Writing the GDD, Step 5: The Game Design Document (and the Awful Truth about Writing It)
Now that you have some meat on your game design’s bones, it’s time to flesh it out with a GDD. A GDD outlines everything that will be in the game. It defines the entire scope of the game. Programmers read the GDD to define a TDD—the Technical Design Document—that is used to build the game. If the GDD doesn’t detail a feature from the start, the team might not be able to add it to the game later without a lot of pain. Needless to say, it’s a very important document that the entire team will refer to during the production of your game.
Some people confuse a game bible with a GDD. Don’t make this mistake. “Show bible” is a term taken from television production. A game bible, like a show bible, emphasizes the rules of the world and the backgrounds and relationships of the characters. This is an important document to create, especially if information...