Word processors

A common misconception is that every GDD starts in Word, or Google Drive Documents, or another word processor. I've worked on many projects where no word processor has been used at all.

A text file is a good choice when a discursive approach is required.

Some examples would be:

  • Defining the storyline of a game or describing its lore
  • Describing the characters or the environments
  • Defining the dialogues or the screenplay for cinematics

Here are some pros and cons in choosing word processors for your GDD.

Pros:

  • Indexing is straightforward, as a particular argument or feature can easily be found by page number
  • Searching for specific content or keywords is always available and easy
  • Simple formatting means it is easy and fast ...

Get Practical Game Design now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.