express without showing the source of that idea. Visualization and concept art can do a great job with this. References are great for helping the rest of the team to understand the flight of your thoughts and structure your ideas.

4) Shared access.

Don’t forget that you are a team first. Therefore, access and the ability to not only comment but also edit your GDD is critical here. Make your GDD available to the rest of your team so you can create ideas and discover and solve problems together. The quality involvement of your team in the development process directly affects the final product.

5) Give the green light to change!

Do not forget that truth is born in an argument. Expect your GDD to change many times as it evolves. If you force your team to adhere to everything that was written at the very beginning of your game development journey, you will thereby kill all creativity and desire to develop the game. Be prepared in advance for the fact that at the end of the path there will be no trace of the initial view of your GDD.

If you want to know even more information about GDD or to discuss your project with us, follow this link:https://whimsygames.co/blog/game-design-instructions-examples/