Create a modern, lightweight Game Design Document in Milanote

You’ll find the board for brainstorming on your Game Design Plan board. Double click the Brainstorming board to open it and get started.

What's the central idea or concept for your game? This is your starting point. It might be just a rough idea at the moment or a topic that you want to explore, but this process will help you see how far you can take it. Add a note that describes your concept in 1 to 2 sentences to get started.

Now it's time to get creative. Start adding any ideas that relate to your main concept. Think about different parts of your story, game plan and animation styles you could use, characters, or even the history of your topic. Explore every thread until you fill the board.

Don't worry about evaluating your ideas yet, that will come later. Setting a timer for 5 minutes is a great way to create a sense of urgency and prevent people from judging their thoughts.

Sometimes it's easier to communicate an idea with an image, especially if it's a mood or style you're trying to express. Images can define things like character style, font choices, colors, scenes, and more. These can become the foundation for a moodboard as your game evolves.

Once you've explored tangents and shared feedback, the next step is to make connections. This is where you see the magic of brainstorming.

Start by grouping similar ideas to uncover patterns in your thinking. Add a title to each group so it's easy to scan. You might find your ideas fall into groups like story, gameplay, character, or levels but there are no rules about how you do it. Now you should start to see your initial concept coming to life.

Now that your brainstorming session is complete, you have a strong foundation for your game! Remember, just as creativity and inspiration is constantly evolving, so are ideas. Come back and add to the brainstorm when inspiration strikes.

You’ll find the board to make your moodboard on the Game Design Plan board. Double click on the Moodboard to open it and start adding your inspiration.

Start by adding any existing material you have—this could include examples from previous projects, references from other games, or images you've saved as inspiration. These might not make it into the final moodboard, but they're still a great place to start.

The imagery you add to your moodboard is what helps you express the look and feel of your game. Images can define your character style, concept art, colors, scenes, and more.

You can start by searching for visual elements from around the web. There are lots of fantastic sites where you can find great visual inspiration for free, like Dribbble, Behance, and Pinterest. Don't worry about organizing the images just yet, that step will come later.

Once you have all your inspiration in one place, the next step is to arrange your ideas to create the perfect layout. Start by exploring composition and introducing hierarchy. Place a key element to anchor your board, and change the size and position of the remaining elements to indicate their importance and relationships to one another.

Now that your moodboard is complete, you have a powerful visual reference for your game. Remember, you can create multiple moodboards to explore different directions at any time.

Next, we'll map out the environments for your game.

You’ll find the empty Worldbuilding board on the Game Design Plan board. Double-click it to start adding the mapping out your game environment.

Start by thinking about the biggest concept in your game world—the environment. Where does your game take place? What's the geography and climate? These details can help your team design suitable level backgrounds, clothes for your characters, and even the style of buildings in each level.

Who inhabits this world? Is your game set in a dystopian war-torn city with only soldiers and robots? If so, what's their purpose? This is where you set some rules to be used later when designing your characters.

Next, take some time to create the culture that exists in this world. Consider the fashion and how inhabitants dress, the technology available to them, and how this affects their weaponry.

Now that you have a rough idea of the rules of your world, collect visual references that will help bring it to life. These can provide a handy starting point when thinking about character or level design.

A variety of team members are involved in worldbuilding: from design to art and programming, everyone contributes. That makes now a great time to share the board and get your team's feedback. Ask them to leave comments and build on your initial ideas.

Now that your worldbuilding exercise is finished, you (and your team) have a clear vision for the environment in which your game will take place.

You’ll find the Level Design board on your Game Design Plan board. Double click on the Level Design board to open it and get started.

What's the basic concept for your level? This is your starting point. For example, is this the 'underwater' level, where your character has to avoid the sharks to stay alive? Is it at night? In the forest? Add a note that describes your topic in 1 to 2 sentences to get started.

Once you have a rough idea for your level, start to create a 'top-down' map of your level. It doesn't have to be perfect, this is just a starting point. Where does your level start and how does someone finish this level? Map out the ideal path you want the player to take and what you want them to encounter along the way.

Great levels have just the right mix of challenge and reward. Start adding in obstacles or puzzles for your players to complete along the journey, like finding a switch, opening a door, or defeating an enemy. Also, design mini victories along the way to help propel them forward.

Now that you have a rough picture of how the level fits together, it's time to start considering how the scenes might look. Refer to your game design moodboard or gather images that represent specific parts of your level. Google images or Pinterest are a great places to grab free reference images.

Now that your level design is complete, you have a strong reference for how you want the level to fit together! Remember, just as creativity and inspiration are constantly evolving, so are ideas. Come back and add to your plan when inspiration strikes.

Repeat this process for each level and you'll start to see how the whole game fits together.

You’ll find the first character profile board on the Game Design Plan board. Double click on the Character board to open it and get started.

A character might start as a bundle of random ideas, traits and plot points from your game concept, so it’s important to bring everything together in one place.

Just like people, characters are made up of their past experiences, goals, and aspirations. As Henry David Thoreau wrote, “Dreams are the touchstones of our characters.” Some aspects of their backstory might not make it into the game but will they help your artists and animators make the character more believable.

Next, start to visualize the look of your character with sketches and reference imagery. There are lots of fantastic sites where you can find great visual inspiration for free, like Dribbble, Pinterest, or Google Images. You can also create a character moodboard at this stage to help explore all aspects of their appearance. See the guide on creating moodboards to learn more.

Now it's time to think about how they move, attack enemies and defend themselves. Consider their weight, speed, and style. Are they heavy or agile, how does their movement match their physical appearance? Do they have a super-power or can they acquire special powerups that transform their abilities?

Once you have everything you need, it's time to organize your content into logical topics. The goal here is to present the character to your team in an inspiring and concise format.

It's important not to fall into the trap of giving just one character too much responsibility for the dramatic functions of your game. It's better to create additional characters that compliment and contrast the traits of your main character. You can repeat the above process to develop a whole cast of characters that help bring your game to life. Use the Character map template to lay them all out.

Hopefully, this guide has helped you become more organized and create an engaging game design document. If you're just starting a new game, use the Game Design Document template below to get set up in minutes.