Games GDD

This weeks reading tasks focused on understanding what game design documents are and why they're so important when it comes to designing a game. Prior to this week I had never heard of what a game design document was before. Learning about them has been very interesting, I found that this article was very helpful when it came to understanding the need for a GDD. This article broke down the elements involved in creating a GDD and why they are so important. A GDD must outline all elements of the game so the mechanics, story, characters, theme, progression, main demographic and other significant elements. A GDD is used as a point of reference while developing a game, it ensures that the project does not go off track while in development and remains true to the initial concept of the game. 

An example of the benefits of using a GDD

Using a GDD has many benefits, this article outlines many of these benefits. In my opinion the main benefit of using a GDD is that it allows for you to give yourself an outline to follow as a developer. Your GDD can almost be viewed as a project brief where your aim as a developer is to carry out all the required tasks in the brief. A GDD also allows for the various tasks involved in designing a game to be clearly defined and no one is left unsure of the work they have to be doing.

An important thing to remember while creating a GDD are the required elements that must be included for it to be a helpful resource for you as you develop your game. This article provides a simple breakdown of the important elements of a GDD and I intend on returning to this article while writing up my GDD to ensure that I am including all the elements that I need.