Game Design Document (GDD)

Game design document is the blueprint or a highly descriptive living design document from which a video game is going to built.

When creating and developing a game, game design documents are vital, even more so in teams that involve hundreds, if not thousands of people. It must be include a highly descriptive vision of the game as well as specific details of multiple contents in order for members of different teams to know exactly what they need to do. This is ultimately the plan that is required for the game to be implemented in the most efficient way possible.

The content in the game design document includes text, images, diagrams, concept art, or any applicable media to better illustrate design decisions. Some design documents may include functional prototypes or a chosen game engine for some sections of the game.

Although considered a requirement by many companies, a GDD has no set industry standard form. For example, developers may choose to keep the document as a word processed document, or as an online collaboration tool.

The purpose of design documentation is to express the vision for the game, describe the contents, and present a plan for implementation. A design document is a bible from which the producer preaches the goal, through which the designers champion their ideas, and from which the artists and programmers get their instructions and express their expertise. Unfortunately, design documents are sometimes ignored or fall short of their purpose, failing the producers, designers, artists, or programmers in one way or another. This article will help you make sure that your design document meets the needs of the project and the team. It presents guidelines for creating the various parts of a design document. These guidelines will also serve to instill procedures in your development project for ensuring the timely completion of a quality game.

General game development cycles are well documented and can only benefit teams of any size. At the core of the best game development practices lives an important living document: the design document, uniting engineers and artists under the same plan.

Here are some examples of game designs documents
https://5years.doomworld.com/doombible/doombible.pdf
https://cryptospacex.com/gamedoc.pdf

References
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131791/the_anatomy_of_a_design_document_.php
http://seriousgamesnet.eu/assets/view/238
https://tchetcuti.wordpress.com/2015/10/22/22-10-15-game-design-and-concept-documents/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_design_document