A game design document (GDD) can be described as the written foundation on which an entire game is built, a shared backbone that aligns all teams around a common vision. It helps development teams move forward in a coordinated way, fully aware of one another’s work, and ensures overall consistency. Each section of a game design document defines a specific phase of the game, and each of those phases usually has a corresponding team responsible for it.

A game design document serves as a reference for the entire game development team. In fact, for this very reason, it can also be seen as a compass: it guides teams to stay faithful to the original structure and vision of the game throughout the development process.

For example, if you are working on a psychological horror game like Silent Hill, the game must adhere to certain standards. Ideas that could damage or dilute the core elements of psychological horror are filtered out thanks to the game design document. In this sense, the GDD also defines the boundaries of your game.

No matter how well a game design document is prepared at the very beginning, it will inevitably change over time within the limits initially set. In large-scale game projects, the GDD is frequently updated, and these updates are tracked by the relevant teams to report and manage changes made to the project.

It should not be forgotten that frequently updated game design documents lead to less disappointment during development.

When preparing a game design document, there are some fundamental points to consider. Briefly summarized:

• It should have a simple and clear structure.
• It should be easy to understand.
• Ideas should first be explained briefly and concisely, then gradually detailed in a clear and structured way.
• The document should allow flexibility so the development team can support the game with their own ideas.
• It should be supported with concept art and example visuals.
• If possible, the document should be prepared in an online environment where everyone can view it in real time, and the people who need to intervene should have clearly defined permissions to share feedback.

An Honest Opinion:

We strongly recommend preparing the initial notes with pen and paper. It is much easier to rearrange ideas like a puzzle this way, and you can take notes much faster during moments of inspiration.

Before moving on to our main topic, How to Prepare a Basic Game Design Document, we would like to touch on one more detail.

On some social media platforms and forums, it is claimed that preparing a game design document is outdated. This is complete nonsense. Yes, like every industry, the game industry is constantly evolving and changing. With each change and development, processes undergo significant transformations but these changes are also reflected in the game design document itself.

The key point here is defining the structure of your game, and there will always be a need for that. Without such a document, the development team cannot fully grasp what the game is, which can lead to serious financial and moral losses for the company. Therefore, this document is a necessity.

In the early days of game development, hundreds of pages of game design documents were common. Today, documents are more agile and concise but even though their form has changed, they continue to exist and remain essential.

Now, let’s take a closer look together at How to Prepare a Basic Game Design Document.

Ideation and Brainstorming

First and foremost, we need an idea. We must decide that we want to create, for example, a psychological horror game, and then develop a clear vision for its elements and core components. This requires pushing our imagination to its limits to form a solid and original concept. After that, we should deepen the idea by asking the right questions:

• Why are we making this game? What is our goal?
• What kind of game are we planning to build?
• What is our core idea, and which concept should we build around?
• What kind of outcome do we aim to achieve through this game?

Once these questions are answered, we can begin brainstorming with the team using all the data we have gathered to shape the game design. Especially if you are working with a team, it is crucial to carefully balance internal tension and debates while ensuring that the process stays faithful to the core idea.

At this stage, you must have a clear understanding, together with your team, of what is realistically achievable within the game. Do not overlook this. You should carefully evaluate whether emerging ideas are compatible with your team’s skills and knowledge base. If possible, actively encourage your team members to contribute their own ideas.

Remember: if you fail to establish solid game mechanics, you will be forced to revisit the problem from the very beginning, reworking the concept and the structures built around it. This is an undesirable situation, as it leads to both financial and moral losses.

Once this phase is complete, you can move on to writing the document.

Introducing the Team

When starting your Game Design Document, it is important to begin by introducing the team. Especially in larger teams, it is valuable for members to be aware of one another, and this information becomes essential when preparing external presentations of the project.

Writing the Foreword

You will need a foreword that clearly explains your project. Much like writing the introduction to an academic article, this section should concisely describe the entire project and set the context for what follows.

Concept Description

You must explain your game’s concept in a clear and thorough way. Continuing with our psychological horror example, you should describe the structure of this concept in detail, using clear language and, ideally, plenty of visual references.

Defining the Game Genre

What genre does your game belong to? While this may seem partially covered in the concept section, here you must clearly state whether the game is an FPS, TPS, Survival game, or another specific genre. Everything else in the game will be built around this fundamental decision.

The Game World

It is essential to describe the overall game world and the experience players will have within it. During concept art creation and the level and environment design phases, both art and technical teams will draw inspiration directly from this section. At this early stage, extremely advanced details are not required, but simple 2D maps or sample level layouts can be very helpful.

Story and Characters

This is the primary point where players emotionally connect with the game. It is crucial to accurately describe the narrative, characters, and setting. You should define the plot structure, story progression, and all narrative and interactive branching points here.

Main characters, allies, enemies, every interactive character encountered in the game, should be explained individually and in detail in this section.

To achieve a high-quality result, it is highly recommended to collaborate closely with experienced game writers or to ensure that the person handling this section has serious expertise in storytelling.

If players cannot connect with the characters you create here, the game cannot succeed.

For narrative-driven games, being as detailed as possible at this stage is important. However, if your game does not rely heavily on story, a short introduction, a rough summary, and a basic plot outline may be sufficient.

Mechanics

Now it is time to make your game an actual game, and this happens through mechanics.

Continuing with our psychological horror example, mechanics may include running, hiding, collecting necessary equipment, crafting and crafting costs (which can be thought of as a form of in-game economy), solving puzzles, and similar interactions.

Mechanics define how players interact with the game. Visual components are extremely important at this stage. The way mechanics are explained will vary from game to game, but collaborating with concept artists or, for smaller teams, effectively using AI tools to visualize mechanics: adds significant value.

Tools like Miro or similar platforms can be used to visually represent game mechanics and systems, making explanations much clearer. However, this is not mandatory; even Google Docs can be sufficient if used properly.

To strengthen your mechanics section, you should clearly define and explain difficulty levels, additional features, win and loss rewards, and how their advantages and disadvantages affect the main character. Including these as subheadings will make your mechanics documentation much more robust.

Replayability elements should also be specified here; difficulty modes, survival modes, or any systems designed to encourage replayability should be clearly outlined at this stage.

In structured form, this section may include:

• Core Game Loop
• Controls
• Player Interactions
• Enemies and Enemy Behaviors
• Weapons and Their Effects
• Interactive Objects and Their Impact on Gameplay
• Systems
• Player Experience

Levels

This is where the world you described truly takes shape. If we assume our psychological horror game takes place in a mental hospital, each floor and area of the hospital should be designed here in accordance with the narrative.

At this stage, you explain what will happen to the player at each phase of the game, which mechanics will be used, how interactions will occur, and what awaits the player in each level. The data and visuals created during the game world phase play a critical role here and are often used directly.

This is also where the need for a tutorial or onboarding section becomes clear, and related planning begins. Proper planning at this stage is crucial, as replayability, exploration, and transition mechanics are largely defined here.

User Interface (UI)

In the User Interface section, you define menus, HUD elements, and all other screens players will interact with. Main menu, health bars, mini-maps, objective markers, weapon information, crafting screens, settings menus, and similar elements should be designed based on UX (User Experience) data; clear, intuitive, and aligned with the game’s theme and color palette.

You are not expected to fully design these elements within the GDD, but you should describe them accurately, base them on user experience research, and visualize them through wireframes.

Audio

Analysis consistently shows that sound is one of the most critical elements of a successful game. Humans experience the world through their senses, and hearing is one of the most fundamental of these.

Every interactive element in the game should have appropriate sounds, and these sounds must be unique and cohesive. Level-specific music and adaptive audio that responds to different situations are essential for atmosphere.

If you are not a sound designer, it is best to avoid excessive technical detail here. Instead, clearly describe the emotional tone, artistic direction, narrative context, and the feelings you want to evoke in players.

Technical Information

This section technically belongs to a separate document, as game design documents and technical design documents are different. However, most GDDs still include a technical overview section.

Here, you define which game engine will be used, which programming languages are planned, the technical requirements of target platforms, and estimated system requirements. These should be based on up-to-date hardware data derived from an analysis of your target audience.

Never forget that these details should later be expanded in a dedicated technical design document.

Marketing

This section is optional. However, if the game will be presented to investors, it becomes extremely important. You should explain how and through which methods the game will be marketed, estimated marketing costs, target demographics, and similar details in a step-by-step manner.

Game designers often struggle with this section, so it should ideally be prepared in collaboration with a marketing team.

Zerohint’s Experience on GDD

Zerohint’s game design team is highly proficient in game design documentation and has achieved success in the following areas to date:

• Game world/setting
• Target audience
• Unique selling points (distinguishing features)
• Similar games examples
• Platform
• Story/plot
• Mechanics descriptions
• Game engine
• Gameplay mechanics
• Graphics and sound requirements
• Monetization model

Zerohint meticulously handles every detail of level design. The goal is to create a well-organized and robust GDD that maintains consistency throughout the game experience. You can contact us without any hesitation!