Since the outcome of this project is going to be my own GDD it only makes sense that this is something that i need to understand further. I am going to look into existing Games Design Documents and analyse what makes them so effective. But first i have to properly understand what a GDD is.
- What Is A GDD?
A Games Design Document is a document containing everything that the development team for every aspect of the game needs to create said game. It is a manifesto of sorts, a guide and set of instructions including everything you need to know to pitch, develop and create a final product. A games design document should include an art bible, narrative, sound design, and key game mechanics. This is so everyone on the team has a clear understanding of what they have to do in order to complete their task. But before this Games Design Documents are often used to pitch a game, it is the first version of the game anyone will see and often is the thing standing between it being published or not. Hence it is important to produce a clear and detailed GDD.
Games design documents aren’t just one static list of the games features, it should constantly be evolving and becoming more in-depth as a project develops. By evolving with a product games design documents should be consistent with the final product.
Bioshock is a video game that had great success, adored for its mechanics, story and visuals it really was and is an all around positively received videogame. Released in 2007 it is still relevant to this day. By looking at Bioshock’s original Games Design Document i might be able to analyse and see how the game came to fruition, how it displayed its original ideas, and environment within the GDD.
Bioshock’s Games Design Document starts with a short description of the games narrative and already you have a sense of the environment, ambience and vibe the game will have. Having a brief paragraph regarding displaying both the potential themes of the game and the overall ambience acts great for marketing this game as an idea. By starting off with something similar to a blurb that’ll interest whomever you have to pitch this choice is effective and intriguing. They move onto the official overview of the document, discussing the visuals, mechanics and story all in short concise sentences. In terms of marketability this can be very important, getting peoples attention straight away whilst also explaining what your game is about can be difficult but personally i feel as though the Bioshock team executed this to perfection.
The next pages expands on from this, discussing quite briefly why they picked some of these choices. Not only that but on this page they refer to the game being available on both console and pc as one of the key points. Having a game that’s targeted towards both console and pc players especially at this time it is more marketable then not, it broadens the player base and makes the game more accessible to many players.
The Bioshock team now moves over to some of these briefly mentioned topics in further detail, expanding and giving more detail for your core mechanics or narrative is important. Yes it has already been briefly discussed but bringing it back and then discussing in further detail is not only a way to make it stick and be more memorable but also a way to convey key information. Focusing on key mechanics that made the game stand out clearly and in an effective matter. Each key aspect of this document has its own section and further development into that idea, person or mechanic. Doing this is vital, it helps not only pitch the game but also helps along the line for the development team having to reference back onto the document.
The key aspects the Bioshock team included:
- Mechanics
they explained clearly and in an easily digestible way how their weapon system works for the game. since this is one of the key mechanics. they also spoke about how the game can be multiplayer, this can be essential to the player experience.
- Design
Brining light to certain design choices that would effect the players experience, such as how the user interface will look, the overall aesthetic of the game and environment.
- Narrative
Established a clear narrative arch with the villain and the goal.
So what makes a good GDD?
A well thought-out games design document should cover every aspect of a game concept, but in a way that is concise and easily digestible. It is important to give enough information to create interest and for the entire team involved to refer back to, but it is also important to do that without having the information be overwhelming and confusing as then the document isn’t serving its purpose.