Opening Page

The cover page contains information including:

  1. Title. The title in the form of the words “Game Design Document” is needed to name the document so that at a glance people can imply what is meant in the document.
  2. Game Title. In the form of an attachment to the game name either in the form of a logo or any form that can be read.
  3. Genre and Game Mode. Contains information about the genre and game mode—such as online or offline mode, and single-player or multi-player mode—that will be used.
  4. Stakeholders. Includes the logo of the group, organization, and/or institution that oversees the game project.
  5. Copyright, Address, and Contact. Contains copyright information, year of production, name of the organization responsible, work address, and contact email address.

Then the next page contains the table of contents of the document along with the page number.

Introduction

The introduction contains a description of the problems that occurred and the reason why the game designer made this game. The background consists of three or more paragraphs.

The first paragraph contains a general description of the problem or phenomenon raised. Then the next paragraph contains a specific explanation of the problem that is still related to the description of the first paragraph. The last paragraph contains the reasons why this game needs to be made based on the existing problems.

Idea of Creation (Problem Formulation)

The problem formulation contains a list of questions that will be described in the design explanation. In general, the list of questions asks whether the parts or content in the game design will be able to solve the problem raised.

Objectives and Benefits

Objectives contain a statement about why the game designer is making this game. It generally summarizes the solution to the problem, or briefly offers this game as a solution to the problem.

Benefits contain the expectations of the game designer to the player after playing the game created. Generally, it explains the impact or changes that want to be made with this game.

Platform Used

This section describes the device that will be used to play this game. In general, this section describes the hardware and software specifications that players need to have.

Requirements

This section describes the production requirements for making this game. It generally contains a list of devices that will be used in production such as hardware specifications and applications used.

Game References

Game references contain reference sources or references from other games or other projects.

These references are categorized based on the existing content of the reference game. For example: story references, gameplay references, mechanic references, character design references, user interface references, font references, environment references, animation references, etc.

Explanations accompanied by images and links will greatly help the team understand the desired intent.

Game Design Process

This section lists the details and explanations of all aspects of production, including:

  1. Production Timeline. Contains a sequence of actions or activities that will be performed during production, organized by a defined schedule, and categorized by the responsibilities of each team member.
  2. Genre. Outlines details about the type of game and theme the game has. Also includes the reason why the game designer picked this genre.
  3. Storyline Tells the background of the events experienced by the character before the conflict in this game. Generally contains the introduction of the character and his environment as well as the challenges that need to be answered in the game.
  4. Gameplay. Describes the tactical aspects of the game, such as its plot and how to play it. Generally contains details of the patterns defined through the rules of the game, the relationship between the player and the game, the challenges and overcoming them, the plot and the player’s connection to it.
  5. Mechanics. Describes the system components that respond to the game to the player’s movements or actions. Generally described in the form of tables or diagrams. This section should be able to explain the purpose of the mechanic based on the mechanic name/type, interacting objects, active state, player input, and other descriptions.
  6. Level Design. Level design is also known as environment design or game mapping. Level design includes a sketch of the conceptual design of the level. It generally contains an attachment of the layout of objects in the game map along with a description of the events that will be triggered from player actions.
  7. User Interface (UI). User interface includes the design of UI pages and elements, space layout, typography usage, color selection, and style or theme selection. UI elements include input controls (button, text field, checkbox), navigation components (gamepad, slider, breadcrumb), information components (icon, message box, progress bar), and container (UI component wrapper).
  8. Character Design. Contains an attachment of the character along with a description of all the elements used. The character design should attach the character in various dimensions, states, and expressions.
  9. Game Assets. Contains a list of descriptions and attachments of visual assets or objects used in the game.
  10. Engine. Contains technical explanations related to the environment or configuration in the game engine. Generally contains a description of customized configurations, a list of modules used, methods and frameworks used, and other technical explanations that contain directions for game programmers.
  11. Sound Design. Contains a list of background music (BGM) and sound effects (SFX) along with a description of their type, type, or theme-and their condition in the game.
  12. Selling Point. Refers to the unique benefits of this game that allow it to stand out from competitors. Generally describes explicit claims of uniqueness that involve in game attributes and are objectively verifiable and have usability benefits.

Credit Title

This section lists the names of the team members and their duties in this project. Generally, each is responsible for one area including art, tech, or design.