Game Design Documentation: How to Write a GDD

Mastering GDDs: Structure, Updates & Control Documents

Learn to create structured, practical, and effective Game Design Documents (GDDs) that truly support your game development process.

What you’ll learn

  • Documentation Good Practices.
  • Game Design & Documentation Process.
  • How to write an organized Game Design Document (GDD).
  • High Level Design Documentation.
  • Low Level Design Documentation.

Course Content

  • Section 1 – Introduction –> 5 lectures • 15min.
  • Section 2 – Documentation Good Practices –> 7 lectures • 14min.
  • Section 3 – Game Documentation Process –> 6 lectures • 12min.
  • Section 4 – The Game Design Manual –> 7 lectures • 13min.
  • Section 5 – Other Game Design Documents –> 4 lectures • 8min.
  • Section 6 – Keeping the Docs Up to Date –> 3 lectures • 3min.
  • Section 7 – Closing the Course –> 4 lectures • 7min.
  • Extra Content – Youtube Documentation Series –> 10 lectures • 54min.

Game Design Documentation: How to Write a GDD

Requirements

Learn to create structured, practical, and effective Game Design Documents (GDDs) that truly support your game development process.

A well-crafted GDD is more than just a reference. It’s a living document that keeps your team aligned, reduces misunderstandings, and improves development efficiency. However, many game designers struggle with documentation, either because it becomes too rigid, outdated, or overly complex. This course will teach you how to design, update, and maintain your game documentation without unnecessary complications.

You’ll explore:

  • How to structure a GDD to ensure clarity, organization, and usability.
  • Control Documents to track changes, prevent outdated information, and maintain consistency.
  • Best practices for updating documentation efficiently without disrupting development.
  • Version control: Do you need it? When to use it and how to manage it effectively.
  • Common pitfalls in game documentation and how to avoid them.

Through real-world examples and practical exercises, you’ll gain the confidence to create documentation that actually works. Whether you’re an aspiring game designer, a producer, or part of an indie team, mastering GDDs will help you communicate your vision clearly and improve collaboration.

By the end of this course, you’ll have the skills to create a usable, dynamic, and professional GDD, setting the foundation for a smoother development process.

Start building better game documentation today!

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