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Game Design Document (for a board game)

You will create a Game Design Document, GDD, for your proposed board game prototype. The GDD describes the overall vision for a game. The GDD will also help introduce the game to a prospective producer. This document will help sell your game idea to a producer. Not everyone in the game industry agrees on what should be included in a game design document. 

Overall you should have:

1. Cover Page
2. Table of Contents
3. Working title and genre
4. Target Audience
5. Story and characters: idea
6. Art: All sketches and storyboards
7. Game play: How the game is played including the rules document
8. Cover Letter to Producers

Part 1: Cover Page

The cover page should include the working title and a large image that is related to the game. It should also include your name.

• Include the working title
• Art that is related to the game
• Your name

Part 2: Table of Contents

​The table of contents should list everything that is found in the GDD along with the page number it can be found on. It’s a quick reference for people who are looking at the document.

• List of everything in GDD
• Use page Numbers

Part 3: Working Title and Genre

This section should be written in paragraph form and should include the working title and a brief explanation why you selected the title. I say working because if the game were to be published the title would have to cleared for copyright issues. Plus the publisher would have the final say in the name. Also include the genre category you think you game fits into and explain the selection. Ask yourself where does your game fit into the classic game genres: role-playing game, educational game, or first-person shooter? Remember that you do not need to stick to a single genre, but by categorizing where your game fits will help to better define your target audience.

• Working title and a brief explanation
• Genre category and explanation

Part 4: Target Audience

This section should also be written in paragraph form and should include the rating for your game, why you selected that rating. Look at sample board game to help you decide. Don’t just put all ages. The rating you select will determine many aspects of your game such as difficulty, complexity, and visual style; since each audience has its own preference. Also list any special skills your game might help to teach that should be included on the box cover, e.g., fifth grade common core math skills.

• Game age rating - explain 
• Special skills you game might help to teach - math skills

Part 5: Story and Characters - Idea

This section should also be written in paragraph form and should include a brief explanation of you game idea and where you got the idea from. Also include any backstory needed to understand the game idea. Describe any characters you might have in your game and where you got the idea for the characters. Also explain the visual style you are trying to convey with the game.

• Idea - backstory explanation
• Explain characters
• The feel of you game

Part 6: Art, all sketches and storyboards

This section in not in paragraph form, but is rather a collection of your sketches and storyboards. It’s a good idea to label every sketch and storyboard to help the producer see your vision. Use the sketches from Lesson 1. After you complete the game it’s also a good idea to print screen shots of the game and place here. The GDD fits on the desk easier than the prototype and we want the producer to remember your game.

• Sketches and storyboard from lesson 1
• Print screens of finished board and cards

Part 7: Gameplay: How the Game is Played (including rules document)

This section is in paragraph form. In detail, explain how to play your game. What steps will they follow to progress through the game? How does the player move from one part of the game to the next? What are the goals the player is trying to accomplish in the game? What does he or she have to do to achieve that goal? What barriers or obstacles exist that make achieving that goal challenging? Include the game components information that describes what kinds of things there are in the game, e.g., cards, tokens, special squares, etc. Describe what the components look like and what function they have in the game. Don’t forget any special features or moves. This is not the rules document. Then create a rules document. 

Part 8: Cover Letter to Producers

Probably the most important item in the GDD will be the cover letter. This document will be the first and possibly the only document read before your game demo is played. The cover letter has to tell the “publisher” (instructor) everything about you, your team, and your proposed game. A cover letter is typically a one-page document with an introduction, a body, and a conclusion, usually about four solid paragraphs that sum up the entire game proposal. 

The main points you want to get across in the cover letter are that you have a great game idea (marketable) and that you are able to make that idea a reality. The letter briefly sums up all that is contained in the proposal and only mentions the specifics. This is not just a document that sells the game, but you and your team as well. The reader of this letter will notice bad formatting, spelling errors, and how well your thoughts are organized, among other details that will speak of the author. Remember to conclude your letter with a request for action. Don’t just say thanks and goodbye, ask the reader to follow up or better yet, tell them you will be following up.