Characteristics of a good GDD

Let's have a look at what makes a good game design document.

The characteristics we're going to describe in the following paragraphs are something that any GDD of any game should have.

Every time you're required to write a GDD, come back to this list and make sure everything you write conforms to it.

Every time you finish writing a GDD, go back again to this list and ask yourself whether your work possesses or not these characteristics and, if not, whether it's your particular case that doesn't require it or you have to adjust something.

A good GDD:

• Is modular
• Has goals and requirements
• Is the result of a discussion
• Is clear, brief, and concise
• Is multimedia
• Leaves space for creativity and debate
• Is not necessarily only a text file
• Is online

It is modular

Generally speaking, the goal of the document is to communicate the game design to all the parties involved in game development. But it's very unlikely that the whole design is going to be covered by a single document. Some...