The Rise of Vision Notes: Why It Matters in 2025

The Rise of Vision Notes: Why They Matter in 2025 for Indie Game Devs

Indie game development is a rollercoaster of passion and practical constraints.

Many indie developers begin with an exciting vision for their game, but face the harsh reality of limited time, budget, and technical skills.

The dream clashes with the doable.

How do you navigate this tension and deliver a polished game that stays true to your original concept?

Vision Notes can help.

Let’s explore this through a Q&A.

What are Vision Notes, exactly?

Vision Notes are a system of detailed, iterative documentation used throughout your game’s development.

Think of it as a living document that captures the evolving essence of your game.

It’s more than just a design document; it’s a record of your thought process, design decisions, and the “why” behind them.

They are a comprehensive game development log to track game development progress, including your creative process.

Why can’t I just keep the vision in my head?

Memory is fallible.

Your initial vision, however clear, will change and evolve as you delve deeper into development.

Without a written record, subtle but important details can be lost or distorted over time, leading to inconsistencies and feature creep.

It’s easy to forget why you made certain design choices months later.

How do Vision Notes prevent feature creep?

Feature creep is the bane of indie game development.

Vision Notes act as a constant reference point.

Each new feature should be evaluated against your documented vision.

Ask yourself: Does this feature align with the core experience?

Does it enhance the game, or does it dilute the focus?

If a feature deviates too far, it’s a red flag.

What should Vision Notes include?

Start with the core pillars of your game.

What is the central theme or message?

What are the key mechanics that define the gameplay?

Who is your target audience and what experience do you want them to have?

Document everything.

Gameplay loops, character concepts, worldbuilding details, even your inspirations.

How often should I update my Vision Notes?

Regularly.

Treat them as a living document that evolves alongside your game.

After each major development milestone or design decision, update your notes to reflect the changes.

Record your reasoning behind these changes.

What’s the best way to organize Vision Notes?

Organization is key.

Use a system that works for you.

Consider using a hierarchical structure with categories for gameplay, story, art, and technical aspects.

Each section should contain detailed notes, sketches, and references.

What are the pitfalls to avoid with Vision Notes?

Don’t let them become overly complex or bureaucratic.

The goal is to clarify your vision, not to create a rigid set of rules.

Avoid spending too much time documenting and not enough time developing.

The best Vision Notes are concise, informative, and easy to update.

Can you give an example of Vision Notes in action?

Imagine you’re making a roguelike dungeon crawler.

Your initial vision might be “a challenging and replayable dungeon crawler with a focus on strategic combat and meaningful choices.”

Your Vision Notes would then detail the specific mechanics that support this vision:

• Turn-based combat with a focus on positioning and resource management.
• Procedurally generated levels with unique challenges and rewards.
• Permanent death with a meta-progression system that allows players to unlock new characters and abilities.

If you later consider adding a crafting system, you would evaluate it against your core vision.

Does crafting fit the strategic combat and meaningful choices?

If it adds unnecessary complexity or diverts attention from the core gameplay loop, you might reconsider.

How can I make Vision Notes easier to maintain?

Dedicated journaling is a great option.

A dedicated game dev journal allows you to efficiently capture your ideas, track your progress, and reflect on your design choices.

A game development log can easily become your Vision Notes.

This can be especially helpful if you are aiming to consistently create content like devlogs.

Staying consistent can be challenging as a solo developer.

Is this just another form of over-planning?

No, it’s about guided iteration.

It’s about acknowledging that your vision will evolve, but ensuring that it evolves in a deliberate and consistent direction.

It’s a way to track game development progress in a way that keeps you moving towards your goals.

It’s about maximizing the impact of your limited resources by focusing on what truly matters.

Ready to turn your vision into reality? Start refining your game’s direction today with our intuitive journaling tool