Game Design Document Template

The Game Design Document template is the central hub for your project. It includes the key parts of every great game plan: Your ideas, moodboard, worldbuilding, level design, and character design. There are also checklists for your workflow so you have everything in one easy-to-access place.

When a new game design project kicks off, your starting point is often just a rough concept or idea. So how do you transform that idea into something bigger? Brainstorming!

Brainstorming is a classic creative technique for generating new ideas quickly. You can use it to explore visual styles, dream up new characters, worlds, or even the levels you're planning.

Start by writing the central concept for your project in the middle of the board. Next, spend 5 minutes adding ideas related to your concept.

Think about different parts of your game, animation styles you could use, characters, or even the history of your topic. Explore every thread until you fill the board. Finish by sorting the best ideas into groups. This gives you a strong foundation for your animation.

During brainstorming, you imagined the different parts of your game. It's time to start exploring some visual directions with a moodboard. Moodboards can help you visualize any aspect of your project. You could focus on how you want the finished design to look. Or they could be centered around collecting references for characters or environments. You can create a moodboard for each of these separately or mix them all into one board.

Drag in images from your computer and drop them onto the image placeholders on your moodboard. Then, use the built-in image library to add inspirational references. Finally, move and crop your images to get the layout you need.

A crucial step in any game pre-production is deciding what the world or environment will be like. A world can be as expansive as a wide-open fantasy landscape, or as minimalistic as a single room. Here's where you let your imagination run wild and set the scene for your character and level design.

Start by thinking about the biggest concept in your game world—the environment. Where does your game take place? Next, add some ideas about the inhabitants and culture. Is your game set in a dystopian war-torn city with only soldiers and robots? If so, what's their purpose?

Finally, 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 great game level can make your players feel immensely excited and fully engaged in your game. From the level map, milestones, powerups, and obstacles they encounter along the way, every detail is planned during level design.

Level design is not only a great framework for you to invent something new. It's also a handy tool to help your team understand the size and scope of your game.

Add a simple description of your level, then start to create a 'top-down' map. Map out the ideal path you want the player to take and what you want them to encounter along the way. Where does your level start and how does a player complete it? Build challenges and rewards along the way to keep them engaged.

A great character feels like a natural part of your game's world, yet is unique and interesting with their own traits and personality. The character profile is a popular framework for developing unique characters. Game designers and writers use it to define a character's background, appearance, general strategy, and gameplay style.

Just like people, characters are made up of their past experiences, goals, and aspirations. Craft a backstory to help make them more believable. Next, start to visualize the look of your character with sketches and reference imagery.

Finally, define their gameplay. 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?