The Nine-Point
Game Design Document
“The act of creating the games design document is the act of designing the game.” Stone Librande
1. Title Page
2. Game Summary
3. Characters and Controls
4. Gameplay overview
5. Gameplay experience
6. Mechanics and Modes
7. Enemies and Bosses
8. Bonus material & DLCs
9. Game economy
References
Title Page
Eye-catching graphic : logo, or game character or scene
Title :
Your name :
Target audience : Age range
Genre :
Game Summary
Summary of the story
- storyboard, characters, enemies, conflict, obstacles
Give brief descriptions of
- gameplay
- cool things players can do in game
Character/s and Controls
Player
Who does the player control?
What does the player do?
Main Character
Describe the main character / protagonist
- backstory of the character/s?- physical description- equipment- special moves
Describe the main enemy / antagonist (if there is one)
- summary- complete full description in section 7
Gameplay overview
How does the player play the game - mouse, stick, touchscreen?
What is the primary action of the player?
What special moves does the character/s have?
Can the player control more than one character?
Give a brief overview of the flow of the game
Gameplay experience
What is the atmosphere?
What emotions or moods are you trying to convey?
How will the game story be told - cutscenes, movies, text boxes. When do they appear - between levels, cards or start and end of game
Mechanics and Modes
Is there a multiplayer mode?
Are there games within games?
Are there missions?
Enemies and Bosses
Describe in more detail
- the enemies
- the bosses
Enemy / Boss
What makes them unique?
Weak points?
Strong points?
How are they defeated?
No enemies
If no enemies, describe obstacles, conflict etc.
Bonus Material, and Downloadable Content
What extra cool stuff can the player earn or unlock
How do they buy the cool stuff (game economy)?
What is the incentive for the player to play again?
Game economy
Does the game have an economy?
References
Games reviewed / played
Articles read
Videos / Webpages used
