5 Techniques for Documenting Game Design Decisions

5 Techniques for Documenting Game Design Decisions

As a solo developer or student, you pour your heart into your game. Yet, without clear documentation, brilliant ideas can vanish, scope creep can derail progress, and creative intent can get lost. This guide offers practical techniques to document your game design decisions, helping you to track game development progress and keep your vision intact.

1. The Core Vision Statement: Anchor Your Game

Many indie games suffer from “feature creep” – new ideas constantly get added, diluting the original vision. A succinct core vision statement acts as your compass.

Case Study: “Stardew Valley” Before and After

Before Documentation: Eric Barone, the creator of Stardew Valley, initially started with a broad concept of a farming RPG. Without a refined vision statement, early development could have veered into endless tangents like combat-heavy dungeons or complex town-building mechanics, pulling focus from the core farming and relationship loop.

After Documentation: While not publicly shared as a single document, Barone’s consistent focus on “a simple farming game with a strong social element, inspired by Harvest Moon” served as an unspoken, yet powerful, vision statement. This allowed him to ruthlessly prioritize features that supported this core, like seasonal crops and villager interactions, and deprioritize those that didn’t, keeping the game grounded and cohesive.

Actionable Takeaway: Start every project with a single sentence describing your game’s unique selling proposition and core experience. Pin it everywhere. Before adding any new feature, ask: Does this align with my core vision statement? If not, it’s probably scope creep. This simple practice helps you track game development progress against your initial goals.

2. Decision Logs: Why Did I Do That?

You’ll forget why you made a specific design choice weeks later. A decision log captures the reasoning, context, and alternatives considered.

Case Study: “Celeste” Before and After

Before Documentation: The developers of Celeste, Matt Thorson and Noel Berry, undoubtedly had many discussions about level design and mechanics. Without a dedicated decision log, recalling why a specific platforming challenge was difficult or why Madeline’s dash mechanics evolved could become a guessing game, leading to inconsistent design iterations or re-litigating old debates.

After Documentation: While detailed internal logs are private, the polish of Celeste suggests meticulous decision-making. Imagine a log entry: “Decision: Make Madeline’s dash refresh upon touching ground/wall. Reason: Initial single-use dash felt too restrictive for fluid platforming, led to frustration. Considered: Two dashes (too easy), timed refresh (felt artificial). Chosen solution allows for creative chaining while maintaining challenge.” This log clearly justifies the final mechanic.

Actionable Takeaway: For every significant design decision (e.g., changing a core mechanic, adding a new enemy type, altering a level layout), create a quick entry. Include: the decision made, the problem it solves, alternatives considered, and the rationale. This prevents “why did I do this?” moments and allows you to look back at your game development log.

3. Playtest Feedback Synthesis: Listen, Document, Act

Playtests are goldmines, but raw feedback is overwhelming. Systematizing it helps you extract actionable insights.

Case Study: “Undertale” Before and After

Before Documentation: Toby Fox, the sole developer of Undertale, relied heavily on feedback. If early playtest notes were scattered or unstructured, identifying recurring issues like player confusion during specific combat encounters or difficulty spikes could be missed, leading to a less refined experience.

After Documentation: While specific playtest notes aren’t public, the game’s famous “friendly” bullet patterns and dialogue choices suggest iterative refinement based on player experience. Imagine a feedback summary: “Recurring feedback: Players feel overwhelmed by early boss attacks. Action: Add tutorial text for ‘ACT’ option, slow down bullet patterns for first 10 seconds of combat. Rationale: Maintain challenge while easing players in.”

Actionable Takeaway: After each playtest, don’t just read notes. Categorize feedback (e.g., “difficulty,” “UI confusion,” “narrative clarity”). Summarize common themes and prioritize actionable items. Document the changes you make in response. This structured approach helps refine your vision and ensures your game development log reflects player input.

4. Iteration Snapshots: A Visual Development Log

Screenshots and short videos capture the evolving state of your game better than words alone.

Case Study: “Hollow Knight” Before and After

Before Documentation: Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight went through numerous iterations of its world, enemy designs, and combat animations. Without visual snapshots, recalling how a specific area looked in an earlier build, or the progression of an animation cycle, would be purely reliant on memory, making comparative analysis difficult.

After Documentation: Although their internal archives aren’t public, developers often save incremental builds or capture short videos of progress. Imagine a folder named “Greenpath Iterations.” Inside: “Greenpath_V1_early_spores.png” showing an open, less dense environment. “Greenpath_V2_tighter_layout.mp4” showing an early version of the platforming challenges. This visual game development log showcases how areas evolved.

Actionable Takeaway: Regularly capture screenshots or short video clips of new features, level layouts, or art assets. Organize them by date or feature. This provides a visual timeline of your progress and allows you to easily revisit past iterations, seeing how your game has grown. It’s an invaluable part of your game development log.

5. The Dev Journal: Your Central Hub

These individual techniques are powerful, but they become even more effective when centralized. A dedicated game dev journal serves as your single source of truth for all design decisions, progress updates, and reflections.

Case Study: Many successful indie developers, like those behind “Slay the Spire” (MegaCrit) or “Risk of Rain 2” (Hopoo Games), often share insights that suggest a deep, ongoing internal dialogue and documentation process. While not always called a “journal,” the consistent iteration and refinement evident in their games points to a well-organized system of capturing thoughts, feedback, and decisions. Without a central hub, their complex systems and frequent updates could quickly descend into chaos.

Actionable Takeaway: Integrate all the above techniques into a single, accessible game dev journal. This could be a simple document, a Trello board, or a dedicated tool. Consistency is key. Make it a habit to jot down thoughts, progress, and decisions daily. This helps you track game development progress, stay consistent with devlogs, and organize your creative process.

Remember, consistent, thoughtful documentation isn’t a chore; it refines your vision and makes your development process smoother. It’s how you preserve your creative intent and avoid common pitfalls. Start organizing your creative process today with a dedicated game dev journal like our game dev journaling tool.